Zika and dengue viruses remain significant public health threats. These viruses share the same Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquito vectors and geographic distributions but infections cannot be readily distinguished clinically and need to be differentiated from each other, and from other circulating arboviral... and non-arboviral pathogens, using laboratory tests. This document provides guidance on current testing strategies for Zika and dengue virus infections with updates to the previous interim guidance for laboratory testing for ZIKV, addressing pregnant and non-pregnant patients respectively, and incorporates current guidance for dengue virus diagnostic testing. The choice of laboratory assays and interpretation of test results require careful consideration of epidemiology, patient history, and limitations of existing diagnostic tests.
This interim guidance is for use by staff of laboratories testing for Zika and dengue virus infections and for clinical practitioners and public health professionals providing clinical management or surveillance.
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2nd edition .
This Framework applies to the sharing of H5N1 and other influenza viruses with human pandemic potential and the sharing of benefits. This Framework does not apply to seasonal influenza viruses or other non-influenza pathogens or biological substances that may be contained in clinical ...specimens shared under this Framework
This second edition of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework reflects an amendment to Annex 2, Standard Material Transfer Agreement 2, Footnote 1, that was adopted by the Seventy-second World Health Assembly in May 2019.The amendment clarifies that, under certain circumstances, the indirect use of PIP Biological Materials will require the conclusion of an SMTA2. The amendment is in effect from the closure of the Seventy-second World Health Assembly (28 May 2019).
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The COVID-19 vaccine tracker and landscape compiles detailed information of each COVID-19 vaccine candidate in development by closely monitoring their progress through the pipeline.
The COVID-19 vaccine tracker:
Provides summary tables of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in both clinical and pre-...clinical development;
Provides analysis and visualization for several COVID-19 vaccine candidate categories;
Tracks the progress of each vaccine from pre-clinical, Phase 1, Phase 2 through to Phase 3 efficacy studies and including Phase 4 registered as interventional studies;
Provides links to published reports on safety, immunogenicity and efficacy data of the vaccine candidates;
Includes information on key attributes of each vaccine candidate and
Allows users to search for COVID-19 vaccines through various criteria such as vaccine platform, schedule of vaccination, route of administration, developer, trial phase and clinical endpoints.
The database is updated regularly - twice a week (Tuesday and Friday, 17:00 CET).
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Interim guidance, 6 October 2021
Direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins (antigens) in nasal swabs and other respiratory secretions using lateral flow immunoassays (also known as rapid diagnostic tests, RDTs) offers a faster and less expensive method to test for SARS-CoV-2 than the reference ...method, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). This interim guidance offers recommendations on the priority uses of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) in specific populations and settings, including (i) for primary case detection in symptomatic individuals suspected to be infected and asymptomatic individuals at high risk of COVID-19, (ii) for contact tracing, (iii) during outbreak investigations and (iv) to monitor trends of disease incidence in communities. Ag-RDTs meeting minimum performance requirements can be used outside of clinical and laboratory settings, including in communities, by trained operators in accordance with instructions. The guidance additionally provides recommendations on implementation, product selection and storage.
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This article is part two in a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Part one focused on how vaccines work to protect our bodies from disease-carrying germs. This article focuses on the ingredients in a vaccine and the three clinical trial phases. Part three outlines the nex...t part of the vaccine journey: the steps from completing the clinical trial phases through to distribution
Available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian
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o support and guide countries and partners to strengthen a health systems response to address violence against women, WHO has produced several tools, including:
• clinical and policy guidelines;
• implementation handbooks and manuals;
• training curriculum;
• evidence-based polic...y, prevention and intervention strategy packages.
The resource package consolidates these documents to support countries to develop or update their national or subnational guidelines, protocols, standard operating procedures, health provider training materials, and multisectoral action plans to prevent and respond to violence against women.
The resource package is also intended to be used for training and sensitization of policy-makers, advocates, health care providers and managers of services and programmes to address violence against women.
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Detecting breast cancer early improves survival, lowers morbidity and reduces the cost of care. Learn about the major breast cancer early detection strategies in this knowledge summary, including breast cancer education and awareness, and breast self-detection and clinical breast exams (CBE).
21 January 2022
The overall threat posed by Omicron largely depends on four key questions: (i) how transmissible the variant is; (ii) how well vaccines and prior infection protect against infection, transmission, clinical disease and death; (iii) how virulent the variant is compared to other varian...ts; and (iv) how populations understand these dynamics, perceive risk and follow control measures, including public health and social measures (PHSM).
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The Participant’s manual contains summaries of information presented by the trainers, copies of worksheets and checklists for the clinical practice and practical sessions, and exercises that participants will do during the course. One manual should be provided for each participant, using the modul...es selected, for use during the course and can be used as a reference after the course. child feeding counselling. Course facilitators can decide which sessions to cover, depending on the specific learning needs of the health workers in your community.
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Protecting Patients, Supporting Practitioners in Tandem.
