The manual contains basic principles of prescribing followed by chapters on medicines used in psychotic disorders; depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; generalised anxiety and sleep disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorders and panic attacks; and alcohol and opioid dependence
At the end of 2023, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing the public order. The latest Global Trends report, published in June 2024, provides key statistical trends on forc...ed displacement. It includes the latest official statistics on refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless people, as well as the number of refugees who have returned home
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The increasing amounts of official development assistance (ODA) for health have been aimed primarily at fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Neglected tropical diseases (NTD), one of the most serious public health burdens among the most deprived communities, have only recently drawn the atte...ntion of major donors. While frequently stated, the low share
of funding for NTD control projects has not been calculated empirically. Our analysis of ODA commitments for infectious disease control for the years 2003 to 2007 confirms that Development Assistance Committee (DAC)-countries and multilateral donors have largely ignored funding NTD control projects. On average, only 0.6% of total annual health ODA was dedicated
to the fight against NTDs while the average share of control projects for HIV/AIDS was 36.3%, for malaria 3.6%, and for tuberculosis 2.2%. This allocation of health ODA does not reflect the diseases’ respective health burdens.
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Since the notification of the first two confirmed cases of Vibrio cholerae O1 in the greater Port-au-Prince area on 2 October 2022, to 14 January 2023, the Haitian Ministry of Health (Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population, MSPP per its French acronym), reported a total of 24,232 suspe...cted cases in 10 departments of the country, including 1,742 confirmed cases, 20,505 hospitalized suspected cases, and 483 registered deaths. This represents an increase in the last 7 days of 5% in suspected cases (N=1,188), 11% in confirmed cases (N=166) and 4% in deaths (N=19). As of 14 January 2023, 9 departments have confirmed cases (Artibonite, Centre, Grand-Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud and Sud-Est). To date, the case fatality rate among suspected cases is 2.0%.
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This drill package is part of a broader COVID-19 simulation exercise package, including vaccine tabletop exercises(TTX). For exercises to be most effective, it is recommended they should be part of a comprehensive programme made up of progressively complex exercises, each exercise ... building on the previous one until they are as close to reality as possible
Available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese
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This guide is part of a five-part Caregiver skills training for families of children with developmental delays or disabilities (CST) package providing guidance on caregiver skills training for families of children aged 2–9 years with developmental delays or disabilities.
This guide for facilita...tors provides information for leading the three home visits. It is a reference manual to be used in conjunction with specific training in caregiver skills training and under supervision. The guide includes detailed descriptions of the objectives and activities for each home visit. Goal setting information and forms are also included, along with information for trouble shooting and problem solving.
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A comprehensive compilation is provided of the medicinal plants of the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar (formerly Burma). This contribution, containing 123 families, 367 genera, and 472 species, was compiled from earlier treatments, monographs, books, and pamphlets, with some medicinal uses and pr...eparations translated from Burmese to English. The entry for each species includes the Latin binomial, author(s), common Myanmar and English names, range, medicinal uses and preparations, and additional notes. Of the 472 species, 63 or 13% of them have been assessed for conservation status and are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2017). Two species are listed as Extinct in the Wild, four as Threatened (two Endangered, two Vulnerable), two as Near Threatened, 48 Least Concerned, and seven Data Deficient. Botanic gardens worldwide hold 444 species (94%) within their living collections, while 28 species (6%) are not found any botanic garden. Preserving the traditional knowledge of Myanmar healers contributes to Target 13 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
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Slavery on fishing vessels, degradation of ecosystems, overfishing, debt bondage, human trafficking and child labour in peeling sheds – the scandals surrounding the Thai fishery and shrimp industries have garnered international censure. Farmed and processed at the cost of extreme exploitation of b...oth people and the planet, Thai shrimp ends up on plates around the world. The former delicacy can now be bought cheaply everywhere. But how high is the price really? And who has to pay it?
This report by seeks to remind governments in the countries of production that it is their duty to enforce human rights and living wages, rather than to compete for the favour of large companies to the detriment of people and the environment. It also appeals to consumers and their governments – and to importers – to send a clear message to suppliers in Thailand and elsewhere: If you want to survive on the global market, you need to respect human rights and child rights, and uphold social and environmental standards.
