This guideline provides evidence-informed guidance on the use of non-sugar sweeteners to reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain and diet-related noncommunicable diseases in adults and children. The guidance in this guideline is not based on toxicological assessments of the safety of individual no...n-sugar sweeteners and is therefore not intended to update or replace guidance on safe or maximal levels of intake established by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) or other authoritative bodies.
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14 January 2021
This practical guide can be used to help countries monitor and analyse the impact of COVID-19 on essential health services to inform planning and decision-making. It provides practical recommendations on how to use key performance indicators to analyse changes in access to and deliv...ery of essential health services within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; how to visualize and interpret these data; and how to use the findings to guide modifications for safe delivery of services and transitioning towards restoration and recovery. The guide focuses on existing indicators and data that are captured in routine reporting systems and how they can be used by national and subnational authorities to understand specific contexts, challenges and bottlenecks. This guide supports Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context, which provides an integrated framework to guide countries in their efforts to reorganize, adapt and maintain safe delivery of high-priority essential health services within the context of the pandemic.
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External quality assessment (EQA) is an important component of quality systems for blood transfusion services. Establishing external quality assessment programmes for screening of donated blood for transfusion-transmissible infections (TTI): implementation guide aims to support WHO member States in ...establishing and operating EQA programmes for screening donated blood for TTI. The guides has been designed for use by national health authorities and EQA organizing institutions in the development of EQA programme. It will also give participating laboratories an insight into the organization of EQA programmes for TTI screening and an understanding of the benefits of participation.
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The report provides an epidemiological update on cholera outbreaks in Haiti as of January 17, 2023. Since the first confirmed cases in October 2022, Haiti has reported 24,232 suspected cases, including 1,742 confirmed cases and 483 deaths. The most affected areas are in the Ouest Department, particu...larly Port-au-Prince. Children aged 1 to 4 years are the most affected group. The ongoing humanitarian crisis, security issues, and limited access to healthcare have worsened the outbreak, hindering epidemiological surveillance and case reporting. The PAHO/WHO is working with Haitian authorities to respond to the outbreak and mitigate its spread.
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Abuses by ArmThis report is based on research in Catatumbo in April 2019. We interviewed more than 80 people, including abuse victims, their relatives, community leaders, church representatives, human rights officials, local authorities, judicial officials, and members of humanitarian and human righ...ts organizations working in the area. Some interviews were conducted in Cúcuta, the capital of North Santander province, and by telephone. We also reviewed official reports and statistics, publications by nongovernmental and international organizations, and written testimony given to government officials by almost 500 victims of abuses committed in the context of the armed conflicts.ed Groups Against Civilians Including Venezuelan Exiles in Northeastern Colombia
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This document provides interim guidance on the prevention, identification and management of health worker infection in the context of COVID-19. It is intended for occupational health departments, infection prevention and control departments or focal points, health facility administrators and public ...health authorities at both the national and facility level.
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Every day, fake medicines and medical products are sold at street corners, in open air markets or on unregulated websites in several countries in the African Region. These poor quality, unsafe medicines and pharmaceutical products promote drug resistance and lead to loss of confidence in health prof...essionals, manufacturers and distributors and in health systems. In an effort to protect people’s health, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, has proposed a strategy aimed at strengthening National Medicine Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs) in order to ensure that only safe, good quality and effective medical products are available.
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Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) describes a set of principles and procedures that, when followed, ensure that medicines and related substances are of high quality, safety and efficacy. SAHPRA is a
participating authority of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme (jointly known as PIC/S).... PIC/S aims to develop international standards between countries and pharmaceutical inspection
authorities, to provide harmonised and constructive co-operation in the field of GMP. PIC/S affiliation is subject to initial and periodic assessment of the participating authority to ensure that it has equivalent legislation, regulatory and enforcement procedures and inspection capacity.
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31 March 2021
This article is part of a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Learn more about vaccines – from how they work and how they’re made to ensuring safety and equitable access – in WHO’s Vaccines Explained series.
Countries around the world are rolling ou...t COVID-19 vaccines, and a key topic of interest is their safety. Vaccine safety is one of WHO’s highest priorities, and we’re working closely with national authorities to develop and implement standards to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
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User Guide.
