In this guideline, natural ventilation is considered
among one the effective measures to control infections in health care. This guideline provides
a design and operation guide for hospital planners, engineers, architects and infection control
personnel. The recommendations in this guidelin...e followed a systematic
review of the literature on the association of ventilation and disease transmission, as well
as effective natural ventilation solutions for infection control.
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This core package of materials provides a comprehensive introduction to the FAST strategy: a focused approach to stopping TB spread in congregate settings. This core package is composed of a booklet, job aids, posters, and a button which serves as a visual reminder to staff and patients of the impor...tance of this strategy in TB control. FAST can be implemented in both general and TB specific medical settings. Download the complete package from the website https://drtbnetwork.org/fast-tb-infection-control-strategy-core-package
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Supplement Article
Antiretrovirals to Prevent HIV Infection • CID 2015:60 (Suppl 3) • S159 - S160
Las guías para la prevención de Infecciones del Sitio Quirúrgico (ISQ) resumen las medidas basadas en la evidencia que han demostrado disminuir su incidencia y mejorar la calidad asistencial de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía. La última revisión local fue realizada en el año 2009, en el mar...co del consenso intersociedades INE - SADI - ADECI.
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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 9313. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159313. A mixed-methods study, using an online survey and in-depth interviews, was conducted. Participants included Mental Health Focal Points at the Ministries of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) country ...and regional offices, and civil society representatives. Responses were received from 28 countries out of 55 contacted. The implementation level, based on standard guidelines, of MHPSS activities was below 50% in most countries. The most implemented MHPSS activities were establishing coordination groups (57%) and developing MHPSS strategy (45%), while the least implemented activities included implementing the developed MHPSS strategy (32%) and establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms (21%). Key factors that hindered implementing MHPSS activities included lack of political commitment and low prioritisation of mental health during emergencies, as it was seen as a “less important” issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, when more importance was given to infection prevention and control (IPC)
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En la actualidad, las guías basadas en la evidencia constituyen una de las herramientas más útiles para mejorar la salud pública y la práctica clínica. Su finalidad es formular intervenciones con sólidas pruebas de eficacia, evitar riesgos innecesarios, utilizar los recursos de forma eficient...e, disminuir la variabilidad clínica y, en esencia, mejorar la salud y garantizar una atención de calidad, razón de ser de los sistemas y servicios de salud. Las presentes directrices se elaboraron siguiendo la metodología GRADE con el apoyo de un panel de expertos clínicos de distintos países, todos ellos convocados por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Por medio de la respuesta a doce preguntas clave sobre el diagnóstico clínico y el tratamiento del dengue, el chikunguña y el zika, se formulan recomendaciones basadas en evidencia para pacientes pediátricos, jóvenes, adultos, personas mayores y embarazadas expuestos a estas enfermedades o con sospecha o diagnóstico confirmado de infección. La finalidad de las directrices es evitar la progresión a las formas graves y a los eventos mortales que puedan causar. Las recomendaciones están dirigidas a profesionales de la salud, incluidos el personal médico general, residente y especialista; y los profesionales de enfermería, así como a estudiantes de medicina y enfermería, quienes de una u otra forma participan en la atención de pacientes con sospecha de dengue, chikunguña o zika. También se dirige a los administradores de las unidades de salud y a los equipos directivos de los programas nacionales de prevención y control de enfermedades arbovirales, quienes tienen la responsabilidad de facilitar el proceso de aplicación de estas directrices. Esperamos que esta publicación beneficie no solo al personal de salud, que dispondrá de información científica actualizada y de la mejor calidad posible, sino a los menores, los adultos, las embarazadas, las personas mayores y la población en general, quienes recibirán una mejor atención de salud prestada por personal médico debidamente capacitado.
