Traditional medicine, including the knowledge, skills and practices of holistic health care, exists in all cultures. It is based on indigenous theories, beliefs and experiences and is widely accepted for its role in health maintenance and the treatment of disease.Medicinal plants are the main ingred...ients of local medicines, but rapid urbanization is leading to the loss of many important plants and knowledge of their use. To help preserve this knowledge and recognize the importance of medicinal plants to health care systems, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has published a series of books on Medicinal Plants in China, the Republic of Korea, Viet Nam and the South Pacific. Medicinal Plants in Papua New Guinea is the fifth in this series. This book covers only a small proportion of the immense knowledge on traditional medicine, the plant species from which they are derived, the diseases they can treat and the parts of the plants to be used. The diverse cultures, languages and traditional practices of Papua New Guinea made this a particularly challenging project. But we believe the information and accompanying references can provide useful information for scientists, doctors and other users.
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This document, a first of its kind, clearly sets out the standards for rehabilitation and provides guidance on building or strengthening the capacity of EMTs in this area.The importance of early rehabilitation for functional outcomes is well documented. Rehabilitation needs can p...ersist far beyond the departure of EMTs; therefore, close, supportive collaboration must be established with local services. Emergency response presents an opportunity to rebuild devastated health systems and build local rehabilitation capacity. This document emphasizes the importance of aligning practices to the local context and maximizing opportunities for training and mentorship. The minimum standards and recommendations described will result in faster access of patients to rehabilitation services and equipment and a better transition between EMTs and local health facilities.
Available in English, German, Arabic, Chinese
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This Tuberculosis guide has been developed jointly by Médecins Sans Frontières and Partners In Health. It aims at providing useful information to the clinicians and health staff for the comprehensive management of tuberculosis. Forms of susceptible and resistant tuberculosis, tuberculosis in child...ren, and HIV co-infection are all fully addressed.
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The main objective of these guidelines is to provide guidance on up-to-date, uniform, evidence-informed practices for suspecting, diagnosing and managing various forms of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) at all levels of healthcare delivery. They can then contribute to the National Programme to i...mprove detection, care and outcomes in EPTB; to help the programme with initiation of treatment, adherence and completion whilst minimizing drug toxicity and overtreatment; and contribute to practices that minimize the development of drug resistance.
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Un comité OMS d’experts sur la trypanosomiase humaine africaine (THA) : lutte et surveillance, s’est réuni à Genève (Suisse), du 22 au 26 avril 2013. Le Dr H. Nakatani, sous-directeur général pour le VIH/SIDA, la tuberculose, le paludisme et les maladies tropicales négligées, a ouvert la... réunion au nom du Dr M. Chan, directeur-général de l’OMS.
La THA est une maladie qui afflige les populations rurales de l’Afrique, là où prolifère la mouche tsé-tsé (ou glossine), vecteur des trypanosomes qui en sont la cause. On distingue deux formes de THA : la forme à T. b. gambiense ou forme gambienne, endémique en Afrique de l’Ouest et en Afrique centrale et qui
représente actuellement 95 % des cas, et la forme à T. b. rhodesiense ou forme rhodésienne, endémique en Afrique de l’Est et en Afrique australe, à laquelle sont dus les 5 % restants.
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Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) is a gynaecological disease caused by Schistosoma haematobium, a parasitic worm that is acquired by skin contact with freshwater contaminated by schistosome cerceriae. Communities in which the infection is most endemic have limited access to clean water and healt...hcare services. Up to 150 million adolescent girls and women are estimated to be at risk of FGS and about 16–56 milion womens are living with FGS, with the majority of these in sub-Saharan Africa. The variability of these estimates points to the fact that this neglected tropical disease is not well studied and frequently not prioritized by local, regional, and global health policy makers.
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Indian markets caused a stir across the country.1
According to the Centre for Science and the Environment (CSE), a respected New Delhi-based NGO, most honey brands
sold in India contained varying amounts of antibiotics. Their consumption over time could induce resistance to antibiotics,
putting p...eople at risk of treatment failure in case of severe infections.
For the study, 12 samples were picked in Delhi, all well-known brands, including one each from Australia and Switzerland.
Antibiotics found included Chloramphenicol and various broad-spectrum drugs such as Ciprofloxacin and Erythromycin.
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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a growing public health problem in Ghana and other African countries. Strokes and other CVDs have become a leading cause of death due to increasing risk factors such as hypertension. According to the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD), ischaemic heart disease was... the fourth leading cause of death in Ghana in 2016. The prevalence of hyper-
tension, a major risk factor for CVDs, is increasing rapidly and ranges from 19% to 48%, according to the Ghana Health Service Annual Report, 2017, due to rising life expectancy and the increasing prevalence of contributing factors such as overweight/obesity. Early diagnosis and adequate management of the risk factors can reduce the fatal consequences of CVDs.
At the heart of improving risk assessment and management of CVDs are nationally approved guidelines, which facilitate standardisation of care approaches.
