This document is a guide defining requirements for quality and safety for malaria rapid diagnostic testing services to safeguard the quality of the results, the safety of the operators and patients and that of the environment for use by national malaria control programmes, regulators, implementers a...nd rapid diagnostic providers.
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This new guidance aims to support programme implementers, coordinators and others in humanitarian settings in their actions to counter suicide and self-harm in humanitarian contexts and to save lives.
The Guidelines for the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Leprosy provide state-of-the-art knowledge and evidence on leprosy diagnosis, treatment and prevention based on a public health approach in endemic countries. The target audience of this document includes policy-makers in leprosy or infec...tious diseases in the ministries of health (especially but not limited to endemic countries), nongovernmental organizations, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, donors and affected persons
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2nd edition. These guidelines include several notable changes from the first edition. For cutaneous leishmaniasis, ketoconazole has been removed from the list of treatment options; the number of Leishmania species for which there is strong evidence for the efficacy of miltefosine has increased from ...two to four; and the recommendation for intralesional antimonials is now strong. For mucosal leishmaniasis there is now a strong recommendation for use of pentavalent antimonials with or without oral pentoxifylline. For visceral leishmaniasis, the strong recommendations for use of pentavalent antimonials and amphotericin B deoxycholate are now conditional.
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2nd edition. The purpose of this document is to provide a generic model that can be used for risk assessment of larviciding and mollusciciding; it aims to harmonize the risk assessment of such pesticides for public health use. The assessment considers both adults and children (all age groups) as we...ll as people in the following specific categories:
those handling products and preparing/loading the spray liquid in application equipment;
those applying the spray or other formulations; and
residents who may come into contact with treated waters during washing, bathing, fishing or any other activity, or use the treated waters.
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The approach is in line with two of the five objectives outlined in the Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP): Strategic Objective 2 – Improve the quality of maternal and newborn care; and Strategic Objective 5 – Count every newborn through measurement, programme-tracking and accountability to genera...te data for decision-making and action.
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This template dossier complements and should be used after fulfilling the criteria and preconditions specified in the Process of validation of elimination of kala-azar as a public health problem in South-East Asia. The national kala-azar programme should be in the consolidation phase of elimination;... that is, the annual incidence of kala-azar in the implementation unit is maintained below 1 case (new plus relapse) per 10 000 population for a minimum of 3 consecutive years.
The template is designed to help national kala-azar elimination programmes prepare a dossier documenting the essential evidence supporting the request to the World Health Organization (WHO) to validate the status of kala-azar elimination as a public health problem in their country. The information presented in this document will help independent assessors understand the national programme’s specific context, achievements and relevant epidemiological data.
The dossier should be organized according to the following sections:
- Description of the country context and health system capabilities
- Historical data and delineation of endemic areas
- Surveillance and elimination activities
- Epidemiological data
- Vector control strategy and activities
- Post-validation surveillance plan
Once the dossier is prepared, it should be examined and duly endorsed by the National Task Force on kala-azar elimination and/or neglected tropical diseases, or a similar body, before submission to WHO.
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Any individual that meets the suspected case definition of monkeypox should be offered testing in appropriately equipped laboratories by staff trained in the relevant technical and safety procedures. Confirmation of monkeypox virus infection is based on nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), usi...ng real-time or conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), for detection of unique sequences of viral DNA. PCR can be used alone, or in combination with sequencing. The recommended specimen type for laboratory confirmation of monkeypox is skin lesion material, including swabs of lesion surface and/or exudate, roofs from more than one lesion, or lesion crusts.
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Tuberculosis continues to represent a severe public health problem in the Region of the Americas, even more so in the case of indigenous peoples, whose TB incidence is much higher than that of the general population. To achieve tuberculosis control in these communities, it is necessary to respond t...o communities’ diverse needs from an intercultural perspective that allows the application of a holistic approach—from a standpoint of equality and mutual respect—and considers the value of their cultural practices. In the Region of the Americas, although there has been progress toward recognizing the need for an intercultural approach to health services, obstacles rooted in discrimination, racism, and the exclusion of indigenous peoples and other ethnic groups persist. To respond to this situation, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) prepared this guidance which––based on an intercultural approach in accordance with the priority lines of the current PAHO Policy on Ethnicity and Health and its practical development in the Region’s indigenous populations––represent a support tool for implementing the End TB Strategy. This publication integrates PAHO’s accumulated experience and best practices developed by its Member States in recent years, including discussions and experiences shared in regional meetings on the issue, and emphasizes innovation and social inclusion. This requires an urgent shift away from traditional paradigms, taking specific actions that gradually reduce TB incidence and moving toward effective multisectoral actions that have proven effective in quickly containing the epidemic. This publication integrates PAHO’s accumulated experience and best practices developed by its Member States in recent years, including discussions and experiences shared in regional meetings on the issue, and emphasizes innovation and social inclusion. This requires an urgent shift away from traditional paradigms, taking specific actions that gradually reduce TB incidence and moving toward effective multisectoral actions that have proven effective in quickly containing the epidemic.
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This predominantly qualitative research on disability and development in Myanmar was conducted between August 2011 and February 2012, in three commercial centres of Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi. Stakeholders of service providers, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and families of disabled people were... interviewed in order to discover the needs and challenges that they face. Discoveries were made concerning independent living and adaptive education, vocational training and livelihoods challenges, community-based rehabilitation, organisational and human resource capacity, and information channels, networking and cooperation between organisations.
The study found that PWDS, especially those with intellectually disabilities, need training for independent living, adaptive special education, motor development programs and behaviour modification programs in special institutions. Effective services and programs are necessary in all of these areas of need.
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NSW Disaster Mental Health Handbook 5
The Disaster Mental Health Manual and associated handbooks are intended as a resource for mental health staff who are seeking background information and practical guidance and resources to assist in a disaster mental health response.