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Leishmaniasis is a major vector-borne disease caused by obligate intramacrophage protozoa of the genus Leishmania, and transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine female sand flies of the genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia, in the old and new worlds, respectively. Among 20 well-recognized Leishmania speci...es known to infect humans, 18 have zoonotic nature, which include agents of visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous forms of the disease, in both the old and new worlds. Currently, leishmaniasis show a wider geographic distribution and increased global incidence. Environmental, demographic and human behaviors contribute to the changing landscape for zoonotic cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. The primary reservoir hosts of Leishmania are sylvatic mammals such as forest rodents, hyraxes and wild canids, and dogs are the most important species among domesticated animals in the epidemiology of this disease. These parasites have two basic life cycle stages: one extracellular stage within the invertebrate host (phlebotomine sand fly), and one intracellular stage within a vertebrate host. Co-infection with HIV intensifies the burden of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis by causing severe forms and more difficult to manage. The disease is endemic to Ethiopia, and the clinical signs are not pathognomic. The visceral form (Kala-azar) may be confused with other similar conditions such as malaria, tropical splenomegaly, schistosomiasis, milliary tuberculosis, and brucellosis. Similarly, cutaneous leishmaniasis should be differentiated from disease like tropical ulcers, impetigo and leprosy. There are several methods of laboratory diagnosis of leishmaniasis, including parasitological, immunological and molecular. Different forms of treatments are available including oral, parenteral, and topical medications such as pentavalent antimonials, liposomal amphotericin B, miltefosine and paromomycin. Methods of control are largely limited to destruction of animal reservoirs, treatment of infected humans, and management of sand fly populations. Development of an effective vaccine against leishmaniasis has been largely unsuccessful and hinders its prevention.
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Principaux faits
D’après les estimations, 6 à 7 millions de personnes dans le monde sont infectées par Trypanosoma cruzi (T. Cruzi), le parasite responsable de la maladie de Chagas. La plupart de ces personnes vivent en Amérique latine.
La transmission à l’être humain se fait principalem...ent, en Amérique latine, par l’intermédiaire d’un insecte appelé triatome, qui peut être porteur de T. cruzi.
Parmi les autres modes de transmission de la maladie de Chagas, figurent : la transmission orale (par voie alimentaire), la transfusion de sang ou de produits sanguins, la transmission mère-enfant (congénitale), la transplantation d’organes et les accidents de laboratoire.
La maladie de Chagas ne touchait auparavant que des zones rurales de la Région des Amériques, et surtout de l’Amérique latine. Ces dernières décennies, toutefois, les mouvements de population ont fait que la plupart des personnes infectées sont des habitants de zones urbaines (urbanisation) et que la maladie s’est propagée à d’autres continents (où T. cruzi se transmet par des voies non vectorielles).
L’infection à T. cruzi est curable si un traitement est instauré rapidement après l’infection.
Chez les personnes infectées de façon chronique, un traitement antiparasitaire peut éventuellement prévenir ou enrayer la progression de la maladie, et éviter sa transmission, notamment de la mère à l’enfant.
Jusqu’à 30 % des personnes infectées de façon chronique présentent des troubles cardiaques, et jusqu’à 10 % d’entre elles souffrent de troubles digestifs et/ou neurologiques, ce qui peut imposer un traitement particulier.
Les principales méthodes de prévention de la maladie de Chagas en Amérique latine sont la lutte antivectorielle ainsi que d’autres stratégies visant à réduire la transmission vectorielle.
Dans le monde entier, le dépistage sanguin joue un rôle crucial dans la prévention de l’infection par transfusion ou transplantation d’organes.
Il est essentiel de détecter et de traiter l’infection chez les femmes et les filles en âge de procréer, ainsi que de soumettre tout nouveau-né et ses frères et sœurs à un dépistage dans le cas où la mère est infectée et n’a jamais reçu de traitement antiparasitaire.
Certains facteurs socio-économiques et environnementaux influent fortement sur la maladie de Chagas, dont la propagation et les différentes dimensions interdépendantes justifient la nécessité de mettre en œuvre des stratégies de lutte multisectorielles.
Quelques pays ont mis en place la notification et la surveillance des cas aigus et chroniques et des voies de transmission actives, qui sont essentielles à la lutte contre la maladie de Chagas.
