Key questions What is already known? Critical illness is common throughout the world and COVID-19 has caused a global surge of critically ill patients. There are large gaps in the quality of care for critically ill patients, especially in low-staffed and low-resourced settings, and mortal...ity rates are high. Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) is the effective lifesaving care of low-cost and low-complexity that all critically ill patients should receive in all wards in all hospitals in the world. What are the new findings? The clinical processes that comprise EECC and the essential care of critically ill patients with COVID-19 have been specified in a large consensus among clinical experts worldwide. The resource requirements for hospitals to be ready to provide this care has been described. What do the new findings imply? The findings can be used across medical specialties in hospitals worldwide to prioritise and implement essential care for reducing preventable deaths. Inclusion of the EEEC processes could increase the impact of pandemic preparedness and response programmes and policies for health systems strengthening. more

Conformément aux recommandations de divers comités de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), le Bureau régional de l’OMS pour l’Afrique a mis en place trois initiatives phares afin de permettre aux États Membres de la Région africaine de se préparer aux urgences de santé publique, ...de les détecter et d’y riposter. Ces programmes sont le fruit de consultations approfondies avec plus de 30 Ministres africains, ainsi qu’avec des acteurs techniques, des partenaires à travers le continent et des institutions régionales telles que le Centre africain de contrôle et de prévention des maladies (CDC-Afrique), dont les contributions ont façonné les activités prioritaires. Le présent rapport est le quatrième rapport de synthèse trimestriel sur les progrès accomplis dans la mise en œuvre des initiatives phares. more

Despite some improvements, current levels of air pollution still pose a considerable risk to the environment and to human health in the WHO European Region. One issue of concern is that monitoring of particulate matter is very limited in the countries of eastern Europe, the Caucasus and central Asia.... This paper summarizes the evidence about the health effects of air pollution from particulate matter and presents the policy implications, the aim being to stimulate policy-makers to develop more effective strategies to reduce air pollution and its health effects in those countries. more

This paper summarizes the evidence about the health effects of air pollution from particulate matter and their implications for policy-makers, with the aim of stimulating the development of more effective strategies to reduce air pollution and its health effects in the countries of eastern Europe,... the Caucasus and central Asia. more