Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, was devastated by an earthquake in 2010. The disaster uncovered the realities of a non-existent mental health care system with only ten psychiatrists nationwide. Attempts were made to assess the increased prevalence of mental illness, likely due to t...he trauma to which many were exposed. Several interventions were carried out with aims to integrate mental health into primary health care services. The interplay between socio-cultural beliefs and health (both mental and physical) in Haiti has been widely commented upon by both foreign aid and local caregivers. Observations frequently highlight barriers to the willingness of patients to seek care and to their acceptance of biomedicine over traditional Vodou beliefs. The perception of Haitian beliefs as barriers to the availability and acceptance of mental health care has intensified the difficulty in providing effective recommendations and interventions both before and after the earthquake. Argued in this review is the importance of considering the interactions between socio-cultural beliefs and mental health when developing models for the prevention, screening, classification and management of mental illness in Haiti. These interactions, especially relevant in mental health care and post-disaster contexts, need to be acknowledged in any healthcare setting. The successes and failures of Haiti’s situation provide an example for global consideration.
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Since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, gender mainstreaming has become a widespread strategy for changing unequal social and institutional structures which discriminate against women and girls, with the goal of achieving gender equality. Much has changed for women since 1995:... they have become more visible as actors in society, economy and politics. Public awareness regarding their discrimination has increased. However, most societies remain based on patriarchy and male hegemony. Patriarchal structures and institutions cannot easily be changed and the struggle for gender equality is still far from being won.
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Mounting an effective international humanitarian response to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) event, especially if the response is undertaken on an ad hoc basis, would be extremely difficult and would pose many risks to the responders. The International Committee of the Red Cro...ss (ICRC) has created a competency-based capacity to respond to at least small-scale CBRN events, including a deployable capability to undertake operational activities. This involves informed assessments of CBRN risks, timely and competent decisions on how to respond, and effectively mobilizing appropriate resources to implement these decisions, through the creation of an emergency roster. In addition to the acquisition of technical expertise and material resources, the creation of such capacity requires the application of central processes, ensuring systematic management of CBRN response (including risk-based decision-making), standing operational procedures, and availability of and access to the necessary resources. Implementation of the ICRC's CBRN response framework as described in this article should be considered by any agency or other stakeholder preparing for international humanitarian assistance in CBRN events – especially if such events are related to armed conflict.
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An essential participant in antimicrobial stewardship who has been unrecognized and underutilized is the“staff nurse.”Although the role of staff nurses has not formally been recognized in guidelines for implementing and operating antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) or defined in the medica...l literature, they have always performed numerous functions that are integral to successful antimicrobial stewardship. Nurses are antibiotic first responders, central communicators, coordinators of care, as well as 24-hour monitors of patient status, safety, and response to antibiotic therapy. An operational analysis of inpatient admissions evaluates these nursing stewardship activities and analyzes the potential benefits of nurses’formal education about, and inclusion into, ASPs.
Clinical Infectious Diseases - CID 2016:62 (1 January)•CLINICAL PRACTICE
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Los responsables de la comunicación en diversos sectores deberían utilizar esta orientación provisional como referencia para reforzar las actividades comunicativas sobre el virus de Zika que desarrollan actualmente. El presente documento complementa la comunicación de riesgos sobre esta infecci...n y la orientación para la participación de la comunidad elaborada por la Oficina Regional para las Américas de la OMS.
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The use of safe and efficacious insecticides against the adult and larval populations of mosquito vectors is one of the most effective ways to rapidly interrupt transmission of Zika virus, as well as other viruses transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes such as chikungunya and dengue.
Este documento apresenta orientações provisórias para uma comunicação eficaz dos riscos relacionados com atransmissão do vírus Zikae das suas potenciais complicações. Ainda não foi, contudo, estabelecida uma relação causal entre ainfecçãopelo vírus Zika e essas potenciais complicaçõ...es. Nesta incerteza, deverão implementar-se estratégias de comunicação eficazes, para permitir às pessoas tomarem decisões informadas sobre a sua protecção, das suas famílias e das suas comunidades. Estas orientações provisórias destinam-se a ser usadas por: gestores de comunicação dos riscos e da saúde e pelo pessoal e voluntários a nível mundial, regional ou nacional; profissionais da comunicação; antropólogos; sociólogos; prestadores de cuidados de saúde; administradores hospitalares; líderes comunitários; directores de programas; e decisores políticos.
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Updated with information on Ebola virus disease and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus
A wide variety of health events ranging in severity may occur related to air transport, requiring different responses or, perhaps, no response at all. The target audience for this guidance document incl...udes the national focal points (NFP) for the IHR and public health authorities at PoE, as well as national aviation regulatory authorities, airport operators and personnel, aircraft operators, air crew and other stakeholders involved in air transport and emergency preparedness and response to public health events
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Orientaciones provisionales para los dispensadoresde atención de la salud. En el presente documento se ofrecen orientaciones a los dispensadores de atención de la salud (por ejemplo, médicos y enfermeros) sobre el modo de brindar, principalmente a las mujeres infectadas por el virus ...de Zika durante el embarazo y a sus familiares, una respuesta de apoyo que satisfaga sus necesidades psicosociales y de salud mental.
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Teil II beschreibt den wissenschaftlichen Sachstand zur Inflünzapandemieplanung und Inflünzapandemiebewältigung. Hierbei wird das RKI bei der Bewertung der wissenschaftlichen Informationen durch den Expertenbeirat Inflünza beraten. Der wissenschaftliche Teil dient als fachliche Grundlage... für Entscheidungen über Massnahmen zur Vorbereitung auf den Pandemiefall sowie Massnahmen im konkreten Pandemiefall.
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IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 21.8 MILLION (US$30 MILLION EQUIVALENT) WITH AN ADDITIONAL GRANT FROM THE GLOBAL FINANCING FACILITY (GFF) IN THE AMOUNT OF US$ 10 MILLION TO THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO FOR A HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING PROJECT
Naicker et al. BMC Palliative Care (2016) 15:41 DOI 10.1186/s12904-016-0114-7