Theodor Bilharz, a German professor of anatomy and chief of surgery at the Kasr El Ani Hospital of Cairo from 1850, first identified an infective organism, Distomum hematobium in 1851, which was renamed Schistosoma haematobium in 1858. It arose from a cestode worm, Hymenoleptis nana, lying in the sm...all colon of an Egyptian patient. He also discovered a trematode worm at the same time from an autopsy, thought to be the cause of urinary Schistosomiasis. Bilharz died from typhoid fever in 1862 at the age of 37. The Theodor Bilharz Research Institute in Giza, Egypt, stands as a tribute to him today. F. Milton published the first recorded peer-reviewed article report on Schistosomiasis in 1914.
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Plus de 700 000 personnes perdent la vie par suicide chaque année. La réduction d’un tiers du taux mondial de mortalité par suicide d’ici à 2030 est à la fois un indicateur et une cible (la seule pour la santé mentale) dans les objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies et dans ...le Plan d’action global de l’OMS pour la santé mentale 2013–2030. Le treizième programme général de travail 2019–2023 de l’OMS comprend le même indicateur avec une réduction de 15 % à l’horizon 2023.
Le monde n’est pas sur la bonne voie pour atteindre les cibles de la réduction du suicide fixées pour 2030. L’OMS encourage les pays à prendre des mesures pour prévenir le suicide, idéalement par le biais d’une stratégie nationale intégrée de prévention du suicide. Les gouvernements et les communautés peuvent contribuer à la prévention du suicide en mettant en œuvre l’approche LIVE LIFE de l’OMS, dont le but est de servir de base pour commencer la prévention du suicide, et dont ils peuvent s’inspirer pour élaborer une stratégie nationale intégrée de prévention du suicide. Le présent guide s’adresse à tous les pays, qu’ils disposent actuellement ou non d’une stratégie nationale de prévention du suicide.
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La santé mentale fait partie intégrante de notre santé et de notre bien-être en général et constitue un droit humain fondamental. À l'échelle mondiale, les problèmes de santé mentale sont très répandus. Selon les données de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), environ une personn...e sur huit dans le monde vit avec un trouble mental (OMS, 2022a). Les troubles mentaux sont la principale cause d'incapacité, entraînant 1 année sur 6 vécues avec une incapacité (OMS, 2022a).
Les personnes atteintes de troubles mentaux graves meurent en moyenne 10 à 20 ans plus tôt que la population générale, principalement en raison de maladies physiques évitables. Des circonstances défavorables, notamment la pauvreté, inégalités sociales et économiques, urgences de santé publique, guerres et crise climatique, font partie des menaces structurelles mondiales pour la santé mentale, entraînant un risque plus élevé de souffrance de problèmes de santé mentale.
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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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Website last accessed on 28.02.2023
Website: Taeniasis/Cysticercose
General information from WHO/OMS
Languages: english, french, arabic, espanol, russian
Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus, Leishmania. Protozoa are microscopic, single-celled organisms. The parasites that cause the disease are transmitted to people through the bites of certain species of infected sand flies.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused a deterioration in the level of access to health-care services and medicines in the country, particularly for people living in regions close to the front line and areas that are not partially or fully controlled by the Government of Ukraine, and for peop...le who have been internally displaced. Cost and time constraints involved in getting to and from health facilities, as well as limited transportation options were the main barriers to accessing essential health-care services. At the same time, the findings show that the country’s health system remains resilient and that overall access to health services is fairly high.This report is based on data collected through a quantitative cross-sectional survey of self-reported health needs of the general population in Ukraine. It presents results of the first round survey conducted in September 2022 and could help to address the specific health-care needs of the population groups concerned.
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La violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas es generalizada en la Región de las Américas, y tiene enormes consecuencias para su salud y bienestar, así como el de sus familias y sus comunidades. Se trata de un costo inaceptable que puede ser prevenido mediante acciones basadas en la evidencia, pr...omovidas por las políticas y los protocolos del sector de la salud, y la colaboración con otros sectores. El presente informe es el primero de su tipo y representa un hito importante para la Región. Se basa específicamente en los compromisos asumidos por los Estados Miembros en la Estrategia y plan de acción sobre el fortalecimiento del sistema de salud para abordar la violencia contra la mujer. El informe ofrece un análisis de los esfuerzos para avanzar en la prevención de la violencia contra las mujeres en la Región por medio de políticas de salud, protocolos clínicos, planes multisectoriales y otros enfoques relevantes. La atención a este tema es oportuna, ya que la pandemia de COVID-19 ha dado más visibilidad a esta esfera de trabajo. En este informe se ofrece información crucial sobre los esfuerzos llevados a cabo en la Región, de los cuales se puede aprender y utilizar el conocimiento extraído en el futuro para prevenir y responder a la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas en todo el mundo.
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La filariasis linfática, conocida generalmente como elefantiasis, es una enfermedad tropical desatendida. La infección humana se produce por la transmisión de unos parásitos denominados filarias a través de los mosquitos. La infección se contrae generalmente en la infancia y provoca daños no ...manifiestos en el sistema linfático.
