Nosocomial or health-facility-acquired infections are a serious issue, representing one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality in healthcare systems and consuming many scarce resources, especially in developing countries. Although much has been done, particularly in the hospital s...etting, to reduce the risk of these infections, the problem persists and demands innovative and cost-efficient solutions.
Although the care provided in most primary health care facilities is predominantly ambulatory with few or no inpatient beds, infection prevention is still important to minimize or eliminate the risks of facility-acquired infections and assure quality patient care.
Health facilities and hospitals should have written infection control procedures and guidelines in place and should also be monitoring that these procedures are adhered to in both inpatient and ambulatory care settings.
more
Now entering its ninth year, the crisis in north-east Nigeria has created vulnerabilities and humanitarian concerns. An estimated 7.7 million men, women, boys and girls are in acute need of protection and assistance. While the humanitarian community has provided life-saving assistance to over 5.6 mi...llion affected people in 2017 and helped stabilise living conditions for millions of people, reducing mortality and morbidity, significant humanitarian needs still remain.
The Humanitarian Response Plan at a glance:
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1
Provide life-saving emergency assistance to the most vulnerable people in conflict-affected areas ensuring that assistance is timely and appropriate and meets relevant technical standards.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2
Ensure that all assistance promotes the protection, safety and dignity of affected people, and is provided equitably to women, girls, men and boys.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3
Foster resilience and early recovery, and strengthen the humanitarian development nexus by working towards collective outcomes.
more
The floods caused by the Tropical Cyclone IDAI has affected 3 million people in the Republics of Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe leaving 839 people dead, and this figure continued to rise as the rains stopped and water subsided. To date, over 201,476 people (Table 1) have been displaced and about 31...7 camps established. A total of 2,347 people have been reported injured and over 300 people are still missing in the affected countries.
more
The uneven distribution of HIV risks and burdens across populations is a well-substantiated fact, though seldom publicly acknowledged. Gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, and transgender women are 24, 24, 13.5, and 49 times more likely to acquire HIV, ...respectively, than other reproductive aged adults (15 years old and older). Globally, new infections among these key populations account for 45% of all new HIV infections. This figure is likely to be an underestimate, given the intense stigma associated with disclosing and reporting acquisition risks for HIV among gay men, people who use drugs, sex workers, and transgender people. In addition, HIV epidemics in the majority of low- and middle-income countries (90 of 120) have concentrated epidemics among key populations. In countries with more broadly generalized epidemics, risks are still not evenly distributed and key populations still shoulder disease burden that is markedly disproportionate.
more
Module 10
Testing providers
July 2017
Module 10: Testing providers. This module is for people who provide testing services at PrEP sites and laboratories. It offers guidance in selecting testing services, including screening of individuals before PrEP is initiated and monitoring while they ar...e taking PrEP. Information is provided on HIV testing, creatinine, HBV and HCV, pregnancy and STIs.
more
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan of the Leishmania genus, and is considered a neglected tropical disease. It still remains a main public health concern at global level and in Arab world mainly in low-income countries. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the Arab ...world’s growing contribution to global leishmaniasis research.
This study describes a bibliometric review of all leishmaniasis research publications published between January 1998 and December 2017 indexed on the Scopus database.
more
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease with a broad global distribution and an increasing number of recorded cases worldwide. However, it is still one of the world's most neglected diseases. Over the last decades, the disease has been found to expand geographically with a global increase of cases o...f visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis increasing the public health problems associated with the disease epidemics. The reported range expansion of the diseases has been associated with range expansions of vector populations in response to climate change. Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The transmission can either be zoonotic and/or anthroponotic through the bite of an infected female phlebotomine sandfly. In Eurasia and Africa, all vector-competent sandfly species belong to the genus Phlebotomus. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis. In the ‘old world’, it is caused by five currently recognized Leishmania species: L. major, L. tropica and L. aethiopica (being main causative parasites) as well as L. infantum and L. donovani. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), another common and more severe form of leishmaniasis, is only associated with the Leishmania species L. infantum and L. donovani. The specific Leishmania species cause different clinical symptoms in humans.
