Weekly Epidemiological Record No 9, 2022, 97, 61–80
This position paper supersedes the 2016 publication, “Malaria vaccine: WHO position paper-2016.”1 It includes the updated WHO recommendations on the wider use of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine for the reduction of malaria morbidity and mortality in ...children living in areas of moderate to high malaria transmission. It also incorporates findings from the evaluation of the WHO-coordinated Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP), recommended by SAGE and MPAG in 2015, and from additional studies since 2015.
This paper does not include findings on vaccine efficacy in infants first vaccinated at 6–12 weeks of age. Because of the lower vaccine efficacy observed in this age category, WHO did not recommend pilot implementation or RTS,S/AS01 vaccine introduction for these young infants. Recommendations2 on the use of RTS,S/AS01 vaccine were discussed by SAGE and MPAG during a joint session in October 2021; evidence presented at the meeting can be accessed at https://terrance.who.int/mediacentre/data/ sage/SAGE_eYB_Oct2021.pdf
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Hendra virus (HeV) continues to pose a serious public health concern as spillover events occur sporadically. Terminally ill horses can exhibit a range of clinical signs including frothy nasal discharge, ataxia or forebrain signs. Early signs, if detected, can include depression, inappetence, colic o...r mild respiratory signs. All unvaccinated ill horses in areas where flying foxes exist, may potentially be infected with HeV, posing a significant risk to the veterinary community. Equivac® HeV vaccine has been fully registered in Australia since 2015 (and under an Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority special permit since 2012) for immunization of horses against HeV and is the most effective and direct solution to prevent disease transmission to horses and protect humans. No HeV vaccinated horse has tested positive for HeV infection. There is no registered vaccine to prevent, or therapeutics to treat, HeV infection in humans. Previous equine HeV outbreaks tended to cluster in winter overlapping with the foaling season (August to December), when veterinarians and horse owners have frequent close contact with horses and their bodily fluids, increasing the chance of zoonotic disease transmission. The most southerly case was detected in 2019 in the Upper Hunter region in New South Wales, which is Australia's Thoroughbred horse breeding capital. Future spillover events are predicted to move further south and inland in Queensland and New South Wales, aligning with the moving distribution of the main reservoir hosts. Here we (1) review HeV epidemiology and climate change predicted infection dynamics, (2) present a biosecurity protocol for veterinary clinics and hospitals to adopt, and (3) describe diagnostic tests currently available and those under development. Major knowledge and research gaps have been identified, including evaluation of vaccine efficacy in foals to assess current vaccination protocol recommendations.
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There is a broad consensus nowadays that the Earth is warming up as a result of greenhouse gas emissions caused by anthropogenic activities. It is also clear that current trends in the fields of energy, development and population growth will lead to continuous and ever more dramatic climate change. ...This is bound to affect the fundamental prerequisites for maintaining good health: clean air and water, sufficient food and adequate housing. The planet will warm up gradually, but the consequences of the extreme weather conditions such as frequent
storms, floods, droughts and heat-waves will have sudden onset and acute repercussions. It is widely accepted that climate change will have an impact on the spread of infectious diseases in Europe, which is likely to bring about new public health risks in the majority of cases. Transmission of infectious diseases depends on a number of factors, including climate and environmental elements. Foodborne and waterborne diseases, for instance, are associated with high temperatures. Disease-transmitting vectors (e.g. mosquitoes, sandflies and ticks) are highly sensitive to climate conditions, including temperature and humidity; their geographical distribution will widen as climate conditions change, potentially allowing them to spread into regions where they are not currently able to live.
The primary purpose of this manual on climate change and infectious diseases is to raise the awareness and the level of knowledge of health workers at national, regional and local levels in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the health risks associated with climate change and infectious diseases. This manual was devel-
oped as part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe project, Protecting health from climate change: a seven–country initiative, implemented with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
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Environmental Research Volume 151, November 2016, Pages 115-123
Dengue is the world’s most important arboviral disease in terms of number of people affected. Over the past 50 years, incidence increased 30-fold: there were approximately 390 million infections in 2010. Globalization, trade, travel,... demographic trends, and warming temperatures are associated with the recent spread of the primary vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus and of dengue. Overall, models project that new geographic areas along the fringe of current geographic ranges for Aedes will become environmentally suitable for the mosquito’s lifecycle, and for dengue transmission. Many endemic countries where dengue is likely to spread further have underdeveloped health systems, increasing the substantial challenges of disease prevention and control. Control focuses on management of Aedes, although these efforts have typically had limited effectiveness in preventing outbreaks. New prevention and control efforts are needed to counter the potential consequences of climate change on the geographic range and incidence of dengue, including novel methods of vector control and dengue vaccines.