HRI Global is an independent health consultancy which specialises in Whole Health System Strengthening in the public and private sector by implementing the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance Programme (12-PCGP) in primary, secondary and tertiary h...ealth facilities/institutions; by working with the management and staff of the institutions and with local and national government. The programme protects patients and supports practitioners in tandem, enabling the facilities to become clinically governed to deliver quality and patient-centered care.
HRI Global is the founder and lead implementer of the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance Programme, which was designed and piloted in Cross River State, Nigeria, in 2004. HRI Global’s home-grown version of Clinical Governance is suitable for low and middle income countries (LMICs) in both government and privately-owned health facilities.
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This document includes the results of a rapid systematic review of current available literature. The information included in this review reflects the evidence as of the date posted in the document. In recognition of the fact that there are numerous ongoing clinical studies, PAHO will periodically up...date this review and corresponding recommendations as new evidence becomes available.
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The overall goal of surveillance, case investigation and contact tracing in this context is to stop human-to-human transmission to control the outbreak. The key objectives of surveillance and case investigation are to rapidly identify cases and clusters in order to provide optimal clinical care; to ...isolate cases to prevent further transmission; to identify, manage and follow up contacts to recognize early signs of infection; to protect frontline health workers; to identify risk groups; and to tailor effective control and prevention measures.
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This document provides interim guidance to countries on testing considerations and strategies for suspect cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children. It is primarily intended for clinical, programmatic, laboratory and diagnostic stakeholders across Member States and national pu...blic health authorities involved in the identification and investigation of cases of severe acute hepatitis in children.
This document is part of a package of guidance for this event, which includes suggested minimum reporting variables and a clinical Case Report Form support Member States with case investigation and reporting.
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This Knowledge and Skills reference guide to support professional desvelopment in diabetes is intendet to help pharmacists with the increasingly necessary competencies they may have to acquire in managing patients with diabetes. There roles range from prevention and acreening to clinical management.... Some barriers and regulations may prevent pharmacists in some countries from performing certain services as outlined in the diabetes handbookor listed in this guide, but the incorporation of pharmacists into multidisciplinary diabetes care teams shouldalways be strongly considered by clinicians and health policymakers. By expanding the full potential of pharmacists in the delivery of diabetes care and associated services, weg et closer to offering optimal health services to patients making sure that no one is left behind.
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The guidance notes describe key actions that policy-makers at national and subnational levels can take in relation to: diagnostic testing for COVID-19, clinical management of COVID-19, meeting targets for vaccination against COVID-19, maintaining infection control measures for COVID-19 in health-car...e settings, building confidence through risk communication and community involvement, and ensuring that all health-care workers are aware of the risks of COVID-19.
This guidance note focuses on the following areas: COVID-19 diagnostic testing, clinical management of COVID-19, achieving COVID-19 vaccination targets, maintaining COVID-19 infection control measures in health-care settings, building confidence through risk communication and community engagement, and managing COVID-19 infodemia. This guidance note focuses on risk communication and community engagement in the context of COVID-19.
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This manual is to assist health care providers and laboratory scientists to diagnose mycobacterium ulcerans disease (Buruli ulcer). The manual aims to achieve a better understanding of the clinical presentation and its diagnosis. The methods described are tailored to various levels of care and avail...able resources to improve the diagnosis and surveillance of the disease.
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This manual is addressed to health care providers dealing with Mycobacterium ulcerans disease (Buruli ulcer). The manual aims to achieve a better understanding of the disease, its clinical presentation and its surgical management. The manual is aimed particularly at district health care providers. A... comprehensive protocol, adapted to each form and stage of the disease, is presented together with comments on the levels of resources and capabilities necessary
to shorten the length of treatment, to prevent complications and to minimize undesired sequelae and thus to obtain the best possible outcome for each patient. Some sections include advice relevant to surgeons (e.g. relating to bone infection). However, the level to which particular comments are intended to apply should be clear from the context.
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The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) is using mass drug administration (MDA) of antifilarial medications to treat filarial infections, prevent disease and interrupt transmission. Almost 500 million people receive these medications each year. Clinical trials have recently shown... that a single dose of a triple-drug combination comprised of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine and albendazole (IDA) is dramatically superior to widely used two-drug combinations for clearing larval filarial parasites from the blood of infected persons. A large mul-
ticenter community study showed that IDA was well-tolerated when it was provided as MDA. IDA was rapidly advanced from clinical trial to policy and implementation; it has the potential to accelerate LF elimination in many endemic countries.
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This video "Buruli Ulcer Disease: Intro to the Module" is part of a multimedia-based module by Richard Phillips, Stephen Sarfo, Emmanuel Adu, Veronica Owusu-Afriyie, and Cary Engleberg (University of Michigan). The Buruli ulcer disease is due to infection by Mycobacterium ulcerans. This programme de...scribes the basic pathophysiology of the disease, the typical clinical presentations, and the management of cases with complicated features. The program should be informative for both medical students and practitioners who wish to increase their knowledge about this serious tropical disease.
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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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