more
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a painful disease that exerts a serious toll on societies around the world that are afflicted by it. Although not life-threatening, the skin ulcers and scars it causes can lead to isolation and psychosocial pathologies due to social stigma, and its occurrence is often asso...ciated with regional conflicts.
more
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a painful disease that exerts a serious toll on societies around the world that are afflicted by it. Although not life-threatening, the skin ulcers and scars it causes can lead to isolation and psychosocial pathologies due to social stigma, and its occurrence is often... associated with regional conflicts. The Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research Meeting was held on December 7, 2020, with participation by basic researchers, clinical researchers, and drug discovery experts involved in research and development related to CL under the auspices of the Joint Usage/Research Center on Tropical Disease, Institute of Tropical Medicine. In addition, the CL Webinar was held on March 5, 2021, hosted by the Graduate School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, co-hosted by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, and supported by Médecins Sans Frontières and DNDi.
more
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a painful disease that exerts a serious toll on societies around the world that are afflicted by it. Although not life-threatening, the skin ulcers and scars it causes can lead to isolation and psychosocial pathologies due to social stigma, and its occurrence is often... associated with regional conflicts. The Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research Meeting was held on December 7, 2020, with participation by basic researchers, clinical researchers, and drug discovery experts involved in research and development related to CL under the auspices of the Joint Usage/Research Center on Tropical Disease, Institute of Tropical Medicine. In addition, the CL Webinar was held on March 5, 2021, hosted by the Graduate School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, co-hosted by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, and supported by Médecins Sans Frontières and DNDi.
more
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a painful disease that exerts a serious toll on societies around the world that are afflicted by it. Although not life-threatening, the skin ulcers and scars it causes can lead to isolation and psychosocial pathologies due to social stigma, and its occurrence is often... associated with regional conflicts. The Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research Meeting was held on December 7, 2020, with participation by basic researchers, clinical researchers, and drug discovery experts involved in research and development related to CL under the auspices of the Joint Usage/Research Center on Tropical Disease, Institute of Tropical Medicine. In addition, the CL Webinar was held on March 5, 2021, hosted by the Graduate School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, co-hosted by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, and supported by Médecins Sans Frontières and DNDi.
more
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a painful disease that exerts a serious toll on societies around the world that are afflicted by it. Although not life-threatening, the skin ulcers and scars it causes can lead to isolation and psychosocial pathologies due to social stigma, and its occurrence is often... associated with regional conflicts. The Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research Meeting was held on December 7, 2020, with participation by basic researchers, clinical researchers, and drug discovery experts involved in research and development related to CL under the auspices of the Joint Usage/Research Center on Tropical Disease, Institute of Tropical Medicine. In addition, the CL Webinar was held on March 5, 2021, hosted by the Graduate School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, co-hosted by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, and supported by Médecins Sans Frontières and DNDi.
more
Battling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is not easy for a number of reasons. The microbial world is mobile and the targets keep changing. This book reflects on a 15-year battle--one that is still continuing--against five tropical diseases that have been long neglected yet take a heavy toll in de...ath and human suffering today. It introduces some of the protagonists involved--patients in remote villages, health workers, community leaders, district and health ministry officials, researchers, donors and agency staff under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO). Its goal is to situate NTDs historically, culturally, and scientifically, and to illustrate the efforts taken over the years to end suffering and bring hope to the thousands of people who have been afflicted by these deadly diseases. Helping the WHO in this endeavour goes beyond fighting pathogens. It involves vigilance over a dangerous world and dedication to public health and well-being in a number of respects--from supporting human rights to creating a better environment for all.
