This handbook offers a simple framework of action for actors in local government, and in particular, health leaders such as Civil Surgeons (CSs) and Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers (UHFPQOs), to take ownership and leadership to combat COVID-19 at each district and upazila respectively, w...ith support and guidance from elected representatives and local administration, and through effective engagement of various segments of society including informal health care providers, religious leaders, journalists, police and law enforcement agencies, etc. The toolkit draws extensively from the experiences in Chapainawabganj, Savar and other areas and contains relevant best practises that have already proven effective in these places, which should be readily adaptable to various contexts.
It is important to note that while this framework has been developed in the context of COVID-19 and with related best practises, it is by no means limited to COVID-19 response. Indeed, the experience from Savar shows that the same approach has proven extremely effective in combating the dengue outbreak and the severe floods in 2020, and hence can be used to combat future public health emergencies in Bangladesh and other countries having similar contexts.
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Adolescence is a critical stage in life for physical, cognitive and emotional development, shaping future health and well-being. Comprehensive measurement of adolescent health is essential to prioritize health issues, guide interventions and track progress. However, global, regional and national ado...lescent health measurement has historically been inconsistent and incomplete.
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The annual Joint Meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the World Health Organization (WHO) Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) was held in Rome, Italy, from 13 to 22 September.... The FAO panel of experts had met in preparatory sessions from 8 to 12 September. The Meeting was held in pursuance of recommendations made by previous Meetings and accepted by the governing bodies of FAO and WHO that studies should be undertaken jointly by experts to evaluate possible hazards to humans arising from the occurrence of pesticide residues in foods. During the meeting the FAO Panel of Experts was responsible for reviewing pesticide use patterns (use of good agricultural practices), data on the chemistry and composition of the pesticides and methods of analysis for pesticide residues and for estimating the maximum residue levels that might occur as a result of the use of the pesticides according to good agricultural use practices. The WHO Core Assessment Group was responsible for reviewing toxicological and related data and for estimating, where possible and appropriate, acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and acute reference doses (ARfDs) of the pesticides for humans. This report contains information on ADIs, ARfDs, maximum residue levels, and general principles for the evaluation of pesticides. The recommendations of the Joint Meeting, including further research and information, are proposed for use by Member governments of the respective agencies and other interested parties.
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The monograph contained in this volume was prepared following the ninety-third meeting of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which met virtually online from 24 March–1 April 2022. This ...monograph summarizes the data on the contaminant group trichothecenes T-2 and HT-2 toxins reviewed by the Committee. A monograph on the other features of this contaminant group, which were discussed at a previous meeting in 2001, are published in WHO Food Additives Series 47.
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Sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH) violate the rights and wellbeing of the people we serve and the people with whom we serve. Such behaviours are directly in opposition to WHO’s values and our abiding responsibility to do no harm. WHO uses the umbrella term “sexual mi...sconduct” to encompass the full spectrum of prohibited and unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature (including rape and sexual assault) as described in WHO’s 2023 Policy for preventing and addressing sexual misconduct (1). This is because all such acts are prohibited – whether perpetrated by WHO’s own personnel or by implementing partners – and therefore constitute misconduct. The term sexual misconduct is also easier to communicate and translate, as
victims and survivors do not always understand the complicated acronyms and definitions used by the United Nations (UN) and the humanitarian sector. However, we use the terms sexual misconduct and SEAH interchangeably as required when we interact with UN and other stakeholders.
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This volume contains monographs prepared at the ninety-first meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which met virtually online from 1 to 12 February 2021.
The detailed monographs in this volume summarize data on specific contaminants in food. Individual monographs ...present the assessment of exposure to cadmium from all food sources, the technical, analytical, dietary exposure and toxicological data on ergot alkaloids, an assessment of five substances that may occur as previous cargoes, and a revision of the specifications for steviol glycosides. This volume and others in the WHO Food Additives series contain information that is useful to those who produce and use food additives and veterinary drugs and those involved with controlling contaminants in food, government and food regulatory officers, industrial testing laboratories, toxicological laboratories and universities.
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Since 24 February 2022, the war in Ukraine has caused widespread suffering to its people and serious damage
to the country’s infrastructure. Attacks on the country’s health system and its power network threaten people, compromise the provision of health care, and complicate the distribution of ...essential medicines and equipment.
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In recognition of the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), its increasing threat to human, animal and plant health, and the need for a One Health approach to address this issue, the 39th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) agreed it was important for the food safety comm...unity to play its part and re-established the ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TFAMR) ). The objectives of the Task Force were
to revise the current Codex Code of Practice to Minimise and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance and to develop new guidance on surveillance programmes relevant to foodborne AMR.
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How much protection does the current batch of COVID-19 vaccines provide us? Would you need a booster shot for new variants? What does science and evidence tell us about mass gatherings and the spread of COVID-19?
WHO’s Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan explains in Science in 5 this week.
In the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals, WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) produce the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates). The WHO/ILO Joint Estimates quantify the population exposed to occupational risk fac...tors and amount health loss caused by these exposures. Global, regional and national estimates are produced of the numbers of deaths and disability-adjusted life years that can be attributed to exposure to selected occupational risk factors. Estimates are produced disaggregated by sex and age group.
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Many countries are using the approach of mixing vaccine doses from different manufacturers. What do we know about the safety and efficacy of this approach? What does the evidence tell us about using a fraction of the vaccine dose ? Dr Katherine O’Brien explains in Science in 5 this week.
Closed C...aptioning is available for Science in 5 in several languages on YouTube:Spanish,Portuguese,Thai,Nepali,Maithili,BahasaandJapanese.
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If you are living with diabetes, what is the risk that COVID-19 poses to you and how can you stay safe and healthy during the pandemic?
WHO’s Dr. Gojka Roglic explains in Science in 5.
What do we know about Omicron variant so far? WHO's Dr Maria Van Kerkhove updates on the transmissibility, severity, symptoms and ways to protect yourself in Science in 5.
Here you can find the latest reports
The military offensive by the Russian Federation in Ukraine which began February 2022 has triggered one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crisis, with geopolitical and economic ripples felt across the globe. The ongoing war has caused large-scale disruptions to the deliv...ery of health services and a near-collapse of the health system. But the crisis also saw an extraordinary mobilization and crisis response to a health emergency by WHO and its more than 100 partners.
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29 April 2022
What are the new vaccines in the pipeline? What are the challenges to turning vaccines into vaccination ? What timelines can we expect for future vaccines? WHO’s Dr Katherine O’Brien explains in Science in 5.
4 march 2022
What have we learned about the symptoms of Long COVID or Post COVID-19 condition so far? How long does it last, when should you worry, and what treatments are recommended? WHO’s Dr Janet Diaz explains in Science in 5.