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global human, animal, plant and environment health threat that needs to be addressed by every country. The impacts of AMR are wide-ranging in terms of human health, animal health, food security and safety, environmental effects on ecosystems and biodiversity, and ...socioeconomic development. Just like the climate crisis, AMR poses a significant threat to the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The response to the AMR crisis has been spearheaded through the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance (GAP-AMR), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and formally endorsed by the three organizations’ governing bodies and by the Political Declaration of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on AMR in 2016. In 2022, the three organizations officially became the Quadripartite by welcoming the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into the alliance “to accelerate coordination strategy on human, animal and ecosystem health”.
The aim of the GAP-AMR is to ensure the continuity of successful treatment with effective and safe medicines.
Its strategic objectives include:
• improving the awareness and understanding of AMR;
• strengthening the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research;
• reducing the incidence of infection through effective sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention measures; optimizing the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health; and
• developing the economic case for sustainable investment that takes account of the needs of all countries and increasing investment in new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions.
With the adoption of the GAP-AMR, countries agreed to develop national action plans (NAPs) aligned with the GAP-AMR to mainstream AMR interventions nationally. Individually, the Quadripartite took action to advance AMR interventions in their respective sectors. FAO adopted a resolution on AMR recognizing that it poses an increasingly serious threat to public health and sustainable food production, and developed an AMR action plan to support the resolution’s implementation. For its part, WOAH developed a strategy on AMR aligned with the GAP-AMR, acknowledging the importance of a One Health approach to AMR. Similarly, more recently, UNEP’s governing body, the United Nations Environment Assembly, recognized that AMR is a current and increasing threat and a challenge to global health, food security and the sustainable development of all countries, and welcomed the GAP-AMR and the NAPs developed in accordance with its five overarching strategic objectives
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In 2019, following a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Codex Alimentarius Committee (CAC) approved new work at its 42nd Session on the development of guidelines for the control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in leafy vegetables and in sprouts.
The obje...ctive of the report was to evaluate commodity-specific interventions used at all stages of fresh fruit and vegetable production from primary production to post-harvest activities, transportation, point of sale and consumer use. Emphasis was placed on the identification and evaluation of interventions used throughout the world to reduce microbiological hazards of fresh fruits and vegetables that contribute to the risk of foodborne illnesses, taking into consideration their effectiveness, practicality and suitability.
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WHO today released its first roadmap to tackle postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) – defined as excessive bleeding after childbirth - which affects millions of women annually and is the world’s leading cause of maternal deaths.
Despite being preventable and treatable, PPH results in around 70 000 de...aths every year. For those who survive, it can cause disabilities and psychological trauma that last for years.
“Severe bleeding in childbirth is one of the most common causes of maternal mortality, yet it is highly preventable and treatable,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This new roadmap charts a path forward to a world in which more women have a safe birth and a healthy future with their families.”
The Roadmap aims to help countries address stark differences in survival outcomes from PPH, which reflect major inequities in access to essential health services. Over 85% of deaths from PPH happen in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Risk factors include anaemia, placental abnormalities, and other complications in pregnancy such as infections and pre-eclampsia.
Many risk factors can be managed if there is quality antenatal care, including access to ultrasound, alongside effective monitoring in the hours after birth. If bleeding starts, it also needs to be detected and treated extremely quickly. Too often, however, health facilities lack necessary healthcare workers or resources, including lifesaving commodities such as oxytocin, tranexamic acid or blood for transfusions.
“Addressing postpartum haemorrhage needs a multipronged approach focusing on both prevention and response - preventing risk factors and providing immediate access to treatments when needed - alongside broader efforts to strengthen women’s rights,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, WHO Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HRP, the UN’s special programme on research development and training in human reproduction. “Every woman, no matter where she lives, should have access to timely, high quality maternity care, with trained health workers, essential equipment and shelves stocked with appropriate and effective commodities – this is crucial for treating postpartum bleeding and reducing maternal deaths.”
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At the global, national, and regional levels, there are several guidelines and guides regarding the preparedness, prevention, surveillance, and control of diseases caused by respiratory viruses; most initiatives focus on specific virus events or cases. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ...pandemic, it has been found that even when there are strategies designed and planned for pandemics, it is necessary to strengthen and improve them. Planning for imminent threats, including those posed by respiratory viruses, contributes to strengthening the core capacities of the International Health Regulations (IHR [2005])
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