This Laboratory Assessment Tool (LAT) is specifically designed to assess capacities of existing laboratories which have implemented or aim to implement SARS-CoV-2 testing. It addresses both core capacities of a laboratory and specificities related to SARS-CoV-2 testing. It is a focused... and shorter version from the existing complete laboratory assessment tool that can be found at https://www.who.int/ihr/publications/laboratory_tool/en/
The target audience is any stakeholder performing laboratory assessments such as national health authorities, multilateral agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and laboratory managers. Assessors can use the tool, and customized if needed, to meet local requirements or assessment context. This tool is an Excel file, which enables automatic calculations of module indicators.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/laboratory-assessment-tool-for-laboratories-implementing-covid-19-virus-testing
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The document provides comprehensive guidelines for managing cholera outbreaks, including detection, confirmation, response, treatment, and prevention. It emphasizes the importance of rehydration, water sanitation, hygiene promotion, and community mobilization to limit the spread. This guide is desig...ned for healthcare professionals and public authorities to ensure an effective and coordinated response.
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The checklist is based on efforts by various national and international institutions, including WHO, CDC and UN OCHA. It
identifies 10 key components and tasks for both countries and the international community. This tool establishes timelines
within which to complete tasks of 30, 60 and 90 days r...espectively from the date of issuing this list, based on the priority level.
However, the periods should be redefined by national authorities on the basis of existing regional and national context. (Note:
this checklist will be updated based on the feedback received from countries).
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How the Greek reception system is failing to protect the most vulnerable people seeking asylum.
Greece and its EU partners are failing pregnant women, unaccompanied children, victims of torture or sexual violence and other vulnerable people who seek protection in Europe. These people are being put ...at risk by flawed processes and chronic understaffing in EU ‘hotspot’ camps on the Greek islands. They do not receive adequate support from the authorities that are legally responsible for protecting them and are being abandoned in overcrowded camps in squalid conditions. Many people live in unheated tents and do not have sufficient access to washing facilities and toilets, and winter is only making their situation worse
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Welcome to the online course on the basics of tobacco product regulation. Although tobacco use is a major public health problem, tobacco products are one of the few openly available consumer products that are virtually unregulated in many countries for contents, emissions and design features. In rec...ent years, health authorities have become increasingly interested in the potential of tobacco product regulation to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use. However, barriers to implementing appropriate regulation include limited understanding of common approaches or best practices, and a lack of adequate resources and/or technical capacity. Duration app. 3 hours
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The document "Priority medical devices list for the COVID-19 response and associated technical specifications" complements this guideline.
This document provides interim guidance on the quality, performance characteristics and related standards of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used i...n the context of COVID-19. This includes WHO Priority Medical Devices, specifically: surgical masks, non-surgical masks, gloves, googles, face shields, gowns and N95 masks. It is intended for procurement agencies, occupational health departments, infection prevention and control departments or focal points, health facility administrators, biomedical and materials engineering, PPE manufacturers and public health authorities at both national and facility levels.
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The outbreak of the coronavirus is leading to increased challenges in clinical management and uncertainty among the general population. To support the advice and treatment of patients, we have updated our Knowledge Library to include an informative Learning Card about COVID-19.
This update contai...ns essential details, as well as references to reputable sources and the newest treatment recommendations from the institutes and authorities who are evaluating these developments on a daily basis. The Learning Card has been written, curated and extensively checked by our qualified team of international physicians.
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This handbook is an adaptation from the WHO Clinical Handbook Health care for women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual violence developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Women and United Nations Population Fund. The handbook draws on the work from professionals who are dedic...ated to preventing and responding to Gender Based Violence.
The Handbook guides health care service providers to provide comprehensive services to survivors of intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence. It also guides health professionals with respect to relevant stakeholders for referral purposes. The purpose is to ensure that relevant authorities are informed timeously in order act and ensure that those affected by violence receive speedy service as required.
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The document provides detailed guidelines for the production, formulation, and implementation of oral rehydration salts (ORS) to combat dehydration caused by diarrhoea, particularly in children. It focuses on the composition, quality standards, and packaging requirements of ORS, aiming to support na...tional authorities and healthcare providers in ensuring effective and accessible treatment. It also highlights strategies for manufacturing ORS locally while adhering to international health and safety standards.
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This document provides interim guidance on the prevention, identification and management of health worker infection in the context of COVID-19. It is intended for occupational health departments, infection prevention and control departments or focal points, health facility administrators and public ...health authorities at both the national and facility level.
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To its credit, Chile has implemented a highly successful vaccine program and taken a number of other important public health measures to improve the well-being of its inhabitants. Nevertheless, these measures have proved insufficient to curb the spread of the virus and ensure full compliance wit...h Chile’s obligations to respect, protect and
fulfil the right to health. It is in this context that this report examines the human rights impacts of the pandemic and the responses of the Chilean authorities.
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