On 31st December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology (unknown cause) detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. On 7th January 2020, Chinese authorities identified a new strain of Coronavirus as the causative age...nt for the disease. The virus has been renamed by WHO as SARS-CoV-2 and the disease caused by it as COVID-19. The disease since its first detection in China has now spread to over 200 countries/territories, with reports of local transmission happening in more than 160 of these countries/territories. As per WHO (as of 1st April, 2020), there has been a total of 823626 confirmed cases and 40598 deaths due to COVID-19 worldwide.
In India, as on 2nd April, 2020, 1965 confirmed cases (including 51 foreign nationals) and 50 deaths reported from 29 States/UTs. Large number of cases has been reported from Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
more
Last update: 2 April 2020
The COVID-19 Table-Top Exercise (TTX) is a simulation package which uses a progressive scenario together with series of scripted specific injects to enable participants to consider the potential impact of an outbreak in terms of existing plans, procedures and capacities. The aim of the TTX is to st...rengthen national levels of readiness against the virus through a series of facilitated group discussions.
more
In 2018, the WHO European Healthy Cities Network adopted the political vision of the Network until 2030 that is fully aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: the Copenhagen Consensus of Mayors: Healthier and Happier Cities for All. The vision is built around six them...es. This compendium comprises tools, resources and networks that are related to one of the themes - place - from across the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and wider from 2010 to 2020. It is part of the support package for implementation of the place theme in Phase VII (2019–2024) of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network.
more
Infectious diseases continue to impose unpredictable burdens on global health and economies, a subject that requires constant research and updates. In this sense, the objective of the present article was to review studies on the role of wild animals as reservoirs and/or dispersers of etiological age...nts of human infectious diseases in order to compile data on the main wild animals and etiological agents involved in zoonotic outbreaks.
more
The One Health approach can help achieve progress and promotes synergies on national and global priorities by generating synergies at the human-animal-environmental interface. While evidence is still scare, it is likely that the approach is highly cost-effective and improves effectiveness of core pu...blic health systems, through reducing morbidity, mortality, and economic costs of disease outbreaks. It also contributes to economic development through strengthening public health systems at the human-animal-environment interface protects health, agricultural production, and
ecosystem services
more
This brief provides key considerations for engaging communities on COVID-19 and tips for how to engage where there are movement restrictions and physical distancing measures in place, particularly in low-resource settings.
There is little doubt that 2019 was a defining year on many fronts for the environment. The repercussions of the climate emergency were experienced across the globe, with floods, devastating wildfires, and unprecedented melting of polar ice sheets and glaciers. While the new decade began with the Au...stralian bushfires still raging after the hottest and driest year on record, the world was soon (and still is) in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic.
more
The Global Fund’s product and delivery outlook shows the overall impact of COVID-19 on health product supply chains for Global Fund grants has increased from "low to moderate" to "moderate."
A summary of health effects, resources, and adaptation examples from health departments funded by CDC’s Climate and Health Program
The Lancet Volume 397, ISSUE 10269, P129-170, January 09, 2021
This document, endorsed by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, provides guiding principles to support countries in their decision-making regarding provision or resumption of immunization services during severe disruptive events such as COVID-19, natural disasters or humanita...rian emergencies. It incorporates the Immunization Agenda 2030 principles of being people-centred, country-owned, partnership-based and data-guided.
more
COVID-19 outbreak is associated with the generation of many types of infectious wastes, including infected masks, gloves and other protective equipment, together with a higher volume of general waste of the same nature.
In this COVID-19 pandemic, timely access to accurate information can be the difference between life and death. The stakes are high in developing countries like Ethiopia where millions of people have limited access to information because of low media access, insufficientin...ternet penetration, illiteracy, and language diversity.
more
Las fronteras con Colombia y Perú se mantuvieron cerradas y parecería que esta medida se extendería los primeros meses del año 2021. Los contagios por COVID-19 incrementaron de manera sostenida durante el mes de diciembre. Para evitar aglomeraciones y una saturación en el sistema de salud, el G...obierno Nacional (Decreto Ejecutivo No. 1217 / 21 diciembre 2020) declaró el estado de excepción en el territorio nacional, restringiendo la movilidad y el uso de espacios públicos, así como estableciendo un toque de queda.
A pesar de estas restricciones a la movilidad, los refugiados y migrantes continuaron ingresando a Ecuador por pasos irregulares. Se reporta un incremento de ingresos irregulares por la frontera de Tulcán: en el mes de diciembre, hubo entre 350-400 personas ingresando diariamente durante el período de monitoreo (4 horas diarias). Esto representa un incremento del 35% si se lo compara con los ingresos reportados en noviembre.
more
Climate-related disasters, heatwaves, climate-sensitive diseases, and severe droughts and floods are taking lives and harming health, livelihoods, and ecosystems across the countries of the Caribbean, as in other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world. In recognition of the high vuln...erability of those countries, the World Health Organization launched in 2017 the Special Initiative on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing States, aiming to increase the resilience of these countries and territories to climate variability and climate change
more
En el presente documento, se suministra información sobre los métodos que deberán aplicarse para medir cada uno de los indicadores del Plan de acción del Caribe sobre la salud y el cambio climático y presentar información sobre ellos. Está organizado de conformidad con los cuatro componentes ...principales de la Iniciativa Especial sobre el Cambio Climático y la Salud en los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarollo.
more
9 September 2020
In a snapshot, fair allocation of vaccines will occur in the following way:
An initial proportional allocation of doses to countries until all countries reach enough quantities to cover 20% of their population
This document is also available in Arabic | Chinese | French | R...ussian | Spanish | Portuguese
A follow-up phase to expand coverage to other populations. If severe supply constraints persist, a weighted allocation approach would be adopted, taking account of a country’s COVID threat and vulnerability.
The document is a final working document and may be adjusted in the future as new information about the vaccines and the epidemiology of COVID-19 becomes available.
more