Asthma is the most common non-communicable disease in children and remains one of the most common throughout the life course. The great majority of the burden of this disease is seen in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have disproportionately high asthma-related mortality relati...ve to asthma prevalence. This is particularly true for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Although inhaled asthma treatments (particularly those containing inhaled corticosteroids) markedly reduce asthma morbidity and mortality, a substantial proportion of the children, adolescents, and adults with asthma in LMICs do not get to benefit from these, due to poor availability and affordability. In this review, we consider the reality faced by clinicians managing asthma in the primary and secondary care in sub-Saharan Africa and suggest how we might go about making diagnosis and treatment decisions in a range of resource-constrained scenarios. We also provide recommendations for research and policy, to help bridge the gap between current practice in sub-Saharan Africa and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommended diagnostic processes and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults with asthma.
more
These advocacy messages complement the Technical Note on the Protection of Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic, for child protection actors to prioritize child protection in COVID-19 response plans.
In this report, we describe early childhood trauma and its effects, offer promising strategies for ECE programs and systems to help young children who have experienced trauma, and present recommendations for state policymakers and other stakeholders looking to support trauma-informed ECE for this vu...lnerable group.
more
The Ministry of Health through the National AIDS Secretariat, has developed the Strategic Operational Plan for Condom Programming in Sierra Leone with a focus on reinvigorating condom use to ensure “uninterrupted access to male and female condoms and lubricants for Key Populations, young people an...d the general population.” Condom use in the country was estimated at 7 per cent and 23 per cent of women and men respectively who had sexual intercourse with non-regular partners. The primary goal of the strategic operational plan is to enhance access and utilization of male and female condoms, supporting national efforts to reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, and unintended pregnancies, for all sexually active individuals.
more
This course describes the health effects of war, weapons and strategies of violent conflict. Beginning with weapons of mass destruction it then moves on to other weapons and strategies of war such as the use of landmines and mass rape. The course concludes with a number of lessons which give an hist...orical and practical analysis of the response of health professional groups to war and militarisation.
more
Development assistance for health (DAH)
plays a vital role in supporting health programmes in lowand middle-income countries. While DAH has historically
focused on infectious diseases and maternal and child
health, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of DAH
trends, strategic shifts and the...ir impact on health systems
and outcomes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive
review of DAH from 1990 to 2022, examining its evolution
and funding allocation shifts.
more
L'eau potable et les services d'assainissement et d'hygiène (WASH) sont essentiels à la prévention des 17 maladies tropicales négligées (MTN) pour lesquelles une intensification de la lutte ou l'élimination sont prévues à l'horizon 2020.
La fourniture d’eau potable et de services d’...assainissement et d’hygiène est l’une des cinq interventions clés inscrite dans la feuille de route mondiale contre les MTN. Pourtant, à ce jour, la composante WASH de la stratégie n’a reçu que peu d’attention et le potentiel lié à la mise en commun des efforts WASH et MTN reste largement inexploité.
Des efforts ciblés sur la composante WASH sont nécessaires de toute urgence pour atteindre les cibles de la feuille de route mondiale contre les MTN.
more
The Joint Response Plan sets out a comprehensive programme shaped around three strategic objectives – deliver protection, provide life-saving assistance and foster social cohesion. The Plan covers all humanitarian sectors and addresses key cross-cutting issues, including protection and gender main...streaming. The Plan will also strengthen emergency preparedness and response for weather-related risks and natural disasters, with a focus on community
engagement.
more
In the context of the Support to National Malaria Control Programme (SuNMaP), demand creation is the strategic combination of advocacy, communication and mobilisation approaches that seek to achieve increased community awareness of, and demand for, effective malaria prevention and treatment services.... For malaria treatment, demand creation focuses on promoting improved testing, prompt and proper use of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) treatment for individual cases of malaria, and effective home management of fever, together with referrals of severe cases to a higher-level health facility.
more
The Malaria Operational Plans below are detailed 1-year implementation plans for PMI focus countries. Each plan reviews the current status of malaria control and prevention policies and interventions, identifies challenges and unmet needs to achieve PMI goals, and provides a description of planned P...MI-funded activities.
more
La Stratégie nationale de communication pour le paludisme 2017–2020 de la République Démocratique du Congo vise à améliorer les comportements de prévention, de détection et de traitement du paludisme à travers une communication sociale et comportementale (CSC) structurée et contextuelle. ...Élaborée par le Programme National de Lutte contre le Paludisme (PNLP), elle s’inscrit dans la vision d’un accès équitable aux messages de santé et à des services de qualité pour toute la population.
Cette stratégie met l’accent sur l’adoption de pratiques essentielles telles que l’utilisation correcte des moustiquaires imprégnées, le recours systématique au test de diagnostic rapide avant tout traitement, la prise en charge précoce des cas, en particulier chez les enfants de moins de cinq ans et les femmes enceintes, ainsi que l’adhésion complète aux traitements prescrits. Elle cible prioritairement les ménages, les femmes enceintes, les enfants, les agents de santé communautaires, les enseignants, les leaders religieux et les médias.
Pour atteindre ses objectifs, la stratégie mobilise plusieurs canaux de communication, notamment les médias de masse (radio, télévision, affichage), la communication interpersonnelle via les agents communautaires, et des campagnes de mobilisation sociale. Elle identifie également plusieurs obstacles, tels que les croyances erronées, le faible niveau d’éducation sanitaire et les disparités d’accès à l’information dans les zones rurales.
Enfin, le document propose des mécanismes de suivi et d’évaluation clairs, avec des indicateurs pour mesurer l’exposition aux messages, la compréhension, et les changements de comportement au sein des communautés. Cette stratégie vise à créer un environnement favorable à la réduction durable du fardeau du paludisme en RDC.
more
This strategic framework marries formerly separate mandates for HIV and TB management in to one, comprehensive collaboration. It provides a structure for how to: strengthen the health care system to respond effectively to both epidemics, reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS in TB patients, and establish a ...monitoring and evaluation system for the collaborative activities. Activities include: improving TB infection control in health care and other settings, enhancing TB/HIV diagnostic capacity, and harmonize data collection tools and local, national and international TB/HIV indicators.
more