Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have emerged as conditions of great public health concern in Kenya accounting for 39% of deaths annually. The Ministry of Health through the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases has adopted the vision of achieving a nation free from preventable burden of NCDs. Fur...ther, the mission of this strategy is to halt and reverse the rising burden of NCDs through effective multisectoral collaboration and partnerships by ensuring Kenyans receive the highest attainable standard of NCD continuum of care that is accessible, affordable, quality, equitable and sustainable thus alleviating suffering, disease and death for their well-being and socio-economic development.
The scope of NCDs covered by this strategy include; cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health conditions, violence and injuries, hemoglobinopathies, haemophilia and other bleeding disorders, auto immune diseases, chronic renal diseases, epilepsy and other neurological disorders, chronic skin conditions and oral diseases and conditions. It equally addresses seven risk factors; tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and toxins, physical inactivity, indoor air pollution, environmental pollutants and toxins and stress.
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The Guidelines for the Use of the APCA African Palliative Outcome Scale (POS) has been developed by the APCA, in collaboration with
stakeholders, to help appropriately trained health practitioners and researchers across the region to utilise the APCA African POS in their work place (Powell et... al, 2007; Warria et al, 2007). Not only do the guidelines provide a clear rationale for measuring palliative care outcomes, but they also outline practical information on how to use the tool to collect data and analyse its results. So why is there a need for these guidelines?
Palliative care as a concept and discipline is not well understood across Africa, and its development is still embryonic in many countries. While there are many obstacles that hinder palliative care development on the continent, a key challenge is the lack of accurate information about the palliative care being provided and its outcomes. The APCA African POS is a useful tool to help us measure these outcomes and, given that
measuring palliative care outcomes remains a relatively new concept, it is important to guide people on how to use the tool. Of course, these guidelines are not intended to address everything related to the measurement of palliative care outcomes; they contain only essential information for providers. More detailed information on the use of outcome tools, and in particular within the research setting, can be gained from contacting relevantly trained professionals.
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Drawing on the World Health Organization’s package of NCD best buys, the report demonstrates how these evidence-based measures can help countries reduce premature deaths, strengthen health systems, and advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It provides policymakers, donors, ad...vocates, and partners with a clear economic and social rationale for scaling up implementation of proven solutions. By framing NCD prevention and control as both a health and development priority, the report offers a roadmap for action that delivers benefits across populations, economies, and generations. The evidence is clear: investing in WHO’s best buys is not only possible—it is imperative. The time to act is now.
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PLoS ONE 13(9): e0204088. .https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204088.
Behaviour-change interventions have been consistently considered an essential part of comprehensive HIV, STI and unintended pregnancy prevention. In 2015, the World Health Organization reviewed and assessed existing evidence ...on brief behavioural interventions, leading to the publication of Brief sexuality-related communication: recommendations for a public health approach. This guideline recommends the use of brief behaviour intervention and communication programmes to promote sexual health and to prevent HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancies in primary health services, particularly sexual and reproductive health services.
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PHSM are vital in reducing the risk and scale of infectious disease transmission and lowering hospitalization and deaths. Examples include contact tracing, quarantine and isolation, mask use, ventilation, school or workplace measures, mobility restrictions and travel requirements.
While these mea...sures are essential, decision-making on PHSM becomes particularly complex during rapidly evolving health emergencies, with incomplete information and under significant public and political pressure, especially when the pathogen is novel or poorly understood. In such contexts, guidance needs to be agile and responsive, developed and adapted based on emerging evidence and shifting epidemiological patterns. Decision-makers are frequently confronted with difficult trade-offs, having to balance measures that are:
─ effective but socially disruptive;
─ cost-effective but logistically burdensome;
─ beneficial for public health but economically disruptive; or
─ practical but inequitable or unethical
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These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) have been developed by the Infant Feeding in Emergencies (IFE) Core Group Infectious Disease Working Group based on the most recent recommendations, collective knowledge and evidence on cholera. The FAQs also draw on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) recom...mendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Infant Feeding in Emergencies Core Group (IFE CG). These FAQs are intended to provide answers to health workers and the public – including mothers who are breastfeeding or expressing milk – on breastfeeding during a cholera outbreak.