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Monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus that causes human monkeypox, a viral disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, including fever and rash. Following the worldwide eradication of smallpox in 1980, monkeypox emerged as the most significant orthopoxvirus infection in humans. Cases are most often rep...orted from rural areas of Central and West African countries, particularly in regions close to tropical rainforest where people may have contact with infected animals. Someone can become infected through direct contact with respiratory droplets of another person who has monkeypox in the home or in a health facility, or with contaminated materials such as bedding. Although these are the main modes of person-to-person transmission, monkeypox outbreaks tend to occur in small clusters of a few cases without leading to widespread community transmission. For this reason, outbreaks can be easily controlled when responded to rapidly. On several occasions, monkeypox has been reported in other regions due to importation by travelers or infected animals. This course provides a general introduction to the disease through a video and accompanying downloadable presentation that can be reviewed at your own pace. It is intended for health personnel responsible for prevention and control of monkeypox, and for the general public.
The content and scope of this course on monkeypox have been tailored for outbreaks in African countries where the disease is endemic. The course material was last updated in 2020 and may not reflect most recent WHO guidance issued for the multi-country outbreak in 2022.
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L’orthopoxvirose simienne, aussi connu sous les noms de variole du singe ou monkeypox, est une zoonose causée par l'orthopoxvirus simien et reconnue comme l'infection à orthopoxvirus la plus importante depuis l'éradication de la variole.
Ce cours offre aux personnel de santé publique et aux a...gents de santé des informations approfondies pour comprendre l'épidémiologie, les modes de transmission, la présentation clinique, le diagnostic et le traitement de la variole du singe, ainsi que les stratégies nécessaires pour la prévention, Ce cours offer aussi des suggestions pour mener une enquête et mettre en oeuvre une réponse efficace à une flambée de variole du singe.
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Since the re-emergence of monkeypox in Nigeria in September 2017, the Nigeria Centre
for Disease Control(NCDC) has continued to receive reports and respond to cases of the
disease from States across the country. Between September 2017 when the outbreak started and November 2018, about 300 suspecte...d cases had been reported from 26 out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The highest number of cases were reported from States in the South-South region of Nigeria. Monkeypox is a zoonotic orthopox virus, which presents in humans with symptoms such as fever, headache, body pain, malaise, lymphadenopathy (enlargement of glands),
sore throat and the typical generalised vesiculopustular rash. Transmission is via direct or
indirect contact with infected animals, human, or contaminated materials.
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La Profilaxis Post-Exposición para el VIH (PEP) constituye una herramienta de prevención que consiste en el uso de medicamentos antiretrovirales para reducir el riesgo de infección luego de situaciones de potencial exposición del virus. Su incorporación está recomendada por la Organización Mu...ndial de la Salud en el marco de una estrategia de Prevención Combinada1,2. Cuando se inicia dentro de las 72 horas del episodio de potencial exposición al VIH, la PEP reduce en forma significativa el riesgo de transmisión, por lo que su uso se indica en exposiciones ocupacionales y no ocupacionales esporádicas. En la actualidad, una combinación de 3 drogas antirretrovirales durante 28 días es el esquema estándar empleado como PEP2.
A través de la Dirección de Sida, ETS, Hepatitis y TBC, se distribuye la medicación
necesaria para que la PEP esté disponible en efectores del sistema público de salud cuando está clínicamente indicada.
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Цей ознайомлювальний курс надає загальний огляд холери, включаючи принципи профілактики та боротьби з нею. Крім того, учасники курсу дізнаються про Глобальну робо...чу групу з боротьби з холерою (GTFCC) та стратегію «Ліквідувати холеру – глобальна дорожня карта до 2030 року». Цільовою аудиторією цього курсу є персонал, відповідальний за профілактику та боротьбу з холерою, зокрема тих, хто бере участь у реагуванні на спалах холери.
