Afr J Psychiatry 2011;14:200-207
Each year, dozens of communities around the world face natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and other emergencies. Scientists think that a worldwide influenza outbreak will happen sometime in the next decade. The purpose of this guide is to help local leaders and community organizers bring together... the community to help plan for disease outbreaks and other emergencies. This guide uses the lessons from communities that have already dealt with disease outbreaks and also uses other often-used tools to create discussion among community members and effectively garner their insight
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The risks of the use of nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical (NRBC) weapons are heterogeneous. Each risk has its own implications for developing and deploying any capacity to assist victims of an NRBC event and, in parallel, for the health and security of the people bringing this assistance.... At an international level, there are no plans for assisting the victims of an NRBC event which are both adequate and safe. Recognizing
the realities of the contexts associated with each risk throws up numerous challenges; such recognition is also a prerequisite for addressing these challenges. The realities that have to be considered relate to:
1. developing, acquiring, training for and planning an NRBC response capacity;
2. deploying a response capacity in an NRBC event;
3. the mandates and policies of international organizations pertaining to NRBC events. The challenges that will pose the greatest difficulty for a humanitarian organization are those for which the solutions are ‘non-buyable’ and which involve making extremely difficult decisions. Attempting to assist victims of an NRBC event without a reality-based approach might generate ineffective and unacceptably dangerous situations for those involved.
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This assessment tool for HIV and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is an outcome of multisectoral, multi-agency assessment missions in Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Nepal and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) first global consultation on HIV and inter...nally displaced persons held in April 2007 in Geneva.
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Este documento resume la actual posición del
Departamento de Salud Mental y Toxicomanías para
asistir a las poblaciones expuestas a factores estresantes
extremos, como los refugiados, los desplazados
internos, los sobrevivientes de desastres y poblaciones
expuestas al terrorismo, a la guerra ...o al genocidio.
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This guide is designed to support mid-level rehabilitation workers on work with infants, children and young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and their families. The manual includes information on the types, signs and causes of spina bifida and hydrocephalus, assessment of the level of deve...lopment of those affected, and suggestions to promote normal development, mobility and self-care
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The article "The Rising Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Americas and the Impact of Population Aging" examines how the aging population in the Americas is contributing to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), despite improvements in disease prevention and health care. Usi...ng data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations, the study analyzes trends in population growth, aging, and NCD-related mortality and disability rates from 2000 to 2019 across 33 countries.
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The Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) 2014 by the World Health Organization outlines the global impact of NCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, which are responsible for a significant portion of global mortality, particular...ly in low- and middle-income countries.
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The Government of Malawi’s Health Sector Strategic Plan II highlights the importance of service integration; however, in practice, this has not been fully realized. We conducted a mixed methods evaluation of efforts to systematically implement integrated family planning and immunization services i...n all health facilities and associated community sites in Ntchisi and Dowa districts during June 2016–September 2017. Methods included secondary analysis of service statistics (pre- and postintervention), focus group discussions with mothers and fathers of children under age one, and in-depth interviews with service providers, supervisors, and managers. Results indicate statistically significant increases in family planning users and shifts in use of family planning services from health facilities to community sites. The intervention had no effect on immunization doses administered or dropout rates. According to mothers and fathers, benefits of service integration included time savings, convenience, and improved understanding of services. Provision and use of integrated services were affected by availability of human resources and commodities, community linkages, data collection procedures and availability, sociocultural barriers, organization of services, and supervision and commitment of health surveillance assistants. The integration approach was perceived to be feasible and beneficial by clients and providers.
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Alcohol consumption is deeply embedded in the social landscape of many societies. Several major factors have an impact on levels and patterns of alcohol consumption in populations – such as historical trends in alcohol consumption, the availability of alcohol, culture, economic status and trends i...n the marketing of alcoholic beverages, as well as implemented alcohol control measures. At the individual level, the patterns and levels of alcohol consumption are determined by many different factors, including gender, age and individual biological and socioeconomic vulnerability factors, as well as the policy environment. Prevailing social norms that support drinking behaviour and mixed messages about the harms and benefits of drinking encourage alcohol consumption delay appropriate health-seeking behaviour and weaken community action
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an increasingly important cause of morbidity, disability, and mortality worldwide. We aimed to estimate global, regional, and national COPD prevalence and risk factors to guide policy and population interventions.
ARE PEOPLE WITH DIABETES MORE LIKELY TO GET COVID-19? People with diabetes are more likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19, than those who do not have diabetes. Unfortunately, persons with diabetes who get COVID-19 are more likely to die than those without diabetes.