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Lesotho’s predominantly rural population faces significant health challenges within a setting of inadequate human resources for health. It is essential that nurses and nurse-midwives, who together make up the largest health workforce in the country, be adequately prepared to address Lesotho’s He...alth Priorities according to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in the settings where they work. Under the HRAA project, Jhpiego conducted a task analysis study to obtain data on job duties or tasks performed by these cadres, as well as information about how often the tasks are performed, if and where tasks were learned, and the self-perceived level of competence in performing the tasks.
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The standard operating procedures (SOP) for referral care cover all the refugee populations living in Lebanon. These SOPs outline the policies and procedures for referral care in Lebanon, including the limits in health assistance that can be provided.
These country reports provide information on the legal situation for displaced populations, namely asylum seekers, refugees, and returnees, where relevant, regarding access to mobile services, in each country covered
Since the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978, community health volunteers (CHVs) have been at the forefront, providing health services, especially to underserved communities, in low-income countries. However, consolidation of CHVs position within formal health systems has proved to be complex and continue...s to challenge countries, as they devise strategies to strengthen primary healthcare. Malawi’s community health strategy, launched in 2017, is a novel attempt to harmonise the multiple health
service structures at the community level and strengthen service delivery through a team-based approach. The core community health team (CHT) consists of health surveillance assistants (HSAs), clinicians, environmental health officers and CHVs. This paper reviews Malawi’s strategy, with particular focus on the interface between HSAs, volunteers in community-based programmes and
the community health team. Our analysis identified key challenges that may impede the strategy’s implementation:
(1) inadequate training, imbalance of skill sets within CHTs and unclear job descriptions for CHVs; (2) proposed community-level interventions require expansion of pre-existing roles for most CHT members; and (3) district authorities may face challenges meeting financial obligations and filling community-level positions. For effective implementation, attention and further deliberation is needed on the appropriate forms of CHV support, CHT composition with possibilities of co-opting trained CHVs
from existing volunteer programmes into CHTs, review of CHT competencies and workload, strengthening coordination and communication across all community actors, and financing mechanisms. Policy support through the development of an addendum to the strategy, outlining opportunities for task-shifting between CHT members, CHVs’ expected duties and interactions with paid CHT personnel is recommended.
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HIV testing programmes need to ensure that all clients who test for HIV are provided with correct diagnoses. The accuracy of HIV testing is critical to prevent misdiagnosis, as the consequences of giving an incorrect test result can be serious for clients, HIV testing services, HIV programmes and pu...blic health.
With the evolution of global HIV epidemiology, HIV testing approaches must also evolve to maintain accuracy and efficiency in population-level diagnosis. Reports suggest that misdiagnosis of HIV status may occur when suboptimal testing algorithms and out-of-date testing strategies are used. As a result of changing epidemiology and declining HIV positivity in testing, WHO recommends all countries use a standard three-test strategy to ensure a PPV of at least 99%, minimizing false-positive misdiagnosis. The WHO-recommended HIV testing strategy, along with quality assurance measures such as retesting to verify a positive diagnosis prior to initiation of HIV treatment, is cost-effective as it prevents misdiagnosis and unnecessary initiation of costly lifelong treatment.
This implementation guide provides practical advice on switching to a three-test strategy and instituting other measures that can help national HIV programmes deliver high-quality, accurate HIV testing services and ensure that misdiagnosis is minimized.
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In Deutschland leben ca. 200.000 Geflüchtete in Aufnahmeeinrichtungen und Gemeinschaftsunterkünften (Stand:31.12.2018). Massnahmen der physischen Distanzierung sind in der Sammelunterbringung für Geflüchtete meist nicht oder nur bedingt umsetzbar: Beengte Verhältnisse, Mehrbettzimmer und gemein...schaftliche Nutzung von Küchen und Sanitäranlagen stellen Kontexte dar, die eine Ausbreitung von Infektionserkrankungen begünstigen. Zunehmend werden in diesen Settings Infektionen mit dem neuartigen Coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) bekannt. Die Ansätze zu Prävention und Management von SARS‐CoV‐2 sind regional unterschiedlich, Vorgaben fehlen bisher auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene. So werden vielerorts Aufnahmeeinrichtungen und Gemeinschaftsunterkünfte beim Auftreten einer SARS‐CoV‐2‐Infektion unter Geflüchteten kollektiv unter Quarantäne gestellt.