Free Online Course. Learning objectives: By the end of this course, participants should be able to: describe the case definition and alerts for cholera; describe main transmission routes; list list the key preventive actions; and explain how cholera control is multisectoral.
Course duration: Approximately 1 hour.
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Onchocerca volvulus transmitted by repeated bites of infected blackflies (Simulium spp.). These blackflies breed along fast-flowing rivers and streams, close to remote villages located near fertile land where people rely on agriculture.
There is a need to reinforce skills of national and district... health workers to know and identify the disease, understand the risk factors according to the context and living conditions of the affected communities, and promote the implementation of public health interventions. With the shift from control to elimination, large areas in Africa require mapping to assess whether transmission is active, and treatment required. A sampling strategy named Onchocerciasis elimination mapping has been developed to help countries conduct those assessments and start treatment where needed.
This course examines the epidemiology of Onchocerciasis, clinical aspects, impact, diagnosis, treatment and control, elimination, public health interventions and role of community health workers
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J Bras Pneumol. 2022;48(2):e20220082
The spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to progress, causing damage in several countries of the world due to its rapid transmissibility and significant mortality rates, despite government measures to contain its tra...nsmission, such as movement control, the closing of schools, bans on travel and public gatherings, the mandatory use
of masks, and hand hygiene. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has clinical manifestations that are similar to those found in other infections also transmitted through the airways, such as pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) Although TB is a global health problem, it is a curable disease, with affordable treatment and prevention. Nonetheless, it remains one of the leading
causes of death from a single infectious agent worldwide, a situation threatened by COVID-19.
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n response to the outbreak, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has been supporting African Union Member States in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through a variety of interventions such as non-pharmaceutical interventions, quarantine, testing, isolation, contact t...racing, and clinical management. The Test to Treat guideline aims to increase continental testing efforts and reduce COVID-19 transmission in Africa and put-up response measures to control the impact of the virus, both to limit spread and to reduce substantially the risks of severe health outcomes related to COVID-19 infection. These countermeasures include highly effective vaccines and boosters, rapid testing options for monitoring exposure, and effective therapeutic options for both pre-exposure prevention and treatment of mild-to-moderate disease, oxygen therapy for moderate-severe disease, all of which can potentially be updated efficiently as new variants emerge that may affect the effectiveness of the available tools.
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the current surge in cases follows unprecedented flooding that began in mid-June 2022. With the current flood crisis affecting the national health system capacity and the growing humanitarian situation, there is a high risk of serious health impacts from dengue fever and other concurrent disease out...breaks. High population movement between Pakistan and bordering countries (in particular, Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran) means that the international transmission of dengue fever cannot be ruled out.
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The Lancet October 25, 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01540-9
As climate change’s impacts continue to accrue, countries are persistently making wrong choices that are harming human health.
A desperate global thirst for fossil fuels is worsening climate change, leading to more extr...eme weather events that have hit every continent, led to thousands of deaths, and caused $250+ billion in damage in 2021.
• People 65+ and children <1 experienced 3.7 billion more heatwave days in 2021 than the annual average from 1986–2005.
• Heat-related deaths shot up 68% from 2000–2004 to 2017–2021.
• Climate change is abetting infectious disease transmission, warming coastal waters and leading to the spread of Vibrio bacteria like the one that causes cholera, and expanding the reach of the malaria parasite.
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Mettre fin au choléra- Feuille de route mondiale pour 2030 rend opérationnelle la nouvelle stratégie mondiale de lutte contre le choléra au niveau des pays et fournit une voie concrète vers un monde où le choléra ne représente plus une menace pour la santé publique. En mettant en œuvre la ...stratégie d’ici à 2030, les partenaires du Groupe spécial mondial de lutte contre le choléra (GTFCC) aideront les pays à réduire de 90 % les décès dus au choléra. Avec l’engagement des pays touchés par le choléra, des partenaires techniques et des donateurs, pas moins de 20 pays pourraient éliminer la transmission de la maladie d’ici 2030.
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Buruli ulcer is caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans. The disease is reported in more than 33 countries worldwide, but only about half of these countries regularly report data to WHO; most cases are reported from subregions of West and Central Africa. The mode of transmission is not known....
