The interventions summarized in this guide are intended to lower the risk of delivery and post-partum complications for both the mother and the newborn, particularly the risk of postpartum haemorrhage and infections, and improve the immediate care of premature babies. The recommendations are also in...tended to minimize the exposure of health care providersto blood and bodily fluids that could transmit Ebola
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The scale of West Africa’s Ebola epidemic has been attributed to the weak health systems of affected countries,
their lack of resources, the mobility of communities and their inexperience in dealing with Ebola. This briefing for African Affairs argues that these explanations lack important contex...t. The briefing examines responses to the outbreak and offers a different set of explanations, rooted in the history of the region and the political economy of global health and development. To move past technical discussions of “weak” health systems, it highlights how structural violence has contributed to the epidemic. As part of this, local people – their beliefs, concerns and priorities – have been marginalised. Both the crisis response and post-Ebola ‘reconstruction’ will be strengthened by acknowledgment of its long term structural underpinnings and from a more collaborative inclusion of local people.
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Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2014, 3:42
http://www.idpjournal.com/content/3/1/42
Interim Assessement Report
The EMA review was started by the Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to support decision-making by health authorities. This first interim report includes information on seven experimental medicines intended for the treatment of people infecte...d with the Ebola virus:
BCX4430 (Biocryst);
Brincidofovir (Chimerix);
Favipiravir (Fujifilm Corporation/Toyama);
TKM-100802 (Tekmira);
AVI-7537 (Sarepta);
ZMapp (Leafbio Inc.);
Anti-Ebola F(ab’)2 (Fab’entech).
The amount of information available for the seven treatments is highly variable. For some compounds there is no data from use in human subjects available. A small number of treatments have been administered to patients in the current Ebola outbreak as compassionate use. Finally, there are also medicines included in this review that have already been studied in humans, albeit for the treatment of other viral diseases.
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Globalization and Health 2012, 8:15
Bolkan HA, Bash-Taqi DA, Samai M, Gerdin M, von Schreeb J. Ebola and Indirect Effects on Health Service Function in Sierra Leone. PLOS Currents Outbreaks. 2014 Dec 19. Edition 1. doi: 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.0307d588df619f9c9447f8ead5b72b2d.
Inpatient health services have been severely affecte...d by the Ebola outbreak. The dramatic documented decline in facility inpatient admissions and major surgery is likely to be an underestimation. Reestablishing such care is urgent and must be a priority.
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This Technical Brief reviews current practice and evidence on nutrition-specific preventive approaches to MAM, providing practical guidance for implementers and programme managers, and highlighting gaps in evidence and guidance.
The revised guidelines present two major changes to existing guidelines: (A) there are now just 2 categories of pneumonia instead of 3 (“pneumonia” which is treated at home with oral amoxicillin and “severe pneumonia” which requires injectable antibiotics) and (B) oral amoxicillin replaces o...ral cotrimoxazole as first line treatment, preferably in 250mg dispersible tablet form, twice daily for five days which can be reduced to three days in low HIV settings.
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Principles and Target Product Criteria. Roadmap January 12, 2015
This guide to local production of WHO-recommended handrub formulations is separated into two discrete but interrelated sections:
Part A provides a practical guide for use at the pharmacy bench during the actual preparation of the formulation. Users may want to display the material on the wall of ...the production unit.
Part B summarizes some essential background technical information and is taken from WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (2009). Within Part B the user has access to important safety and cost information and supplementary material relating to dispensers and distribution.
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Informal health workers are important care providers in the region and continue to be so during the current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak. Many are well respected and trusted members of the community who can mobilise large numbers of people for a particular activity and lend legitimacy to a par...ticular programme.
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The dashboard is based on assessments made by the International Preparedness Strengthening missions to 14 priority countries against each of the activities outlined in the WHO EVD Checklist at the time of each mission. Updates indicating progress against each of the indicators will be added on an o...ngoing basis.
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