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Accessed on 04.04.2023
Die Initiative Medikamente gegen vernachlässigte Krankheiten (Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, DNDi) ist eine internationale gemeinnützige Organisation, die sichere, wirksame und bezahlbare Behandlungen für die am meisten vernachlässigten Patient:innen erforsch...t, entwickelt und bereitstellt.
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Website last accessed on 14.04.2023
The GARC Education Platform (GEP) is a set of free online courses developed to improve the skills and knowledge of people working in rabies awareness and prevention. Through the GEP, we aim to empower people to become rabies advocates, focal persons, and exper...ts across the globe. After completing each course, you become a certified graduate and receive a unique certificate of completion!
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Interpeace has been working with the government and non-governmental actors in Rwanda for over 20 years, focusing on societal healing and participatory governance. Currently, Interpeace is implementing a holistic peacebuilding programme titled ‘Reinforcing community capacity for social cohesion an...d reconciliation through societal trauma healing in Rwanda’. This programme has four pillars: mental health and support; social cohesion and reconciliation; collaborative livelihoods; and prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration.
Interpeace and its partners have collaborated with national and international experts to design structured psycho-social interventions, scientifically known as ‘protocols’, which aim to support healing and peace processes. These protocols include resilience-oriented therapy, adaptations of sociotherapy, multifamily therapy, the collaborative livelihoods (COLIVE) protocol, the prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration curriculum, and the socio-emotional skills curriculum.
These protocols guide interventions in healing spaces for Genocide survivors, Genocide perpetrators, former combatants, and their descendants. They facilitate mutual healing and reconciliation, strengthen the mental resilience of individuals and communities, promote family cohesion, and address the intergenerational transmission of Genocide legacies. They also underpin initiatives to develop collaborative livelihoods and skills development, and the psychological rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners, particularly those convicted of Genocide crimes.
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Background and aims: Current coverage of mental health care in low- and middle-income countries is limited, not only in terms of access to services but also in terms of financial protection of persons in need of care and treatment. This is especially pertinent considering the established relationshi...p between mental illness and poverty and the need to ensure the financial risk protection of persons with mental disorders and their families as part of country's efforts to attain universal health coverage. This study set out to review the health and socio-economic contexts of Nigeria as well as to generate strategies for sustainable mental health financing that will be feasible, within the specific context of the country.
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If you live or visit an area where cholera is present or has happened before, learn about cholera and take these steps to prevent getting sick.
WHO today released its first roadmap to tackle postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) – defined as excessive bleeding after childbirth - which affects millions of women annually and is the world’s leading cause of maternal deaths.
Despite being preventable and treatable, PPH results in around 70 000 de...aths every year. For those who survive, it can cause disabilities and psychological trauma that last for years.
“Severe bleeding in childbirth is one of the most common causes of maternal mortality, yet it is highly preventable and treatable,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This new roadmap charts a path forward to a world in which more women have a safe birth and a healthy future with their families.”
The Roadmap aims to help countries address stark differences in survival outcomes from PPH, which reflect major inequities in access to essential health services. Over 85% of deaths from PPH happen in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Risk factors include anaemia, placental abnormalities, and other complications in pregnancy such as infections and pre-eclampsia.
Many risk factors can be managed if there is quality antenatal care, including access to ultrasound, alongside effective monitoring in the hours after birth. If bleeding starts, it also needs to be detected and treated extremely quickly. Too often, however, health facilities lack necessary healthcare workers or resources, including lifesaving commodities such as oxytocin, tranexamic acid or blood for transfusions.
“Addressing postpartum haemorrhage needs a multipronged approach focusing on both prevention and response - preventing risk factors and providing immediate access to treatments when needed - alongside broader efforts to strengthen women’s rights,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, WHO Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HRP, the UN’s special programme on research development and training in human reproduction. “Every woman, no matter where she lives, should have access to timely, high quality maternity care, with trained health workers, essential equipment and shelves stocked with appropriate and effective commodities – this is crucial for treating postpartum bleeding and reducing maternal deaths.”
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Describir barreras y desafíos en la implementación del Programa de Acción Mundial para Reducir las Brechas de Atención en Salud Mental mhGAP, y determinar la asociación entre facilitadores de implementación, accesibilidad, aceptabilidad y supervisión, en Chocó, Colombia. Métodos. Estudio ev...aluativo de corte transversal, con métodos mixtos y secuenciales. Se contó con la participación de 41 personas (30 correspondientes a personal de salud y 11 personas del área administrativa). Se conformaron cinco grupos focales, en el marco de la formación en mhGAP. Se usó la escala de impulsores de implementación, que determinó factores como: facilitadores del sistema para la implementación, acce- sibilidad de la estrategia, adaptación y aceptabilidad, formación y supervisión en la estrategia. También se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas, con un posterior análisis temático. Resultados. Se encontró una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre los componentes de la imple- mentación, lo cual fue reafirmado con la información de las entrevistas. A nivel de las barreras señaladas, se destacan factores como dispersión, conflicto armado, la dificultad para cambiar la perspectiva de la zona en la que se vive y los problemas administrativos para acceder a los tratamientos. Estos factores se abordan en una propuesta de ruta de atención. Conclusiones. En mhGAP en el departamento del Chocó, pese a una adecuada aceptabilidad, acceso y supervisión, se evidencian barreras y desafíos de orden social, geográfico, político, cultural y a nivel de la administración en salud, que podrían ser superados con la implementación de rutas intersectoriales de recu- peración, construidas desde el mismo territorio.
