Just 15 weeks into 2019, more measles outbreaks have been declared in South Sudan than occurred in all of 2018. As of Wednesday, 10 April, there had been 11 active outbreaks and four deaths had been confirmed. Another two deaths are suspected cases of measles. Earlier this year a campaign to vaccina...te children across South Sudan was delayed due to a shortage of vaccines and funding
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Monkeypox Factsheet in English
Hesperian’s fact sheet is one of the first accessible yet comprehensive health resources on Monkeypox. We describe common symptoms of monkeypox, how to prevent its spread, and how it can be treated at home. We also note how the world seems to have learned nothing fr...om COVID about the need for vaccine equity! Translations of this factsheet will soon be available in several languages.
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The main objectives of the SOPs are to: (i) establish standards and timelines for response activities; and (ii) guide national governments and GPEI partners in key support functions.
This new version of the SOPs presents overall response requirements for dealing with type 1, 2 and 3 poliovirus fo...llowing monovalent type 2 oral polio vaccine (mOPV2) cessation. Version 2.4 will be valid until release of revised version 3.0 (anticipated May 2018).
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Second edition. June 2022. This revised guidance recommends that access to COVID-19 testing is decentralized as far as possible and made available at health facilities, and through the use of self tests to enable access to care and the mitigation of transmission. Testing should be prioritized for hi...gh-risk and vulnerable individuals presenting with acute onset of respiratory illness so that those found to be infected can benefit from clinical care and access to COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines
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The goal of the study was to assess the feasibility of the COVID-19 measures and their resultant impact on Persons with Disabilities in Malawi.
Specifically, the study addressed the following objectives:
a) To evaluate Government’s response to COVID-19 following the adoption of the new measures... of COVID-19 in January 2021 in line with principles and norms of human rights. (This includes establishing the extent to which the new measures have been implemented)
b) To assess the extent to which the provision health service delivery specifically access to health for PWDs including vaccine inflammation and facilities.
c) To establish the key COVID-19 related human rights violations during the pandemic period affecting PWDs
d) To assess the extent to which Government (and other nonstate actors) have implemented the recommendations from the preliminary MHRC statement
e) To provide advice and make recommendations to the Executive, Parliament and other stakeholders on how they can improve their response to COVID-19 from a rights perspective with a focus on PWDs.
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This document is intended for countries, foundations, and civil society. It provides a consolidated overview of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, its goals, and the investments that partners have calculated are required to carry out its mission. Emergency responses are dynamic by natur...e. The ACT-Accelerator will regularly adjust its investment needs and update this document as understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology and additional data on the ACT tools become available. For more detailed analysis on the ACT investments for its work in diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, please refer to the costed plans of the relevant ‘pillar’. At the time of publication, the investments required for the Health Systems Connector pillar were still under development.
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For 50 SAM children with medical complications and for a paediatric ward of 10-15 beds for 3 months
The PED/SAM kit is especially designed to provide medicines, renewables and equipment suitable for children and to treat the common childhood illness including severe acute malnutrition with medica...l complications.
This kit does NOT contain any food supplements, TB, HIV medicines or vaccines.
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Since the last situation report on the multi-country outbreak of cholera was published on 6 July 2023 (covering data reported until 15 of June), and as of 15 July 2023, one new outbreak of cholera was reported from India on 15 May 2023. In total, 25 countries have reported cases since the beginning ...of 2023. The WHO African Region remains the most affected region with 14 countries reporting cholera cases since the beginning of the year. The overall capacity to respond to the multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) and cholera supplies, as well as overstretched public health and medical personnel, who are dealing with multiple parallel disease outbreaks and other health emergencies. Based on the large number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, as well as a lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at global level as very high.
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The Ethiopia Multi-Sectorial Cholera Elimination Plan (2022-2028) outlines a national strategy to eliminate cholera in Ethiopia by 2028. The plan follows the Global Roadmap to End Cholera by 2030 and is based on six key pillars: Leadership & Coordination, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Surveill...ance & Reporting, Use of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV), Healthcare System Strengthening, and Community Engagement.
Ethiopia has historically faced recurrent cholera outbreaks due to poor sanitation, unsafe water, and weak health infrastructure. The plan prioritizes high-risk areas (hotspot woredas) and aims to reduce cholera-related mortality by 90% by 2028. It includes efforts to improve WASH conditions, strengthen disease surveillance, enhance rapid response capabilities, expand vaccination campaigns, and integrate cholera control into broader health policies.
The government, in collaboration with international partners such as WHO, UNICEF, and the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC), will implement and monitor the plan. The estimated budget for the initiative is $390 million over eight years. Ethiopia aims to achieve zero cholera transmission in hotspot regions, ensuring sustainable public health improvements.
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In October 2021, the ACT-Accelerator (ACT-A) published its 12-month Strategic Plan and budget for the period October 2021 to September 2022. Building on the investment needs outlined in that document, the ACT-A Facilitation Council Financial and Resource Mobilization Working Group developed this Fin...ancing Framework to clarify sources of financing that could be used to fund the ACT-A budget. Specifically, this Financing Framework seeks to: • Confirm the overall investment required to meet global COVID-19 tools coverage targets for vaccines, tests, treatments and PPE, and how much of that funding would need to be channelled through ACT-A agencies versus through other initiatives and domestic efforts. • Identify the specific sources of financing that could be used to fund ACT-A and other complementary costs associated with the delivery of the global COVID-19 tools coverage targets, for example, donor grants, domestic resources, multilateral development bank instruments (including grants and loans) or a combination of sources. • Appeal to high-income countries and major upper middle-income countries with a clear and urgent grant financing ask and expectation of fair share voluntary contributions by participants to this ‘ask’ ahead of a potential pledging event in early 2022.
