Human African Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness is a devastating parasitic disease. It is a neglected tropical disease affecting communities in Africa. In this video we take a look at the disease, how it presents and and ways to control it.
Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease caused by helminth parasites of the genus Schistosoma. Worldwide, an estimated 250 million people are infected with these parasites with the majority of cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Within Asia, three species of Schistosoma cause disease. Schistosom...a japonicum is the most prevalent, followed by S. mekongi and S. malayensis. All three species are zoonotic, which causes concern for their control, as successful elimination not only requires management of the human definitive host, but also the animal reservoir hosts. With regard to Asian schistosomiasis, most of the published research has focused on S. japonicum with comparatively little attention paid to S. mekongi and even less focus on S. malayensis. In this review, we examine the three Asian schistosomes and their current status in their endemic countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Thailand (S. mekongi); Malaysia (S. malayensis); and Indonesia, People’s Republic of China, and the Philippines (S. japonicum). Prospects for control that could potentially lead to elimination are highlighted as these can inform researchers and disease control managers in other schistosomiasis-endemic areas, particularly in Africa and the Americas.
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Localized cutaneous leishmaniasis and its evolving forms (diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, mucosal leishmaniasis and cutaneous leishmaniasis recidivans), together with the sequela of visceral leishmaniasis (post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis), account for about one million cases of dermal leishmani...ases per year worldwide. Although not lethal, the dermal leishmaniases cause chronic, disfiguring skin lesions which are an important cause of morbidity and stigma.
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Leishmaniasis is a climate-sensitive disease. Changes in
temperature, rainfall, and humidity can have strong impacts on
the sandfly vector, altering their distribution and influencing their
survival and population sizes. Increased temperatures shorten
vector development time, reduce Leishmania p...arasite incubation
time, and increase vector biting rates, allowing transmission
in areas not previously endemic for the disease. Poor and
marginalized communities will be hit disproportionately harder by
the effects of climate change, and droughts, famines, and floods
can also lead to displacement and migration of immunologically
naive people to areas where leishmaniasis is endemic, posing a
threat of leishmaniasis outbreaks.
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Cholera which disproportionally impacts poor countries and the most vulnerable continues to affect at least 47 countries across the globe, resulting in an estimated 1.3 – 4 million cases, and 21,000 - 143,000 deaths per year worldwide. In Ethiopia, despite major improvements seen in the increasing... access to healthcare, clean water, and improvement in maternal and child health, the country continues to be significantly affected by cholera outbreaks. From 2015 – 2021 for example, several outbreaks of cholera have occurred in multiple parts of the country resulting in over 105,000 cases and thousands of deaths. Some of the risk factors associated with cholera in Ethiopia include inadequate access to clean water, practice of open defecation, poor household and environmental sanitation, unhygienic latrine and weak sanitation practise among communities.
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This handbook is intended primarily for front-line health care providers who are likely to see children (among other clients) in their day-to-day practice. These may include general practitioners, nurses, midwives, gynaecologists,
paediatricians, mental health professionals, first responders and st...aff in emergency care.
Other professionals who may find it useful include social workers, those working in social welfare institutions, providers of psychosocial support, and those working in child care facilities and the education system.
Further, the content will benefit the work of policy-makers and managers to enable and support provision of clinical care to children experiencing, or who have experienced, child maltreatment.
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During the year 2022, COVID-19 continued to be a significant challenge in Eritrea as in many other countries across the world. As COVID-19 devastated communities around the world, WHO worked with the MoH to strengthen the National and Sub-National health systems in order to meet community needs and ...mitigate the devastation during the pandemic and beyond.
One of the major achievements in the year 2022 was the beginning of the journey towards validation of
the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. This is the culmination of years
of commitment and determination by the political leadership, national and international partnerships to
reduce the associated indices to levels that qualify for elimination.
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La leishmaniasis es una enfermedad tropical desatendida sensible
al clima, trasmitida por la picadura de insectos flebótomos y
se calcula que amenaza a mil millones de personas en todo el mundo.
Esta enfermedad altamente compleja se presenta de varias formas
clínicas, causadas por 20 especies ...del parásito Leishmania.
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Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis is a deadly infectious disease affecting West and Central Africa, South Sudan and Uganda, and transmitted between humans by tsetse flies. The disease has caused several major epidemics, the latest one in the 1990s. Thanks to recent innovations such as rapid di...agnostic tests for population screening, a single-dose oral treatment and a highly efficient vector control strategy, interruption of transmission of the causative parasite is now within reach. If indeed gHAT has an exclusively human reservoir, this could even result in eradication of the disease. Even if there were an animal reservoir, on the basis of epidemiological data, it plays a limited role. Maintaining adequate postelimination surveillance in known historic foci, using the newly developed tools, should be sufficient to prevent any future resurgence.
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This information can be used to assess the extent of the damage and the needs of affected communities. Information should be gathered on the extent of damage to infrastructure, housing, and public facilities such as hospitals, schools, and water systems. This information can be used to prioritize th...e response effort and to direct resources to where they are most needed.
In addition to gathering information on the extent of damage, it is also important to gather information on the number of people affected and the types of assistance they need. This may include information on the number of people who are injured, displaced, or in need of shelter, food, and water. This information can be used to prioritize the response effort and to ensure that assistance is provided in a way that meets the specific needs of affected communities.
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This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on parenting interventions for parents and caregivers of children aged 0–17 years that are designed to reduce child maltreatment and harsh parenting, enhance the parent–child relationship, and prevent poor mental health among parents and emo...tional and behavioural problems among children.