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Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease that typically results from the injection of a mixture of different toxins (“venom”) following the bite of a venomous snake. Envenoming can also be caused by venom being sprayed into a person’s eyes by certain species of snakes tha...t have the ability to spit venom as a defence measure. Not all snakebites result in envenoming: some snakes are non-venomous and venomous snakes do not always inject venom during a bite. About 50–55% of all snakebites result in envenoming. Snake venoms are complex mixtures of protein and peptide toxins, varying from one species to another, and even within species. The toxins in snake venoms are evolutionarily adapted to interact with a large variety of cellular targets in the organisms exposed to them. In humans and animals, snakebite envenoming affects multiple organ systems (depending on the particular species of snake and the classes of toxins present in the venom) and can cause, among other things: haemorrhage and prolonged disruption of haemostasis, neuromuscular paralysis, tissue necrosis, myolysis (muscle degeneration), cardiotoxicity, acute kidney injury, thrombosis and hypovolaemic shock.
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WHO commissioned a survey, carried out in September/October 2015, among some 10 000 members of the public in 12 countries (2 per WHO Region: Barbados, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan and Viet Nam) on their use of antibiotics, knowl...edge of antibiotics and of antibiotic resistance. While not claiming to be exhaustive, this and other surveys will help WHO and partners to ensure efforts are focused on tackling some of the biggest gaps in understanding and the most prevalent misconceptions
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Since late August 2022, cases of severe acute watery diarrhoea have been increasingly reported across Syria, concentrated
particularly along the Euphrates river. These were later confirmed to be cholera cases.3 Cholera is a disease caused by
bacteria that can be found in faeces, and spreads throug...h people consuming contaminated water or food. It causes severe
watery diarrhoea and vomiting which lead to dehydration. If treated immediately, less than 1% of cases result in patients
dying. However, if timely treatment is not available, cholera can lead to death within hours in 25 to 50% of cases. The
situation is critical in Syria as the local population is facing a severe water crisis due to drought, falling groundwater levels,
reduced flow in the Euphrates River, and reduced functionality of Alouk water station. REACH has been monitoring
developments in Northeast Syria through regular data collection cycles, remote sensing data, and rapid needs assessments
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Mobile vaccination teams visiting long-term care homes will have an important role in providing vaccination coverage for some of the most vulnerable population sub-groups. However, based on the experiences of German mobile diagnostic teams during the first COVID-19 pandemic w...ave, the deployment of mobile vaccination teams to care homes for older adults and people with disabilities is expected to raise various ethical challenges.
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Today, the world is facing a learning crisis: While millions of children have entered education systems for the first time, many of them cannot read, write or do basic mathematics, even after several years of primary school.1 This global learning crisis has its roots in children’s earliest years, ...when failure to invest in quality early childhood education (ECE)results in children starting school already behind in a host of critical skills they need to succeed in primary school.2Investing in the foundations of learning during the child’s early years benefits children,3 families, education systems and societies at large.4 Participation in quality ECE sets in motion a positive learning cycle and is a proven strategy to address the global learning crisis at its roots by closing early learning gaps, strengthening the efficiency of education systems and providing a solid foundation for human capital development and economic grow
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WHO recommends interpersonal therapy (IPT) as a possible first line treatment for depression. With this new manual, the World Health Organization (WHO) gives guidance on the use of interpersonal therapy (IPT) using a 8 session group protocol. The manual - which is part of WHO’s mhGAP programme - d...escribes IPT in a simplified format for use by supervised facilitators who may not have received previous training in mental health.
Available in Swahili and Farsi
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