This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers, and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for yellow fever outbreaks. The toolkit conta...ins: information about yellow fever; RCCE considerations for how to approach key issues during yellow fever outbreaks; tools for understanding the context in which yellow fever outbreaks occur; methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into planning and implementation of activities; guidance to support vector control and immunization campaigns; and links to existing RCCE tools and training. It is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas.
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On 4 September 2025, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Kasai Province, following confirmation of Zaire ebolavirus by the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Bulape and Mweka Health Zones. As of 19... September, there have been 48 total cases (38 confirmed, 10 probable) with 31 deaths (21 confirmed, 10 probable) and a CFR of 64.5%. Among laboratory confirmed cases, 16 deaths were recorded (CFR: 45.7%). Four deaths occurred among health workers, underscoring the risk of nosocomial transmission. Most cases (39.7%) are among adults aged 20 years and above, in a densely populated, remote, and under-resourced area.
The outbreak is driven by multiple risk factors, including transmission in health facilities with limited infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and personal protective equipment (PPE), incomplete contact tracing, delayed detection, and unsafe burial practices. High population mobility between Bulape and Tshikapa, reliance on traditional healers, and the concurrent mpox outbreak are further straining the fragile health system and increasing the risk of geographic spread.
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The document outlines comprehensive guidelines for managing cholera outbreaks in South Africa, focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and public health measures. It emphasizes the importance of rehydration therapy, sanitation, clean water access, and community involvement to control the sprea...d of the disease. It also provides protocols for handling outbreaks, including case identification, laboratory confirmation, and multi-sectoral coordination to reduce morbidity and mortality rates.
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Coordinated Use of Anthelminthic Drugs in Control Interventions: a Manual for Health Professionals and Programme Managers
Malaria Journal (2018) 17:460 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2606-9
In malaria endemic countries, asymptomatic cases constitute an important reservoir of infections sustaining transmission. Estimating the burden of the asymptomatic population and identifying areas with elevated risk is import...ant for malaria control in Burkina Faso.
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PQM conducted an assessment of the medicine quality assurance and quality control systems in Rwanda during November 9-13, 2009. Medicine quality assurance remains to be developed in Rwanda: the country has neither a medicine regulatory authority (MRA) nor a national medicine quality control laborato...ry – the two key institutions to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines. The MOH Pharmacy Taskforce (PTF) is to be commended however for successfully controlling the pharmaceutical market to the extent that there is no informal medicines market in Rwanda. Based on its findings, the assessment team expects Rwanda to be able to make great strides in evidence-based medicines quality assurance in the short to medium term, provided it receives adequate technical assistance and financial support.
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing worldwide public health problem with
important implications for the European Union (EU). When antibiotics become
ineffective, bacterial infections lead to increased morbidity, use of healthcare,
mortality and cost. Globally, estimates suggest that ...AMR leads to 700 000 deaths
per annum. For the EU, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
(ECDC) has estimated that AMR currently causes 25 000 deaths annually and losses of
at least EUR 1.5 billion per annum in extra healthcare costs and productivity.
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Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2018, 3, 72;
The study identified some key determinants of untimely and incomplete childhood vaccinations in the context of Bangladesh. The findings will contribute to the improvement of age-specific vaccination and support policy makers in taking the necessary control ...strategies with respect to delayed and early vaccination in Bangladesh.
https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed3030072
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Timely detection of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection cases is crucial to interrupt the spread of this virus. We assessed the required expertise and capacity for molecular detection of 2019-nCoV in specialised laboratories in 30 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. Thirty-...eight laboratories in 24 EU/EEA countries had diagnostic tests available by 29 January 2020. A coverage of all EU/EEA countries was expected by mid-February. Availability of primers/probes, positive controls and personnel were main implementation barriers.
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This core package of materials provides a comprehensive introduction to the FAST strategy: a focused approach to stopping TB spread in congregate settings. This core package is composed of a booklet, job aids, posters, and a button which serves as a visual reminder to staff and patients of the impor...tance of this strategy in TB control. FAST can be implemented in both general and TB specific medical settings. Download the complete package from the website https://drtbnetwork.org/fast-tb-infection-control-strategy-core-package
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Parasites & Vectors volume 11, Article number: 264 (2018)
Dengue creates a staggering epidemiological and economic burden for endemic countries. Without a specific therapy and with a commercial vaccine that presents some problems relative to its full effectiveness, initiatives to improve vector... control strategies, early disease diagnostics and the development of vaccines and antiviral drugs are priorities. In this study, we present the probable origins of dengue in America and the trajectories of its spread. Overall, dengue diagnostics are costly, making the monitoring of dengue epidemiology more difficult and affecting physicians’ therapeutic decisions regarding dengue patients, especially in developing countries. This review also highlights some recent and important findings regarding dengue in Brazil and the Americas. We also summarize the existing DENV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests to provide an improved reference since these tests are useful and accurate at discriminating DENV from other flaviviruses that co-circulate in the Americas. Additionally, these DENV PCR assays ensure virus serotyping, enabling epidemiologic monitoring.