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The equity focus set out by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development demands new ways to extend services to unserved populations. Successful water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and neglected tropical disease (NTD) partnerships have the potential to help achieve this ambition. However, working to...gether in new ways requires new ways of thinking
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In response to the devastating earthquakes impacting Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic, the World Health Organization delivered 72 metric tons of trauma and emergency surgery supplies, including treatments, to both countries to support ongoing response efforts.
A first charter flight depar...ted to Türkiye on 9 February carrying 37 metric tons of life-saving supplies, and a second flight is scheduled to deliver 35 metric tons of supplies to the Syrian Arab Republic today.
In total, these life-saving supplies from both flights will be used to treat and care for 100 000 people as well as for 120 000 urgent surgical interventions in both countries.
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À la suite des tremblements de terre dévastateurs qui ont frappé la Türkiye et la République arabe syrienne, l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé a livré 72 tonnes de fournitures pour des soins de traumatologie et de chirurgie d’urgence, y compris des traitements, afin de soutenir les opé...rations en cours dans ces deux pays.
Un premier vol affrété a décollé pour la Türkiye le 9 février avec 37 tonnes de fournitures vitales à son bord et un deuxième vol doit livrer aujourd’hui 35 tonnes de fournitures à la République arabe syrienne.
Les fournitures vitales livrées grâce à ces deux vols serviront, au total, à traiter et à soigner 100 000 personnes et à réaliser 120 000 interventions chirurgicales urgentes dans les deux pays.
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ستجابةً للهزات الأرضية المدمرة التي ضربت تركيا والجمهورية العربية السورية، أرسلت منظمة الصحة العالمية إلى البلدين المنكوبين 72 طناً مترياً من الإمدادات اللازمة لم...الجة الرضوح وإجراء العمليات الجراحية الطارئة، بما يشمل الأدوية، لدعم جهود الاستجابة الجارية.
وقد غادرت طائرة الإمدادات الأولى إلى تركيا في 9 شباط/فبراير حاملةً 37 طناً مترياً من الإمدادات المنقذة للأرواح، ومن المقرر أن تغادر الرحلة الثانية اليوم إلى الجمهورية العربية السورية وعلى متنها 35 طناً مترياً من الإمدادات
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UNICEF, WHO Whole of Syria Nutrition, Cluster, the Global Nutrition Cluster, the IFE Core Group, and partners call for ALL involved in the response to the earthquakes in Syria to protect, promote, and support the feeding and care of infants and young children, their caregivers, especially pregnant, ...postpartum, and breastfeeding women. This is critical to support maternal and child survival, growth and development, and to prevent malnutrition, illness and death. This joint statement has been issued to help secure immediate, coordinated, multi-sectoral action on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) to support and provide care for infants and their caregivers during the emergency response of the Earthquake in Syria.
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En respuesta a los devastadores terremotos que afectaron a Türkiye y a la República Árabe Siria, la Organización Mundial de la Salud entregó 72 toneladas de suministros de cirugía de traumatología y de emergencia, incluidos tratamientos, a ambos países para apoyar las iniciativas de respuest...a en curso.
El 9 de febrero, un primer vuelo chárter con 37 toneladas métricas de suministros vitales partió con destino a Türkiye, y está previsto que un segundo vuelo entregue hoy 35 toneladas de suministros a la República Árabe Siria.
En total, los suministros vitales transportados en ambos vuelos se utilizarán para tratar y atender a 100 000 personas, así como para llevar a cabo 120 000 intervenciones quirúrgicas urgentes en ambos países.
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In the early morning of 6 February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Türkiye near the northern
border of Syria. The earthquake was followed 11 minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Many aftershocks
continue to be felt across the region. Whilst the impact is still being ass...essed, initial reports evidence significant
damage in the areas of southern Türkiye and northern Syria.
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In the early morning of 6 February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Türkiye near the
northern border of Syria. The earthquake was followed 11 minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Many
aftershocks are still being felt across the region. Whilst the impact is still bei...ng assessed, initial reports evidence
significant damage in the areas of southern Türkiye and northern Syria.
In response, the Syria Ministry of Health (MoH) activated its emergency operations centre (EOC) on 6 Feb 2023
under the chairmanship of the Deputy Minister. In all affected governorates, public and private health facilities
and medical convoys have been repurposed to support the response and are being managed by the National
Ministry of Health (MoH) and Directorate of Health (DoH) at governorate level. Support has been directed to
affected areas, with medical convoys including 28 ambulances and 7 mobile clinics, deployed from the health
directorates of Damascus, Rural Damascus, Quneitra, Homs, Tartous, Aleppo and Latakia
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TUATION UPDATE
In the early morning of 6 February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Türkiye near the
northern border of Syria. The earthquake was followed 11 minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Many
aftershocks are still being felt across the region. Whilst the imp...act is still being assessed, initial reports evidence
significant damage in the areas of southern Türkiye and northern Syria.
In response, the Syria Ministry of Health (MoH) activated its emergency operations centre (EOC) on 6 Feb 2023
under the chairmanship of the Deputy Minister. In all affected governorates, public and private health facilities
and medical convoys have been repurposed to support the response and are being managed by the National
Ministry of Health (MoH) and Directorate of Health (DoH) at governorate level. Support has been directed to
affected areas, with medical convoys including 28 ambulances and 7 mobile clinics, deployed from the health
directorates of Damascus, Rural Damascus, Quneitra, Homs, Tartous, Aleppo and Latakia. At the same time, 4
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