In 2019, the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health concluded that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages were a highly effective but greatly underused policy tool to reduce consumption, save lives, and raise domestic resources. The Task Force estimated that if all countries increa...sed their excise taxes to raise prices by 50 percent, over 50 million premature deaths could be averted worldwide over the next 50 years while
raising over USD 20 trillion of additional revenue. Since the Task Force first convened, the world has faced a “polycrisis,” including a global pandemic, an economic recession, and the outbreak of wars in Europe and the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the world has also experienced prolonged health and fiscal crises. Health systems, weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, lack sufficient financing to rebuild and respond to the surging noncommunicable diseases epidemic caused by uncontrolled risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and sugar consumption. Opportunities to raise domestic resources are limited and debt burdens have squeezed budgets. The period from 2019 to 2027 risks becoming a “lost decade” for health and social policies, with 110 countries facing little prospect of any
ability to raise government revenues beyond current levels. In this paper, we describe the current health and fiscal crises and review the contribution that health taxes could make in turning around this dire situation. We conclude that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and
sugar-sweetened beverages are an ideal policy solution—good for the budget and good for health. These taxes are relatively quick to implement, and, unlike other taxes, do not put economic growth at risk—a vital benefit in the current era.
more
Manuel d’orientation
Recommandations concernant l’utilisation de méthodes
contraceptives par les femmes exposées à un risque
élevé d’infection par le VIH
Este documento del CLAP/SMR (Centro Latinoamericano de Perinatología) aborda las infecciones de transmisión vertical, es decir, aquellas que se transmiten de la madre al niño durante el embarazo, el parto o el período neonatal. Se presenta una tabla detallada con distintos agentes infecciosos (c...omo VIH, sífilis, toxoplasmosis, hepatitis B y C, citomegalovirus, entre otros), describiendo su forma de transmisión, diagnóstico, prevención, tratamiento y seguimiento.
Además, se destacan estrategias sistemáticas de tamizaje materno y neonatal, intervenciones prenatales y postnatales, así como recomendaciones específicas para cada patógeno. El objetivo es reducir los resultados adversos perinatales mediante intervenciones basadas en la evidencia y adaptadas al contexto latinoamericano.
more
The Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP)—locally known in Chichewa as Mtukula Pakhomo—is a non-conditional critical safety net for the most vulnerable, ultra-poor Malawians. By providing monthly cash transfers to over 1.3 million people annually, this programme helps ultra-poor families to meet... their basic needs and build resilience, with the ultimate goal of building human capital and moving them out of poverty.
more
Malawi is a small and beautiful country in south-central Africa. It is divided into three administrative regions: south, central and north. The regions are further subdivided into 28 districts. The Southern Region is the most densely populated, while the Northern Region is the least populated.
Int. J. Transl. Med. 2023, 3(2), 187-202; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtm3020014 .
Malaria and HIV are geographically in the tropics and subtropics of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the overlapping effect of both infections, especially among pregnant women, is crucial in managin...g pregnant women during antenatal care visits, and postpartum babies. It was realized that the prevalence of malaria among HIV-positive pregnant women ranges between 31–61%, while for non-HIV infected pregnant women the prevalence still stands between 10 and 36%. Co-infection is between 0.52 and 56.3%.
more
Demographic and socioeconomic data Progress towards HIV testing and treatment cascade targets by 2025 (2023) Health sector cascade (2023) Estimated number of people newly infected with HIV