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Este informe presenta los resultados de la colaboración entre la Organización Panamericana de la Salud y sus Estados Miembros para analizar las barreras de acceso a la atención primaria de salud, así como para formular opciones de políticas encaminadas a reducirlas y eliminarlas de manera progr...esiva. El primer capítulo presenta una caracterización de los sistemas de salud de la Región de las Américas y los desafíos para el acceso universal en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19. El segundo ofrece un marco metodológico y de análisis para el estudio de las barreras de acceso y la determinación de opciones de políticas. En los capítulos 3 a 6 se presentan estudios de casos centrados en las barreras que enfrentan los grupos en situación de mayor vulnerabilidad en el contexto y la trayectoria de distintas reformas de los sistemas de salud. A modo de conclusión, se presentan recomendaciones generales que permitirán promover la agenda aún inconclusa hacia el acceso universal a la salud y la cobertura universal de salud.
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The 2019-2023 Strategy for UNU-IIGH, developed in
2018, built on UNU-IIGH’s strategic advantage and
position vis-à-vis the UN and global health ecosystem.
The Strategy set a goal to advance evidencebased policy on key issues related to sustainable
development and health and shifted the Instit...ute’s
body of work from investigator-driven global health
projects to three priority-driven, policy-relevant pillars
of work, each reflecting UNU-IIGH’s unique value
position.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the
Institute adapted and reprioritised its areas of work
while continuing to deliver on the main strategic
objectives of translating evidence to policy, generating
policy-relevant analyses on gender and health, and
strengthening capacity for local decision making
especially in the Global South.
The new strategic plan encompasses four work packages:
1. Gender Equality and Intersectionality: through this work, we will aim to improve the quality of health care through a human-centred approach, by ensuring the health system is responsive to the needs of structurally excluded individuals and communities; and by advancing a positive and enabling environment for the frontline health workforce—e.g. addressing the experience of gender-based violence.
2. Power and Accountability: through this work, we will catalyse equitable shifts in power and address key accountability deficits that prevent the equitable and effective functioning of the global health system and prevent adequate responsiveness to the needs of states and populations in the Global South.
3. Digital Health Governance: through this work, we will address the colonial legacies and power asymmetries that negatively impact robust digital health governance, identify ways to strengthen health data governance with a particular focus on SRHR and promote diversity in technology design and development.
4. Climate Justice and Determinants of Health: through this work we will leverage UNU-IIGH's position within the UN and network of UNU institutes, network experts, practitioners, policy-makers, and academics to advance evidence-based policy on the different dimensions of the climate emergency and its impact on health.
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Ethiopia has been repeatedly affected by conflict, flooding, drought, and disease outbreaks in the past years. As of January 2024, the country is actively responding to the longest recorded cholera outbreak which started in August 2022, recurrent measles outbreaks which started in August 2021, and t...he highest number of malaria cases reported since 2017. The El Niño phenomenon is expected to cause further havoc up to July 2024, by causing drought in some parts of the country, and flooding in others. Food insecurity due to lost harvest and livestock is aggravating already high malnutrition rates, negatively impacting morbidity and mortality.
The Health Cluster is closely collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to prepare for, prevent, and respond to public health emergencies by mobilizing resources to enable health partners to provide life-saving health services to vulnerable populations.
In an environment with ever-increasing needs and decreased funding, the below priorities for 2024 and 2025 have been identified: 1 Strengthen advocacy for longer-term, development funding to address root causes of recurrent disease outbreaks, including through the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus 2 Advocate for increased access to quality health services, with a strong focus on:
sexual and reproductive health services (including for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence)
inclusion of people with disabilities, older people, and people living with HIV
remote populations through inclusion of Mobile Health Teams (MHT) as part of the health system 3 Standardize health services provided by Health Cluster partners through the implementation of Essential Health Care packages, aligned with existing MOH guidance, aimed at ensuring quality service delivery for affected populations, especially at community level 4 Strengthen quality of, and access to data for needs analysis and informed decision-making 5 Strengthen subnational coordination, with increased focus on zones and local health partners
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This Community Conversation Kit (CCK) is designed to help people who have a leadership role speak with people in their community about how to protect themselves and those they care about from becoming ill with an infectious disease. This kit will help lead conversations that get people talking with ...each other and thinking differently about their health so they can take action. Using some simple tips and suggestions, the information in this kit will allow communities to exchange practical information that will help them know how to confidently protect their health.
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