Mosquitoes, flies, bugs and other vectors transmit viruses, parasites and bacteria that infect millions of people globally. They cause many diseases, including malaria, dengue, leishmaniases, Chagas disease and Zika virus disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a new strategy to... strengthen vector control worldwide. Member States welcomed this integrated approach at the 2017 World Health Assembly and adopted a resolution to support the strategy.
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Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease. It can spread to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. In the United States, rabies is mostly found in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. However, in many other countries dogs still carry rabies, and most... rabies deaths in people around the world are caused by dog bites.
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Chagas disease is currently endemic and also predicted to be at increased transmission risk under future climate change scenarios. Similarly, an expansion of areas in the United States at increased risk for Chagas disease transmission is also expected over the next several decades under climate chan...ge scenarios. Of particular interest is the predicted northern shift of triatomine species to central regions of the United States with historically unsuitable climates for T. cruzi vectors. The weight of evidence regarding the influences climate change may pose on T. cruzi vector species distributions demonstrates the sensitivity of Chagas disease transmission to future climate variability. In order to advance forecasts for the impact climate change may have on Chagas disease transmission in the Americas, it is imperative to
further develop, utilize, and perhaps combine predictive species distribution modeling approaches that integrate accurate, long term data on climate variables, vector species distributions, Chagas disease incidence, as well as other socio-ecological variables.
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Biosafety and Biosecurity Initiative was launched by the Africa CDC in April 2019 with the aim of strengthening the African Union (AU) Member States’ biosafety and biosecurity systems and enabling them to comply with national and i...nternational requirements for biosafety and biosecurity including the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 and the multi-country Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The World Health Organization (WHO) Joint External Evaluation (JEE) and the Global Health Security Index report confirmed the known capacity gaps in biosafety and biosecurity among Africa Union Member (AU).
The regional consultations by Africa CDC conducted between 2019-2021 highlighted the deficiency or limited availability of standardized and regionally recognized training programs in the continent, limiting biosafety and biosecurity capacity building efforts in the region. In response, Africa CDC working with AU Member States developed a home grown, implementable and accessible professional training and certification program that is both recognized and endorsed by AU Member States. The Regional Training and Certification Program for Biosafety and Biosecurity Professionals, for African Biosafety and Biosecurity Professionals (RTCP-BBP) has four (4) areas of specialization, namely
Selection, Installation, Maintenance and Certification of Biological Safety Cabinets
Biorisk Management
Design and Maintenance of Facilities Handling High Risk Pathogens (Biocontainment Engineering)
Biological Waste management
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Biosafety and Biosecurity Initiative was launched by the Africa CDC in April 2019 with the aim of strengthening the African Union (AU) Member States’ biosafety and biosecurity systems and enabling them to comply with national and i...nternational requirements for biosafety and biosecurity including the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 and the multi-country Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The World Health Organization (WHO) Joint External Evaluation (JEE) and the Global Health Security Index report confirmed the known capacity gaps in biosafety and biosecurity among Africa Union Member (AU).
The regional consultations by Africa CDC conducted between 2019-2021 highlighted the deficiency or limited availability of standardized and regionally recognized training programs in the continent, limiting biosafety and biosecurity capacity building efforts in the region. In response, Africa CDC working with AU Member States developed a home grown, implementable and accessible professional training and certification program that is both recognized and endorsed by AU Member States. The Regional Training and Certification Program for Biosafety and Biosecurity Professionals, for African Biosafety and Biosecurity Professionals (RTCP-BBP) has four (4) areas of specialization, namely
- Selection, Installation, Maintenance and Certification of Biological Safety Cabinets
- Biorisk Management
- Design and Maintenance of Facilities Handling High Risk Pathogens (Biocontainment Engineering)
- Biological Waste management
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The biennium 2020–2021 has revealed more clearly than ever the need for a strong, credible and independent WHO on the world stage. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has demonstrated the fundamental importance of the global detection, response and coordination roles that only WHO can play a...cross all Member States. At the same time, the challenges to global health systems and the pressure to ensure equal access to quality health care and the best health possible for all have mounted. The triple billion targets of the Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019–2023 remain relevant. The work of WHO in all contexts has never been more critical. However, as several Member States have pointed out, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the discrepancy between what the world expects of WHO and what it is able to deliver with the resources/capacity it has at its disposal. Sustainable financing is thus a key challenge for the Organization that must be addressed as part of the lessons learned from the current COVID-19 pandemic. Member States discussed this issue in detail during the Seventy-third World Health Assembly and their conclusions were reflected in resolution WHA73.1 (2020). The topic of adequate funding is not new. However, discussions on the matter have, to date, remained rather abstract. Building on previous discussions and taking account of lessons learned, the WHO Secretariat would like to initiate a process aimed at finding a concrete solution to the sustainable financing of WHO. This document proposes a process through which to arrive at such a decision, including the key stages and timeline.
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The Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly through a decision on sustainable financing, adopted the recommendations of the Member States Working Group on Sustainable Financing, contained in Appendix 2 of the Working Group’s report to the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly. As part of the recommendat...ions, the Secretariat was requested to “explore the feasibility of a replenishment mechanism to broaden further the financing base, in consultation with Member States and taking into consideration the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors; and to present a report that includes relevant options for Member States to consider, to the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly, through the 152nd session of the Executive Board and the thirty-seventh meeting of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee in January 2023” (paragraph 39(f) of Appendix 2 of the Working Group’s report). In response to this request, the Secretariat reviewed the feasibility of a WHO replenishment mechanism in line with the principles set out by the Working Group on Sustainable Financing. It consulted with Member States through the work of the Agile Member States Task Group on strengthening WHO’s budgetary, programmatic and financing governance and benchmarked a set of replenishment mechanisms within and beyond the global health arena. This report outlines the Secretariat’s review and proposals on key elements of a potential WHO replenishment mechanism.
