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Engaging health and care workers in health emergencies: implementation toolkit

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2024) C_WHO

The active participation and engagement of health and care workers (‎HCWs)‎ in health emergency preparedness, readiness and response is crucial to support risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management (‎RCCE-IM)‎ interventions during emergencies. HCWs hold unique position... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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A Wake-Up Call: Lessons from Ebola for the world’s health systems
recommended

Save the Children (2015)

Almost 30 countries vulnerable to a new Ebola-style Epidemic, jeopardising the future of millions of Children. The report ranks the world’s poorest countries on the state of their public health systems, finding that 28 have weaker defences in place than Liberia where, alongside Sierra Leone and Gu... more

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Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2024

Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development United Nations (UN) (2024) CC

The world is facing a sustainable development crisis. The 2024 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing for Development at a Crossroads finds that financing challenges are at the heart of the crisis and imperil the SDGs and climate action. The window to rescue the SDGs and prevent a c... more

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Checking in on the Checklist

Buissonniere, M. Lifebox and Ariadne Labs (2019) CC

The report and an accompanying series of studies show the global uptake of the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist in its first ten years since its launch and recommend ways the Checklist can be more effectively used to improve surgical safety for millions at risk. The report ... more

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Buruli ulcer : Mycobacterium ulcerans infection

Dr. K. Asiedu; Dr. Scherpbier, R.; Dr. Raviglione, M. World Health Organization WHO (2000) CC

The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) for the medical and scientific communities and the general public alike.

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Online global consultation on contact tracing for COVID-19, 9-11 June 2020

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

COVID-19 has heavily emphasized how contact tracing is crucial for managing outbreaks, and as part of the strategy for adjusting, and eventually lifting, lockdowns and other stringent public health and social measures. As the pandemic develops further, it will be a core measure to manage further wav... more

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Ethics in epidemics, emergencies and disasters: research, surveillance and patient care: training manual

World Health Organization (WHO) (2015) C_WHO

Responses to epidemics, emergencies and disasters raise many ethical issues for the people involved, including public health specialists and policy makers. This training manual provides material on ethical issues in research, surveillance and patient care in these difficult contexts.

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Let us embrace: The role and significance of an integrated faith-based initiative for HIV and AIDS

African Religious Health Assests Programme ARHAP (2006) CC

Masangane Case Study The Vesper Society commissioned ARHAP to do research on the integrated Masangane HIV/AIDS programme affiliated with the Moravian Church in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Completed in 2006, this study aimed to understand the role of the religious health assets of the Masangane ART ... more

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Women´s Mental Health: An evidence based review

WHO WHO (2000) C_WHO

This document adopts a health determinants framework for examining the evidence related to women’s poor mental health. From this perspective, public policy including economic policy, socio-cultural and environmental factors, community and social support, stressors and life events, personal behavio... more

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HIV in Central Asia: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan

D. Wolfe; R. Elovich; A. Boltaev Research Gate; Springer Science+Business Media (2008) C2

Chapter · January 2009 DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-72711-0_25 D.D. Celentano and C. Beyrer (eds.), Public Health Aspects of HIV/AIDS in Low and Middle Income Countries, DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-72711-0 25, c Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

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Containment strategies: lessons from early COVID-19 responses in five African countries

World Health Organization WHO, Regional Office of Africa; AHOP WHO Regional Office for Africa (2021) C_WHO

The number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise again, with South Africa nearing half of all confirmed cases in the WHO African Region. Threats of new variants loom and low vaccination coverage raises questions on the future of the response to COVID-19. Prevention remains the key strategy in most sub-Sa... more

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Ensuring quality health care by reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Providing quality, stigma-free services is essential to equitable health care for all and achieving global HIV goals and broader Sustainable Development Goals related to health. Every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Countries have a legal obliga... more

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Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for patient safety: a rapid review

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

The pandemic has emphasized the high risk of avoidable harm to patients, health workers, and the general public, and has identified a range of safety gaps across all core components of health systems at all levels. The rapid review ‘Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for patient safety’ ex... more

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A guide to tailoring health programmes: Using behavioural and cultural insights to tailor health policies, services and communications to the needs and circumstances of people and communities

World Health Organization WHO (2023) CC

WHO/Europe has launched a new guide, providing support to countries on how to apply behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) for health. It presents a simple step-wise approach, complemented by a rich collection of detailed considerations, tools and exercises. The guide is the first of its kind, spec... more

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International standards for the treatment of drug use disorders - Revised Edition Incorporating Results Of Field - Testing

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

This document is based on currently available scientific evidence on treatment for drug use disorders and sets out a framework for the implementation of the Standards, in line with principles of public health care. The Standards identify major components and features of effective systems for the tre... more

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Sustaining Effective Coverage for HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in the Context of Transition in Tanzania

Fleisher, Lisa; Mehtsun, Sinit; Arias, Daniel Results for Development (R4D) (2017) C1

R4D conducted a thorough desk review and qualitative fiscal space analysis, 19 interviews about financing for the three diseases and the extent of alignment between public financial management systems and health policy objectives, and a validation workshop with government officials.
Tanzania’... more

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A Fatal Attraction? Business engagement with the 2030 Agenda

Karolin Seitz Misereor, Brot für die Welt, GPF (2019)

Governments have dedicated a pivotal role to the private sector in the implementation and financing of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. This has pushed a turn towards the private sector, the promotion of multi-stakeholder partnerships between public and private actors. However, far too often there is a... more

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Essential and actionable measures for enhancing country preparedness for Viral Haemorrhagic Fever outbreaks in the WHO African Region
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

The target audience of this document (and the associated online companion tool) includes WHO country offices in Member States of the African Region; Member States’ ministries of health and their public health emergency operation centres; relevant external assessment teams; and partners looking... more

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Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Deininger, K. The MEDBOX Team (2023) CC

Issue Brief 31: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can occur when viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi change over time. There is no longer a response to medicines, and the infection treatment gets really difficult which increases the risk of a disesase spread, which can lead to severe health problems... more

A Wake-Up Call: Lessons from Ebola for the world’s health systems recommended

Essential and actionable measures for enhancing country preparedness for Viral Haemorrhagic Fever outbreaks in the WHO African Region recommended

A Wake-Up Call: Lessons from Ebola for the world’s health systems
recommended

Essential and actionable measures for enhancing country preparedness for Viral Haemorrhagic Fever outbreaks in the WHO African Region
recommended