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Women, the elderly, adolescents, youth, and children,
persons with disabilities, indigenous populations, refugees,
migrants, and minorities experience the highest degree
of socio-economic marginalization. Marginalized people
become even more vulnerable in emergencies.1 This is due
to factors su...ch as their lack of access to effective surveillance
and early-warning systems, and health services. The
COVID-19 outbreak is predicted to have significant impacts
on various sectors.
The populations most at risk are those that:
• depend heavily on the informal economy;
• occupy areas prone to shocks;
• have inadequate access to social services or political
influence;
• have limited capacities and opportunities to cope and
adapt and;
• limited or no access to technologies.
By understanding these issues, we can support the capacity
of vulnerable populations in emergencies. We can give
them priority assistance, and engage them in decision-making
processes for response, recovery, preparedness, and
risk reduction.
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SARS-CoV-2 infections among children and adolescents cause less severe illness and fewer deaths compared to adults. While a less severe course of infection is a positive outcome, there are concerns that mild symptoms may have led to less testing, resulting in fewer identified cases of COVID-19 in ch...ildren. If children with mild or no symptoms transmit the disease, they may act as drivers of transmission within their communities. Understanding symptoms, infectivity and patterns of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in children and adolescents is essential for developing, adapting and improving control measures for COVID-19 across all ages. This is a summary of the current knowledge around SARS-CoV-2 infection acquisition and transmission and COVID-19 disease symptoms in children and adolescents. It aims to inform decisions, based on local contexts, on how to best keep schools, kindergarten and day-care facilities open and what advice to apply to intergenerational mixing.
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The COTS Cholera Outbreak Training and Shigellosis Program Pocket Card provides essential guidelines for health promotion workers to prevent and manage cholera and shigellosis outbreaks. It emphasizes proper sanitation, hygiene practices, safe water handling, and food safety as the primary methods f...or disease control. Key recommendations include handwashing, disinfecting water with chlorine, using latrines, and ensuring safe food preparation. The document also outlines hospital policies, waste disposal procedures, and safety measures for healthcare workers dealing with diarrheal diseases. Additionally, it provides dehydration assessment guidelines, treatment protocols using Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) and IV fluids, and appropriate antibiotic treatments for both cholera and shigellosis. The goal is to equip healthcare workers with quick-reference tools to effectively contain outbreaks and prevent further transmission.
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The Government of Malawi’s Health Sector Strategic Plan II highlights the importance of service integration; however, in practice, this has not been fully realized. We conducted a mixed methods evaluation of efforts to systematically implement integrated family planning and immunization services i...n all health facilities and associated community sites in Ntchisi and Dowa districts during June 2016–September 2017. Methods included secondary analysis of service statistics (pre- and postintervention), focus group discussions with mothers and fathers of children under age one, and in-depth interviews with service providers, supervisors, and managers. Results indicate statistically significant increases in family planning users and shifts in use of family planning services from health facilities to community sites. The intervention had no effect on immunization doses administered or dropout rates. According to mothers and fathers, benefits of service integration included time savings, convenience, and improved understanding of services. Provision and use of integrated services were affected by availability of human resources and commodities, community linkages, data collection procedures and availability, sociocultural barriers, organization of services, and supervision and commitment of health surveillance assistants. The integration approach was perceived to be feasible and beneficial by clients and providers.
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To save the lives of mothers and their babies, mitigate complications, and limit the spread of disease, it is critical that recommendations are made on the prevention, treatment, and surveillance of women who are exposed to EVD, acquire EVD during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or survive EVD with ongo...ing pregnancies. These guidelines are the first to provide such recommendations.
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Many of the countries that faced cholera outbreaks in 2022 were badly affected by extreme weather events.
As the climate emergency worsens, human displacement will intensify, along with droughts and flooding – all
conditions that give rise to cholera outbreaks. Unless we invest in systems that b...uild preparedness and
resilience among at-risk populations, the cholera burden will continue to rise
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The report focuses on antibacterial resistance (ABR) in common bacterial pathogens. There is a major gap in knowledge about the magnitude of this problem. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective revention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, para...sites, viruses and fungi. This WHO report, produced in collaboration with Member States and other partners, provides for the first time, as accurate a picture as is presently possible of the magnitude of AMR and the current state of surveillance globally. It examines the information on AMR, in particular antibacterial resistance (ABR), at country level worldwide.
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PLoS Negl TropDis14(10): e0008837. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008837.
We conducted alandscape analysis on parasitic and vector-borne disease elimination approaches with the aim toidentify evidence-based strategies, core components and key concepts for achieving and sustaining schistosom...iasis control and for progressing elimination efforts towards interruption oftransmission insubSaharan Africa.
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