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As of 21 September, the diphtheria oubreak has resulted in a total of 453 deaths recorded among all confirmed cases (Case Fatality Rate/ CFR: 6.3%). A total of 11,587 suspected and 7,202 confirmed cases have been reported with 99 local government areas (LGAs) affected across 18 states. Event has be...en categorized as Grade 2 Emergency, requiring moderate 3 level coordinated support to the Government Response.
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Cardiovascular diseases are the world’s leading cause of disability and death. Such diseases were responsible in 2019 for an estimated 18.6 million deaths globally and 957,000 deaths in the United States.
The pathway to strengthen multisectoral collaboration at the human-animal-environmental interface (HAI) aims to improve health security through One Health implementation. It outlines strategic guides and tools developed to support Member States through different steps of the HAI pathway.
The 2019-2023 Strategy for UNU-IIGH, developed in
2018, built on UNU-IIGH’s strategic advantage and
position vis-à-vis the UN and global health ecosystem.
The Strategy set a goal to advance evidencebased policy on key issues related to sustainable
development and health and shifted the Instit...ute’s
body of work from investigator-driven global health
projects to three priority-driven, policy-relevant pillars
of work, each reflecting UNU-IIGH’s unique value
position.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the
Institute adapted and reprioritised its areas of work
while continuing to deliver on the main strategic
objectives of translating evidence to policy, generating
policy-relevant analyses on gender and health, and
strengthening capacity for local decision making
especially in the Global South.
The new strategic plan encompasses four work packages:
1. Gender Equality and Intersectionality: through this work, we will aim to improve the quality of health care through a human-centred approach, by ensuring the health system is responsive to the needs of structurally excluded individuals and communities; and by advancing a positive and enabling environment for the frontline health workforce—e.g. addressing the experience of gender-based violence.
2. Power and Accountability: through this work, we will catalyse equitable shifts in power and address key accountability deficits that prevent the equitable and effective functioning of the global health system and prevent adequate responsiveness to the needs of states and populations in the Global South.
3. Digital Health Governance: through this work, we will address the colonial legacies and power asymmetries that negatively impact robust digital health governance, identify ways to strengthen health data governance with a particular focus on SRHR and promote diversity in technology design and development.
4. Climate Justice and Determinants of Health: through this work we will leverage UNU-IIGH's position within the UN and network of UNU institutes, network experts, practitioners, policy-makers, and academics to advance evidence-based policy on the different dimensions of the climate emergency and its impact on health.
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Even before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it was apparent that the world’s
directing and coordinating authority on international health work needed sustainable financing in order for Member States to address the evolving global health threats, ranging from those rooted in climate c...hange and social and financial conditions to emerging infectious diseases
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This report represents the WHO-supported NTDs program activities and key performances in 2023. It is categorized into three sections: The first section states on the disease targeted for eradication (Guinea worm disease); the second section is on the
Preventive Chemotherapy (PC)-NTDs (Trachoma, ...Schistosomiasis, Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis, Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis) and the third section is focused on the case management NTDs (Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, Human African
Trypanosomiasis, Noma and other skin NTDs).
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Diabetes is the improper regulation of blood sugar in the body. Though it has multiple types, the general consensus states that the body has too much blood sugar. Too much blood sugar in the body can be damaging to the body and lead to multiple other diseases or death.
Welcome to the Global Information System on Resources for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders. These pages present data collected from WHO Member States in broad categories: governance, policy and financing, service organization and delivery, human resources and national informat...ion systems. The latest data were collected in 2014 with the WHO Global Survey on Resources for Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders (ATLAS-SU survey). The global information system presents all available data to monitor the progress in advancing treatment coverage for substance use disorders (health target 3.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030)
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed this report to monitor progress and identify areas for action in the implementation of sodium reduction policies and other measures within Member States and across WHO regions and World Bank income groups. For the first time, a Sodium Country Score f...rom 1 (the lowest level) to 4 (the highest level) is allocated to each Member State based on the level of implementation of sodium reduction policies and other measures. The Sodium Country Score is used to estimate the impact of policy progress on population dietary sodium intake and cardiovascular disease.
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Social protection, a component of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s End TB strategy, has been upheld by Member States as an essential part of the response to tuberculosis in several political declarations, including the 2017 Moscow Declaration to End TB, and both the political declarations of ...both the 2018 and 2023 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level meetings on the fight against TB. Furthermore, during the 2023 high-level meeting, member states agreed on a new target to ensure that all people with TB have access to a comprehensive package of health and social benefits by 2027.
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The burden of mental health conditions in the Region is high and actions are being taken by WHO to address this issue. These include the PARO Declaration (1) by the health ministers of Member States at the Seventy-fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia on universal access to... people-centred mental health care and services.
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The Noncommunicable Diseases Country Profiles 2018 by the World Health Organization (WHO) provides an in-depth look at the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes across WHO Member States. It includes data on NCD m...ortality, risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption, as well as country-specific responses and health system capacities to manage and prevent NCDs.
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In 2007, the Sixtieth World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA60.13 on control of leishmaniasis, urging Member States, among other actions: to strengthen prevention, active detection and treatment of cases of both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in order to decrease the disease burden; and ...to strengthen the capacity of peripheral health centres to deliver primary and secondary care, so that they provide appropriate affordable diagnosis and treatment and act as sentinel surveillance sites.
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