5 Nov. 2020
The policy brief provides a concise summary of information and considerations to ensure optimal management of influenza during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes a list of technical guidance and other resources to assist policy makers with monitoring the situation, preventing seasonal i...nfluenza, reducing severe complications and mortality, protecting specific populations and communicating to and engaging with the public.
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OpenWHO is WHO’s new interactive, web-based, knowledge-transfer platform offering online courses to improve the response to health emergencies. OpenWHO enables the Organization and its key partners to transfer life-saving knowledge to large numbers of frontline responders.
On this platform you fi...nd online courses on: Pandemic and epidemic-prone diseases; Incident Management System; MERS; Ebola; Public Health Interventions; Risk communication; Predeployment training GO; ZIKA; Influenza
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The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging health systems across the world. Rapidly increasing demand for care of people with COVID-19 is compounded by fear, misinformation and limitations on the movement of people and supplies that disrupt the delivery of frontline health care for all people...
This g...uidance addresses the specific role of community-based health care in the pandemic context and outlines the adaptations needed to keep people safe, maintain continuity of essential services and ensure an effective response to COVID-19. It is intended for decision-makers and managers at the national and subnational levels and complements a range of other guidance, including that on priority public health interventions, facility-based care, and risk communication and community engagement in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Facing the COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease) pandemic, the countries of the world must take decisive action to stop the spread of the virus. In these critical circumstances, it is es- sential that everyone is informed about other health risks and hazards so that they can stay safe and healthy.
The... following factsheet provides important information that you should know about alcohol consumption and COVID-19. It addresses, among other things, the misinformation that is being spread through social media and other communication channels about alcohol and COVID-19.
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10 July 2020
Guidance for authorities and event organizers planning mass gatherings during the current COVID-19 pandemic
The content of this Risk Assessment tool has been updated to reflect new WHO guidance and new evidence on both COVID-19 and mass gatherings, as well as feedback from end-users.
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Additional improvements have been made to the way the information is organized and presented: the Decision Tree is now built into the tool and a new tab dedicated to Risk Communication has been added. The expanded tool now includes six tabs: 1. Instructions; 2. Decision Tree; 3. Risk Evaluation; 4. Risk Mitigation; 5. Decision Matrix; 6. Risk Communication.
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Based on Human Rights Watch (HRW)'s reporting on the human rights dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic (see Related Summary, and the video, below), this document presents 40 questions to provoke thinking about a rights-respecting response to the crisis. The questions address the needs - including aro...und issues of information and communication - of groups most at risk, such as people living in poverty, ethnic and religious minorities, women, people with disabilities, older people, migrants, refugees, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The resource also identifies a variety of responses to the crisis, some of which are positive and others problematic - with many links to related stories and resources online.
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La pandémie actuelle de COVID-19 entraîne des difficultés exceptionnelles et sans précédent pour les autorités compétentesa responsables des systèmes nationaux decontrôle de la sécurité sanitaire des alimentsb, qui sont tenues de continuer à assurer des fonct...ions et des activités de routine en se conformant aux règlements nationaux et aux recommandations internationales. Dans de nombreux pays, le personnel employé par les autorités compétentes travaille généralement à domicile car le télétravail est devenu la norme et toutes les réunions en présentiel sont annulées ou sont réorganisées sous forme de téléconférence. Il est difficile de maintenir, sans interruption, les activités de routine telles que l’inspection des entreprises du secteur alimentaire, la certification des exportations, le contrôle des denrées alimentaires importées, le suivi et la surveillance de la sécurité de la chaîne d’approvisionnement alimentaire, l’échantillonnage et l’analyse des aliments, la gestion des incidents alimentaires, les conseils sur la sécurité sanitaire des aliments et la réglementation relative aux denrées alimentaires à l’intention de l’industrie et la communication au grand public sur les questions relatives à la sécurité sanitaire des aliments.
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic presents an exceptional and unprecedented challenge for competent authoritiesa with responsibilities for national food safety control systemsb to continue conducting routine functions and activities in accordance with national regulations... and international recommendations. In many countries, competent authority staff are largely working from home, teleworking being the normal practice, and all face-to-face meetings cancelled or rescheduled as teleconferences. It is challenging to maintain, without interruption, routine activities such as the inspection of food business operations, certifying exports, control of imported foods, monitoring and surveillance of the safety of the food supply chain, sampling and analysis of food, managing food incidents, providing advice on food safety and food regulations for the food industry, and communicating on food safety issues with the public.
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Facing the COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease) pandemic, the countries of the world must take decisive action to stop the spread of the virus. In these critical circumstances, it is es- sential that everyone is informed about other health risks and hazards so that they can stay safe and healthy.
The... following factsheet provides important information that you should know about alcohol consumption and COVID-19. It addresses, among other things, the misinformation that is being spread through social media and other communication channels about alcohol and COVID-19.
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Severe cases of COVID-19 are associated with rehabilitation needs related to the consequences of ventilatory support, and prolonged immobilization and bed rest. These may include: − Impaired lung function; − Physical deconditioning and muscle weakness; − Delirium and other cognitive impairment...s; − Impaired swallow and communication; and − Mental health disorders and psychosocial support needs. − Rehabilitation needs may be amplified by underlying health conditions and decrements in health associated with ageing, − Rehabilitation professionals play an important role in facilitating early discharge, which is especially critical in the context of hospital bed shortages. − Rehabilitation needs of people with severe COVID-19 exist during the acute, sub-acute and long-term phases of care; rehabilitation professionals should be positioned in ICUs, hospital wards, stepdown facilities and in the community. − Particularly in the acute phase, rehabilitation interventions for patients with severe COVID-19 requiring ventilatory support generally require a particular skill-set acquired through specialist training.