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The key to a lasting world free of all forms of poliovirus lies in rapidly interrupting all remaining endemic transmission of WPV in the endemic areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is the only way to ensure that such strains do not re-emerge globally through international spread. It lays the cor...nerstone for the eventual cessation of all oral polio vaccine use, in order to eliminate the long-term risks associated with variant poliovirus strains, which is the GPEI’s top operational priority. The target for certifying the
world free of all WPV remains end-2026.
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Here you can download different charts about cases by world region, prevalence rates, and progress towards polio eradication and much more.
Polio is an infectious disease that is caused and transmitted by the poliovirus. Most infections do not lead to any symptoms, but—among the unvaccinated—...between 1 in 50 and 1 in 500 infections result in paralysis. For some it leads to death.
At the start of the 20th century, polio was endemic worldwide, with large epidemic outbreaks every year. But with the development of two vaccines in the 1950s, countries began eliminating polio one by one.
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This interactive website provides detailed information on current and past BCG policies and practices for over 180 countries. The Atlas is designed to be a useful resource for clinicians, policymakers and researchers alike, providing information that may be helpful for better interpretation of TB di...agnostics as well as design of new TB vaccines
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Drugs and medical supplies are dispensed at the cutting edge level of the interface between the public health system and the people. Availability or lack of it brings either credit or discredit to the public health system. The primary reason for holding stocks of medicines and medical supplies in a ...proper scientific manner is to ensure continuous and uninterrupted availability to prevent stock-outs, especially of critical items of supply while at the same time ensuring that stocks of medicines do not get expired. An efficient inventory management is a pre-requisite for optimal stock management. It enables the management of health facilities to know the current pattern of consumption of drug trends over a period of time and also variances. The environmental control of the drugs and other medical supplies play an important role to keep the products' efficacy intact. Some medicines and vaccines need special storage temperature, otherwise, there may be wastage. The quality of the medicines can be adversely affected by poor storage, transportation and distribution. Thus, maintaining proper storage condition for health commodities is vital for ensuring their quality. So, by this training, CDMU wants to educate different people dealing with medicines and equip them for the roles they have to perform efficiently so that the wastage does not take place or can be minimized.
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As of 12 December 2022, over 645 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19, with over 6.6 million deaths (4).
The Omicron variant, which emerged in late November 2021, and its subvariants, are now the dominant circulating viruses, contributing to the ongoing surge in several countr...ies (4). Vaccination has substantially reduced case numbers and hospitalizations in many countries,but limitations in global access to vaccines mean that many populations, including those in low- and middle-income countries, remain vulnerable. Even in vaccinated individuals, uncertainties remain about duration of protection and efficacy, and the degree of crossprotection with new variants.
There remains a need for more effective treatment and management for those affected by COVID-19. The pandemic – and the
explosion of both research and misinformation – has highlighted the need for trustworthy, accessible and regularly updated living
guidelines to place emerging findings into context and provide clear recommendations for clinical practice
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Dengue Fever & What You Need to Know, including Pathophysiology, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment. Dengue fever is a viral infection with potentially fatal consequences. In this lesson, we discuss how people are infected with Dengue fever, pathophysiology of the condition, along with phases of infect...ion, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, preventative methods (vaccines, mosquito repellent).
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In 2021 ACT-Accelerator will intensify its drive for equity and scale in the delivery of essential COVID-19 tools, while managing emerging viral risks. To address these major shifts and maintain momentum, ACT-Accelerator has defined four strategic priorities for 2021: Rapidly scale up the delivery o...f at least 2 billion doses of vaccines. Bolster R&D, evaluations & regulatory pathways to optimize products and address variants. Stimulate rapid and effective uptake and use of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and PPE. Ensure a robust pipeline of essential tests, treatments, and PPE.
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Interim guidance. 12 May 2021. The Continuity of essential health services: Facility Assessment Tool can be used by countries to rapidly assess the capacity of health facilities to maintain the provision of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can help to alert the authorities ...and other stakeholders about where service delivery and utilization may require modification and/or investment. This assessment tool covers the following aspects of essential health services:
health workforce (numbers, absences, COVID-19 infections, health workforce management, training and support);
financial management and barriers;
service delivery and utilization (facility closures, changes in service delivery, community communication campaigns, changes in service utilization and catch-up strategies);
IPC capacities (protocols, safety measures, guidelines and the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff);
availability of therapeutics, diagnostics and supplies, and vaccine readiness; and
provision of COVID-19 primary care services.
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As the Americas undergo profound demographic change and there are more persons aged 65 years or older than children younger than 5 years, it is crucial to recognize that national immunization programs must be redesigned to ensure comprehensive protection for individuals across the lifespan. By adopt...ing a life course approach (LCA) to immunization, vaccination programs can be tailored to close immunity gaps at different stages of life. The life course approach foresees the establishment of multiple strategies to reduce missed opportunities for vaccination according to age group. This technical document explains the key concepts of the LCA with a focus on immunization by vaccination, as well as the underlying biological mechanisms that require the application different vaccines at different life stages according to changes to the immune system and in the epidemiological situation of a community.
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Ramped-up cancer services could save 7 million lives over the next decade—and addressing huge service gaps between rich and poor countries is key to success, according to this report.
In 2019, over 90% of high-income countries reported that comprehensive cancer treatment services were available... through the public health system, compared to fewer than 15% of low-income countries, according to WHO.
But poorer countries can make substantial strides with a universal health coverage approach and use of the latest science to meet their particular needs.
The report lays out proven ways to prevent new cancer cases without breaking the bank, including tobacco-control measures and vaccines that protect against common cancers.
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