The number of new Ebola infections in Sierra Leone is declining, despite the outbreak continuing to claim lives. New cases have dropped to around 9-12 per week, according to recent WHO figures. There were over 500 cases per week at the height of the crisis around late November 2014.
The impact on t...he lives of the thousands of people directly affected by the disease has been devastating. It has caused substantial suffering to many others, leaving the population very vulnerable.
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Multiple pandemics, numerous outbreaks, thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars of national income wiped out—all since the turn of this century, in barely 17 years—and yet the world’s investments in pandemic preparedness and response remain woefully inadequate. We know by now that the ...world will see another pandemic in the not-too-distant future; that random mutations occur often enough in microbes that help them survive and adapt; that new pathogens will inevitably find a way to break through our defenses; and that there is the increased potential for intentional or accidental release of a synthesized agent. Every expert commentary and every analysis in recent years tells us that the costs of inaction are immense. And yet, as
the havoc caused by the last outbreak turns into a fading memory, we become complacent and relegate the case for investing in preparedness on a back burner, only to bring it to the forefront when the next outbreak occurs. The result is that the world remains scarily vulnerable.
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Le document fournit des directives complètes pour la gestion des flambées de choléra, y compris la détection, la confirmation, la réponse, le traitement et la prévention. Il met l'accent sur l'importance de la réhydratation, de l'assainissement de l'eau, de la promotion de l'hygiène et de la... mobilisation communautaire pour limiter la propagation. Ce guide est conçu pour les professionnels de la santé et les autorités publiques afin d'assurer une réponse efficace et coordonnée.
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The WHO Guide on Oral Cholera Vaccines in Mass Immunization Campaigns provides guidance on the planning and implementation of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) campaigns. It covers key aspects such as when and where to use OCVs, vaccine specifications, and recommendations for use in endemic areas, outbreak... settings, and complex emergencies. The document outlines steps for macro- and micro-planning, logistics, budgeting, human resource allocation, and risk communication. It also highlights challenges, including cold chain management, vaccine supply, and community engagement, ensuring that vaccination campaigns are efficient and effective in reducing cholera outbreaks.
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The technical note by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) discusses the use of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCVs) for international workers and travelers in cholera-affected areas. It reviews the effectiveness of WHO-prequalified vaccines (Dukoral®, Shanchol™, and Euvichol®), emphasizing ...their role in preventing infection and reducing transmission risks.
The document highlights concerns about travelers contracting cholera in endemic regions and potentially spreading the disease upon returning home. While the overall risk is considered low, certain groups, such as humanitarian workers and travelers to high-risk areas like South Asia, face a higher exposure.
Recommendations include vaccination for emergency and relief workers who may come into direct contact with cholera patients or contaminated environments. However, routine vaccination for general travelers is not widely recommended. The note also calls for better surveillance and studies to assess the potential of vaccines in preventing international transmission.
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In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, constituted a pandemic, given the speed and scale of its transmission. The Region of the Americas is characterized by its rich multi-ethnic and multicultural heritage. ...Nonetheless, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and other ethnic groups are often subject to discrimination and exclusion, resulting in health inequities. COVID-19 may have a greater impact on certain populations, such as indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants.
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19 March 2020
Technical documentation
The purpose of this document is to offer guidance to Member States on quarantine measures for individuals in the context of COVID-19. It is intended for those responsible for establishing local or national policy for quarantine of individuals, and adherence ...to infection prevention and control measures.
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Summary of research into the consequences of the Ebola outbreak for children and communities in Liberia and Sierra Leone
Namibia recorded its first COVID-19 case on 14 March 2020, with cumulative cases reaching 15,773 and 118 deaths by 10 December 2020. Namibia has done relatively well to contain the outbreak.
However, positivity rates have shown a consistent increase above 5 percent in quarter 4 of 2020, necessitati...ng renewed attention to surveillance and outbreak control in 2021.
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Quality clinical care is at the heart of a robust, effective response to outbreaks. Frontline health workers need evidence-based tools and training to provide safe, effective and quality clinical care.
The Clinical Management channel includes videos on a range of diseases, such as Ebola, diphther...ia and influenza. The channel also hosts a full course series on COVID-19 which covers a holistic pathway of care of a patient, from screening and triage to rehabilitation and palliative care.
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The decontamination of instruments and medical devices plays a very important role in the prevention of health care-associated infections (HAIs). Indeed, improper decontamination of surgical instruments, endoscopic devices, respiratory care devices and reusable haemodialysis devices still occurs in ...many settings, leading to HAIs. This course is based on the WHO manual on decontamination and reprocessing of medical devices for health care facilities, as well as in collaboration with the US CDC.
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Establishing a community-based disease surveillance system is key step to improving the early detection and assessment of outbreaks
Practical guidance on immunization services and the risks they present for both Ebola affected and non-affected countries. The specific purpose of this document is to assist countries to:
- Maintain immunization services and use immunization contacts and surveillance system as opportunities to ...educate and monitor for Ebola;
- Provide guidance on infection prevention and control during vaccination;
- Prepare where there is a potential risk of Ebola (e.g. border, etc.) and low immunization coverage, to implement activities to increase immunization coverage in these areas.
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This helpdesk report seeks to establish what lessons have been learnt from the current and previous Ebola outbreaks. It recommends good practice and makes suggestions based on the evidence for good practice and preparedness to reduce transmission and prevent further risk and exposure in affected cou...ntries.
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The scope includes the assessment of activities to improve the response to affected populations, stakeholders, partners and donors, building on lessons learnt so far in this outbreak.
The primary audience for this guidance is persons
working directly in vector-borne disease prevention
and control, including programme managers,
researchers and field workers. A brief technical
background is provided for the benefit of persons
without expertise in vector-borne diseases; readers...
working in the field may wish to skip the background
section and begin with the discussion of ethical
issues and values in Chapter 3. The guidance cannot
offer universally applicable answers to the complex
ethical issues raised, nor can it provide a checklist of
issues that are necessarily relevant in all situations.
Rather, its goal is to help readers recognize aspects
of their work that raise significant ethical challenges
and to respond to these challenges in accordance
with internationally accepted values and norms.
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Benchmarking is a strategic process often used by businesses and institutes to standardize performance in relation to the best practices of their sector. The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have developed a tool with a list of benchmarks and corresponding suggested actions that can be a...pplied to implement the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR) and strengthen health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience capacities.
The first edition of the benchmarks was published in 2019 to support countries in developing, implementing and documenting progress of national IHR or health security plans (e.g. national action plan for health security (NAPHS), national action plan for emerging infectious diseases, public health emergencies and health security and other country level plans for health emergencies). The tool has been updated to incorporate lessons from COVID-19 and other health emergencies, to align with the updated IHR monitoring & evaluation framework (IHR MEF) tools and the health systems for health security framework, and to support strengthening health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience (HEPR) capacities and the Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) initiative.
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Despite the human and economic impact of viral epidemics, the world is not well enough prepared for the next emerging viral outbreak. Global trends indicate that new microbial threats will continue to emerge at an accelerating rate, driven by our growing population, expanded travel and trade network...s, and human encroachment into wildlife habitat.
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