About half of those affected are children aged under 15 years; there is no gender difference. Diagnosis is based mainly on clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Of the four methods used for laboratory confirmation (microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), histopathology and culture), PCR is the most rapid and widely used. Other rapid methods for detection of mycolactone in lesions from suspected cases, such as fluorescent thin-layer chromatography, are under evaluation in four countries in Africa.
Research to develop point-of-care tests is in progress. Treatment of Buruli ulcer comprises 8 weeks of combined antibiotics (rifampicin and clarithromycin). Complementary therapies such as wound care, skin graft and prevention of disability are needed in some cases to ensure full recovery.
The target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for control of Buruli ulcer is for countries to achieve a rate of case confirmation by PCR of at least 70%. All endemic countries have at least one PCR facility to support confirmation of cases. However, most countries in the WHO African Region have not been able to reach the target, and the rate of case confirmation has been declining
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L’ulcère de Buruli, une infection causée par Mycobacterium ulcerans, touche plus de 33 pays dans le monde, mais un peu moins de la moitié seulement de ces pays communiquent régulièrement des données sur la maladie à l’OMS. La plupart des cas notifiés se trouvent dans les sous-régions d...Afrique occi-
dentale et centrale. Le mode de transmission de l’ulcère de Buruli n’est pas connu. Environ la moitié des personnes touchées sont des enfants de moins de 15 ans et les deux sexes sont concernés à parts égales.
Le diagnostic repose principalement sur l’observation des caractéristiques cliniques et épidémiologiques.
Parmi les quatre méthodes de confirmation utilisées (examen microscopique, amplification en chaîne par polymérase (PCR), histopathologie et mise en culture), la PCR est la plus rapide et la plus courament employée. D’autres méthodes rapides, comme l’utilisation de la chromatographie sur couche mince par fluorescence pour détecter la mycolactone dans les lésions des cas suspects d’ulcère de Buruli, sont actuellement à l’étude dans quatre pays d’Afrique. Des travaux de recherche sont en cours pour mettre au
point des tests utilisables sur le lieu des soins. Le traitement de l’ulcère de Buruli consiste à administrer une association d’antibiotiques (rifampicine et clarithromycine) pendant 8 semaines. Des traitements complémentaires, comme le soin des plaies, les greffes cutanées et la prévention des incapacités, sont nécessaires dans certains cas pour parvenir à une guérison complète.
La cible fixée par l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) exigée des pays pour assurer la lutte contre l’ulcère de Buruli est la confirmation d’au moins 70 % des cas par PCR pour chaque pays. Tous les pays d’endémie disposent d’au moins un établissement doté des moyens nécessaires pour effectuer les tests de PCR pour la confirmation des cas. Cependant, la plupart des pays de la Région africaine n’ont pas réussi à atteindre la cible fixée. Un déclin du taux de confirmation a même été observé.
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A major objective of this open access book is to summarize the current status of Buruli Ulcer (BU) research for the first time. It will identify gaps in our knowledge, stimulate research and support control of the disease by providing insight into approaches for surveillance, diagnosis, and treatmen...t of Buruli Ulcer. Book chapters will cover the history, epidemiology diagnosis, treatment and disease burden of BU and provide insight into the microbiology, genomics, transmission and virulence of Mycobacterium ulcerans. ; Supports further investigation by summarizing state of the art in the field of Buruli ulcer research Enriches understanding of epidemiology of Buruli ulcer in different geographic regions Reviews exhaustively the characteristics of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease
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Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a preventable neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by infection with the filarial parasites Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi or B. timori. Mosquitos in the genera Culex, Anopheles, Mansonia and Aedes transmit the parasites from person to person. Lymphoedema and hyd...rocoele are the visible, chronic clinical consequences of the impairment of lymphatic vessels caused by infection with these parasites. WHO established the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) to stop transmission of infection by mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelminthics and to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the disease through morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP). Since the start of GPELF, the number of infections has been reduced by 74% globally. The latest estimate is that 51.4 million people are infected.
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Key facts
Buruli ulcer is a chronic debilitating disease caused by an environmental Mycobacterium ulcerans.
At least 33 countries with tropical, subtropical and temperate climates have reported Buruli ulcer in Africa, South America and Western Pacific regions.
It often affects the skin an...d sometimes bone and can lead to permanent disfigurement and long-term disability.
The mode of transmission is not known and there is no prevention for the disease.
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