more
There is an expanding market of no- and low-alcohol beverages (NoLos). However, their effects on global ethanol consumption and public health are still questioned. Policies and regulations about NoLos’ availability, acceptability and affordability are lacking and evidence about their benefits is l...imited. Concerns have been raised about the impact of NoLos in reducing alcohol consumption and its associated harm and the possible drawbacks and implications, such as misleading minors, pregnant women, abstainers or those seeking to stop drinking about their actual ethanol content. Further, there are concerns about the implications of NoLo branded products being displayed close to the brand’s main alcoholic beverages and their potential to subtly lead to new occasions of drinking. There is a need to monitor their consumption and impact on aggregated alcohol consumption to understand the public health implications of NoLos. The alcohol by volume content of NoLos must be defined, harmonised and clearly labelled. NoLo marketing needs to be regulated to protect children, pregnant women and those seeking to stop drinking. Fiscal and pricing policies to reduce the affordability of products with higher strengths of ethanol may favour a shift towards lower alcohol strength beverages.
more
There has been important progress for the rights of adolescent girls and women in recent decades, yet millions still struggle to
access the nutritious diets, essential nutrition services and nutrition and care practices they need to prevent malnutrition.
Undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies ...and anaemia amplify gender inequalities by lowering learning potential, wages and life opportunities for adolescent girls and women, weakening their immunity to infections, and increasing their risk of lifethreatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
more
Due to high routine vaccination coverage, overall counts of diphtheria case have significantly declined in the Western Pacific Region recently. However, diphtheria is still prevalent in several countries and areas of the Region and remains a public health issue due to its high case fatality rate.
...
This Field Guide for Preparedness and Response to Diphtheria Outbreaks in the Western Pacific Region is a reference resource for Member States to develop national guidelines adapted to their local context. Countries may also use this Guide to facilitate outbreak preparedness and public health responses to reduce morbidity and mortality due to diphtheria.
more
This important research emphasises that many governments are not meeting spending goals, and in many countries the financing gaps are so great that, even if they met the spending goals, expenditure would still fall short of what is needed (expenditure would cover only 64% of estimated future funding... requirements, leaving a gap of around a third of the total US$7·9 billion needed). Quantification of the gaps in domestic spending encourages us to consider whether the amount of funding is appropriate and how much more could and should be done to fight HIV/AIDS. The important question of how governments make allocation choices also comes to the forefront. The aim of this Comment is to draw attention to the many dimensions that contribute to the complexity of these decisions on health resource allocation.
more
Background: In 2015, 5.3 million babies died in the third trimester of pregnancy and first month following birth. Progress in reducing neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates has lagged behind the substantial progress in reducing postneonatal and maternal mortality rates. The benefits to prenatal an...d neonatal health (PNH) from maternal and child health investments cannot be assumed. Methods: We analysed donor funding for PNH over the period 2003–2013. We used an exhaustive key term search followed by manual review and classification to identify official development assistance and private grant (ODA+) disbursement records in the Countdown to 2015 ODA+ Database.
more
Developmental disabilities are common. Yet, children with developmental disabilities have been neglected in health systems planning and policy provisions for health and continue to experience stigmatization, institutionalization, barriers to access health care and inequalities in health and educatio...n outcomes.
Using findings from research and practice and guided by the tenets of international human rights conventions, this WHO-UNICEF Global Report on children with developmental disabilities provides principles and approaches to intentionally include the needs and aspirations of children and young people with developmental disabilities in policy, programming and public health monitoring. It makes the case for greater accountability and proposes 10 priority actions to accelerate changes towards inclusive environments and responsive multisectoral care systems for children with developmental disabilities.
more
Almost the entire Rwandan population (98.5%) relies on polluting fuels, particularly firewood and charcoal, for cooking. Access to clean energy such as electricity is still limited. In 2022, 70% of the population lived in towns and villages that have electricity – 49% from the national grid and 21...% from off-grid (mainly solar) systems. When access is defined as connection and use of households to electricity, an estimated 47% of households had access in 2020, representing 86% of the urban population but only 38% of the rural population.
more