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Les données COVID-19 anonymisées reçues des États Parties par l’intermédiaire de la plateforme de données COVID-19 resteront la propriété de l’État Partie contributeur et seront utilisées par l’OMS à des fins de vérification, d’évaluation et d’assistance conformément au RSI (...2005), notamment pour éclairer la riposte de santé publique et les mesures cliniques en rapport avec la flambée épidémique de COVID-19. Pour aider à atteindre ces objectifs, l’OMS établira un groupe consultatif clinique indépendant chargé de conseiller l’OMS sur la communication et l’analyse des données COVID-19 anonymisées au niveau mondial.
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COVID-19 poses challenges in places of detention, given the specific vulnerabilities of detainees and difficulty of containing outbreaks in such settings. The ICRC's approach to COVID-19 in detention is anchored in support to the authorities who are primarily and ultimately responsible for the wellb...eing of detainees and staff.
In the context of a public health crisis, it is crucial to ensure good communication with detainees, staff and visitors on the scale of the pandemic and the measures taken to prevent its spread.
The ICRC has produced three sensitization and training videos for use by detaining authorities and for all in the wider public who may be affected by detention, such as families of detainees. Using an existing virtual prison environment, the recommended response of a fictional detaining authority is portrayed.
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(15 April 2020, BST 17:00 hours)
Actions Taken from Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS):
9292 Number of staff and RCY/ CPP/ Camp/ Community volunteers being mobilized throughout the country.
10116 Set of PPE provided to individuals working on COVID-19 response.
130,851 Number of Total Peop...le Reached (average/day)
313 Religious /Community Leaders reached through Hygiene promotion initiatives.
1,000,000+ People received life-saving awareness messages through social media.
786,000 People reached through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials across the country.
10179 Hand-washing station established throughout the country including camp settlements in Cox’s Bazar.
166601 Hygiene and Protecting gears distributed i.e Soap (91686), Hand sanitizer(36650), Mask (33445), Hand Gloves (1908), Eye Protector (2912).
2005 Hospitals/ Institutions/ places already covered through disinfectant spraying.
12181 Women reached through Dignity Kit Distribution
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Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, health is receiving unprecedented public and political attention. Yet the fact that climate change also presents us with a health crisis deserves further recognition. From more deaths due to heat stress to increased transmission of infectious diseases, ...climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health in ways that are profound and far-reaching. The fundamental interdependency of human health and the health of the environment is encapsulated in the concept of planetary health, a scientific field and social movement that has been gaining force since the 2015 publication of the Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission report “Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch”.
We see an urgent need for strategic communication to raise awareness of climate-health synergies in order to overcome the misperception that climate and health are two independent agendas. The fragmented and sector-focused nature of thinking and action remains a significant barrier to integrating health considerations into climate planning and project development. Inevitably, collaboration across sectors requires a community of practice. Despite recent efforts focused on the climate-health nexus, much work remains to be done to translate scientific findings for policymakers, mobilise climate financing resources in support of health co-benefits, and promote genderjust solutions within climate change projects.
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23 Dec 2020. The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmissio...n to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous report from ECDC on this topic, which was published on August 6, 2020
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Despite being a curable and preventable disease, tuberculosis (TB) remains as one of the major challenges for health systems, globally. Every year, TB affects more than 10 million people and kills more than 1.4 million people. WHO’s Digital Health for the End TB Strategy – an Agenda for Action o...utlines a conceptual framework in which advantageously positioned digital health solutions are matched to the most urgent needs of TB programmes. Video-supported treatment is a component of one of the four core functions of this framework, the Patient Care domain, and primarily supports the first pillar of the End TB Strategy. This quick guide provides information on the solutions available for asynchronous modes of video communication and how these can be of use to TB programmes.
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The community engagement hub is a platform for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, designed to help us put communities at the heart of what we do.
The hub offers a range of learning materials, tools and guidance to support you to mainstream community engagement and accountabili...ty within your work.
It also offers a place to exchange ideas, share advice or connect with others. Together, we can learn best practice from the active community of Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers committed to integrating communication and participation throughout our work
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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 ...found that uptake has been remarkably positive: the Checklist has been adopted in almost 90% of operating rooms in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI), a country-level measure of health, education, and standard of living. It was referenced by at least 139 (70%) of the world's countries and is included as a national standard by the health ministries of at least 20 countries. The Checklist has also had beneficial qualitative impact, introducing a culture of safety and improved communication within surgical teams, increasing patient trust, and improving job satisfaction.
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The Strategic plan aims to ensure alignment of preparedness and readiness actions in the nine countries focusing on eight technical areas: strengthening multisectoral coordination; surveillance for early detection; laboratory diagnostic capacity; points of entry; rapid response teams; risk communica...tion, social mobilization and community engagement; case management and infection prevention and control (IPC) capacities; and, operations support and logistics. The purpose of the WHO Regional Strategic Plan is to ensure that the countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo are prepared and ready to implement timely and effective risk mitigation, detection and response measures should there be any importation of EVD cases.
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This guide is a revised edition to the previous version published in 2017.
This updated publication provides programme managers with a user-friendly tool that can: (i) analyse and draw conclusions from historic dengue datasets; (ii) identify appropriate alarm indicators that can predict forthcoming... outbreaks at smaller spatial scales; and (iii) use these results and analyses to build an early warning system to detect dengue outbreaks in real time and respond accordingly. This web-based tool can ensure enhanced, fast and secured communication between national and subnational levels, and standardized utilization of surveillance data.
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