Testing and diagnosis of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection is the gateway for access to both prevention and treatment services, and is a crucial component of an effective response to the hepatitis epidemic. Early identification of persons with chronic HBV or HCV infection enables them to recei...ve the necessary care and treatment to prevent or delay progression of liver disease. Testing also provides an opportunity to link people to interventions to reduce transmission, through counselling on risk behaviours and provision of prevention commodities (such as sterile needles and syringes) and hepatitis B vaccination.
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This report describes the work done by WHO from January 2015 up to the end of December 2016 to address the long-term issues of survivor care, health-systems strengthening and research.
An integrated approach to health and human rights lies at the heart of ensuring the dignity and well-being of women living with HIV.
This pocket guide offers basic information needed for the medical management of victims of radiation incidents in an easy-to-understand manner.
Armed conflict continues to tear apart communities across the world. From Boko Haram’s abducted ‘brides’ and Islamic State’s ‘Caliphate Cubs’, to the countless others exploited by armed groups in Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Afghanistan, many taking part in the world’s... wars are still children.
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Alcohol contributes significantly to the disease and mortality burden in the WHO European Region, and primary health care systems play an important role in reducing the impact of harmful alcohol use. Screening and brief interventions (SBIs) for alcohol are an evidence-informed approach to addressing... the needs of the many patients presenting in primary care who may benefit from reducing their alcohol consumption. This manual provides information to plan training and support for primary care practitioners to confidently deliver SBI for alcohol problems to their patients. The manual outlines the background and evidence base for SBI, and gives practical advice on establishing an implementation programme as well as detailed educational materials to develop the knowledge and skills of participants in organized training sessions.
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A WHO guide to inform & harmonize national & international pandemic preparedness and response
The main updates from the 2013 interim guidance are:
Alignment with other relevant United Nations policies for crisis and emergency management, and
Inclusion of the significant development in re...cent years of the strategies for pandemic vaccine response during the start of a pandemic.
The guide is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and Russian
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The threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to public health as well as global health security has been reiterated in umerous World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions. AMR is also prioritized under the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), and India is one of the contributing countries. The Mi...nistry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) identified AMR as one of the top 10 priorities for the ministry’s collaborative work with WHO. The National Health Policy 2017 identifies antimicrobial resistance as a problem and calls for effective action to address it. An international conference on AMR – “Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: A
Public Health Challenge and Priority”, was jointly organized by the Government of India and World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2016, which was attended by more than 350 participants. The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, and the Hon’ble Union Minister for Health, Shri J.P. Nadda have reiterated government’s commitment to tackle AMR.
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This is the first NAP on the Prevention and Containment of AMR in Kenya. It has been developed based on the National Policy on Prevention and Containment of AMR and the recommendations of the situation analysis on AMR conducted in 2011 and updated in 2016. This strategy provides a regulatory and imp...lementation framework to establish and strengthen systems to contain the emergence and spread of AMR. Implementation of this strategy will require substantial funding and high-level political commitment. Because AMR is a multidisciplinary and intersectoral issue, successful implementation of this strategy will require effective coordination and collaboration among different sectors.
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Antimicrobials are precious agents for combating infectious diseases and had saved millions of lives throughout the world. However, the current trend of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global health problem with increased morbidity and mortality in infectious diseases. Sri La...nka is not an exemption and face many health related issues with multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms. Currently there is a global effort in combating antimicrobial resistance. WHO extends its fullest support and plays a major role in motivating the countries to combat antimicrobial resistance with national action plans in place. Sri Lanka has initiated combating AMR with multisectoral collaboration, under one health concept. The development of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2017-2022 provides the roadmap to combat AMR.
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This action plan for the Kingdom Saudi Arabia to combat antimicrobial resistance has been formulated in the line of the WHO five objectives. It addresses the need for effective “one health” approach involving coordination among numerous national sectors and actors, including human and veterinary... medicine, agriculture, finance, environment, and well-informed consumers. Therefore, a large committee of all stakeholders was formed with five technical subcommittees were established to addresses every aspect
to contain antimicrobial resistance in the country.
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The purpose of this guidance is to assist WHO Member States, and other stakeholders, in the establishment and development of programmes of integrated surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria (i.e., bacteria commonly transmitted by food). In this guidance, “integrated surveill...ance of antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria” is defined as the collection, validation, analyses and reporting of relevant microbiological and epidemiological data on antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria from humans, animals, and food, and on relevant antimicrobial use in humans and animals. Integrated surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria therefore includes data from relevant food chain sectors (animals, food and humans) and includes data on both antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use. Integrated surveillance of antimicrobial resistance for foodborne bacteria expands on traditional public health surveillance to include multiple elements of the food chain, and to include antimicrobial use data, to better understand the sources of infection and transmission routes.
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For IST to be effective there is need for utilization of multiple techniques that will lead to transfer of competences (Bluestone et al. 2013). Learning settings should be selected to support relevant and realistic practice so as to increase the efficiency of IST. Alternatives to hotels such as trai...ning institutions and hospitals are viable options for reducing costs of IST as well as being appropriate venues (MOH 2012). There is documented evidence of involvement of academic institutions in providing health leadership capacity building through IST in other countries; for example, in Uganda, IST in leadership for doctors and nurses was done through a blended approach that included didactic and online sessions (Nakanjako et al. 2015). Adapting these concepts, FUNZOKenya piloted eight regional hubs, each serving a cluster of counties, which would train health workers for five years (2012-2016) on priority service delivery topics
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2nd edition. Children with TB comprise about 10-12% of the total TB cases diagnosed in the country. This burden is likely to be higher given the challenges in diagnosing TB in children. The symptoms of TB in children mimic those of other childhood diseases. Children do not readily expectorate and th...ey have pauci-bacillary TB hence some will be missed using bacteriological tests. The government has however introduced GeneXpert molecular testing that is more sensitive than microscopy in detecting TB. Health care workers therefore need a reference guide to obtaining sputum from children for testing. Treatment of TB in children has been reviewed and now includes Ethambutol. There are now improved paediatric friendly TB medicines for treatment of TB in children and health care workers need a reference guide to enable them accurately dispense the TB medicine to children. Malnutrition is a common predisposing factor for TB in children. On the other hand, TB predisposes children to malnutrition or worsens an existing state of malnutrition. Nutrition care and support forms an integral part of treatment for a child with TB disease.
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The report provides the much-needed evidence to design interventions for children in Kenya and as such we urge partners to use this report as a document for planning for children.
In recognition that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is not only a harmful practice but a violation of human rights, Kenya has adopted a robust legal framework. The country has ratified several international legal instruments that have become part of the Kenyan law as provided for in Article 2 of the... constitution.
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