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Ces questions fréquemment posées (FAQs) ont été élaborées par le Groupe de travail sur les maladies infectieuses du Groupe l'alimentation central sur des nourrissons en situation d'urgence (IFE) en se basant sur les recommandations les plus récentes, les connaissances collectives et les donn...es probantes relatives au choléra. Les questions fréquemment posées (FAQs) s'appuient également sur les recommandations de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) et du Groupe central sur l'alimentation des nourrissons en situation d'urgence (IFE CG) en matière d'alimentation des nourrissons et des jeunes enfants (IYCF). Ces FAQs ont pour objectif de fournir des réponses aux professionnels de santé ainsi qu’au grand public- y compris aux mères qui allaitent ou qui tirent leur lait- au sujet de l'allaitement maternel lors d'une épidémie de choléra.
Cesquestions fréquentesreflètent:
•Les preuves disponibles et les derniers outils de lutte contre le choléra du Groupe de travail mondial sur la lutte contre le choléra (2025) et de l'UNICEF (2013)
•Les effets protecteurs du lait maternel et de l'allaitement
•Les effets néfastes liés à l'utilisation inappropriée de substituts de lait maternel
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This plan, approved by the Organization’s 62nd Directing Council, was shaped by extensive consultations with countries and stakeholders, and commits to transformative health outcomes over the next six years, tackling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, health security, fragmented healt...h systems and services, and the elimination of communicable diseases, amongst others.
“The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that the Region of the Americas is stronger when we work together,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director. “This Strategic Plan harnesses our collective strength to build resilient health systems, reduce disease burden, and improve health and well-being for all across the Americas.”
The plan builds on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed gaps in health systems while highlighting the power of joint action. It targets measurable impacts in countries, such as reducing maternal mortality, reversing rising suicide rates, and eliminating diseases like leprosy and Chagas.
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Adolescents and young adults aged 10-24 remain underserved in the global response against HIV. Combination prevention, treatment and care programmes use a mix of evidence-based interventions to meet the current HIV prevention needs of adolescents and young adults. However, there needs to be a focus ...on priority interventions that are evidence-based, practical, contextual and sustainable. This document highlights interventions and recommendations that have passed through the evidence-based lens of the WHO.
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The WHO Global tuberculosis report 2025 provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, at global, regional and country levels. This is done in the context of global TB commitments, strategies and targets.
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The 2025 edition of the report is, as usual, based primarily on data gathered by WHO from national ministries of health in annual rounds of data collection. In 2025, 184 countries and areas with more than 99% of the world’s population and TB cases reported data.
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These guidelines update earlier WHO recommendations to maximize the HIV prevention impact of safe VMMC services and aim to guide the transition to the sustained provision of interventions with a focus on the health and well-being of both adolescent boys and men.
Using Epidemiology to Support Primary Health Care. Updated version of the WHO handbook published in the early 1990's entitled: Manual of Epidemiology for District Health Management or those with an interest in applied epidemiology in primary health care and district health systems
Ce manuel contient des informations et des conseils pratiques pour le conseil aux migrantes. Il donne des indications comment l’accès aux prestations des centres de santé sexuelle peut être facilité pour cette population et où trouver de la documentation multilingue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the global community of countries, partners, donors, technical experts, scientists and field implementation teams continue to work towards the ultimate goal of a world free of the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Testing men for HIV during their partner’s pregnancy can guide couples-based HIV prevention and treatment, but testing rates remain low. We investigated a combination approach, using evidence-based strategies, to increase HIV testing in male partners of HIV-positive and HIV-negative ...pregnant women.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a dramatic illustration of the extent to which the health of people, animals and the environment is interdependent, which is why “One Health” is now high on the political agenda. This document provides an overview of KfW Development Bank’s approach to promoti...ng human, animal and environmental health. Involvement in areas like agriculture, biodiversity, health and water is already contributing to the One Health objectives. Moving forward, it will also be important to give greater consideration to interdependencies between sectors and ensure that structural connections are taken into account in cross-sectoral programmes.
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One Earth Perspective. Cell Press