These guidelines developed by experts from all levels of health care and stakeholders capture all recommended approaches and necessary information for clinicians and other healthcare workers on CVDs. They also serve as a practical guide for assessing and managing the most important CVDs prevalent in Ghana and can be used at all levels of care namely health facilities without a doctor; with a general practitioner and with a physician specialist.
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Background paper 8
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
May 2021
: interim guidance, 17 February 2021
This document provides interim guidance on the management of the blood supply in response to the pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It emphasizes the importance of being prepared and responding quickly and outlines key actions and measures that... the blood services should take to mitigate the potential risk to the safety and sufficiency of the blood supplies during the pandemic.
It should be read in conjunction with WHO Guidance for National Blood Services on Protecting the Blood Supply During Infectious Disease Outbreaks, which provides general guidance on the development of national plans to respond to any emerging infectious threats to the sufficiency or safety of the blood supply.
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The recommendations cover the level of blood pressure to start medication, what type of medicine or combination of medicines to use, the target blood pressure level, and how often to have follow-up checks on blood pressure. In addition, the guideline provides the basis for how physicians and other h...ealth workers can contribute to improving hypertension detection and management.
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2nd edition.
The tool kit provides learning objects and curricular content to support the competencies for those proficiency/trainee levels
Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, imposing a consistent burden on health system. In recent years, prevalence of asthma symptoms became globally increased in children and adolescents, particularly in Low-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Host (genetics, atopy) and environmental fa...ctors (microbial exposure, exposure to passive smoking and air pollution), seemed to contribute to this trend. The increased prevalence observed in metropolitan areas with respect to rural ones and, overall, in industrialized countries, highlighted the role of air pollution in asthma inception. Asthma accounts for 1.1% of the overall global estimate of “Disability-adjusted life years” (DALYs)/100,000 for all causes. Mortality in children is low and it decreased across Europe over recent years. Children from LMICs particularly suffer a disproportionately higher burden in terms of morbidity and mortality. Global asthma-related costs are high and are usually are classified into direct, indirect and intangible costs. Direct costs account for 50–80% of the total costs. Asthma is one of the main causes of hospitalization which are particularly common in children aged < 5 years with a prevalence that has been increased during the last two decades, mostly in LMICs. Indirect costs are usually higher than in older patients, including both school and work-related losses. Intangible costs are unquantifiable, since they are related to impairment of quality of life, limitation of physical activities and study performance. The implementation of strategies aimed at early detect asthma thus providing access to the proper treatment has been shown to effectively reduce the burden of the disease.
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Terminology used to describe the transmission of pathogens through the air varies across scientific disciplines, organizations and the general public. While this has been the case for decades, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the terms ‘airborne’, ‘airborne transmission’ a...nd ‘aerosol transmission’ were used in different ways by stakeholders in different scientific disciplines, which may have contributed to misleading information and confusion about how pathogens are transmitted in human populations.
This global technical consultation report brings together viewpoints from experts spanning a range of disciplines with the key objective of seeking consensus regarding the terminology used to describe the transmission of pathogens through the air that can potentially cause infection in humans.
This consultation aimed to identify terminology that could be understood and accepted by different technical disciplines. The agreed process was to develop a consensus document that could be endorsed by global agencies and entities. Despite the complex discussions and challenges, significant progress was made during the consultation process, particularly the consensus on a set of descriptors to describe how pathogens are transmitted through the air and the related modes of transmission. WHO recognizes the important areas where consensus was not achieved and will continue to address these areas in follow-up consultations.
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A Joint Position Statement of the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) and the Indian
Association of Palliative Care (IAPC)
Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine September 2014 Vol 18 Issue 9
The meningitis road map has been designated as a flagship global strategy of the WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019–2023 and is an essential component in achieving universal health coverage.
The road map will reinforce and combine with wider initiatives, such as those aimed at s...trengthening primary health care and health systems, increasing immunization coverage, improving global health security, fighting antimicrobial resistance and advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities. It will complement other global control strategies, such as those addressing sepsis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and HIV. Implementation will be a challenge for all countries across the world, but especially in resource-poor settings where the burden of meningitis is greatest. The targets for the visionary and strategic goals will be adapted to regional and local contexts.
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SBMFC Recommendations for PHC during the Pandemic of COVID-19 (edition 4)
This document answers questions and gives recommendations so that the Brazilian PHC can quickly receive the best possible scientific synthesis on the current situation of the pandemic of COVID-19
Silicosis is not a new disease; the impact of silica dust on respiratory function was observed by Hippocrates in 430 B.C. and in the 16th century by Agricol. In 1713, Rammazini described silicotic nodules in post-mortems of stone cutters presenting with respiratory symptoms. In the mid-late 1800s,... the introduction of mechanized tools in the mining sector rapidly increased levels of silica exposure, resulting in an increase in cases and our understanding of silicosis.
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Antimicrobials are widely used in food animal production, and use is rapidly increasing.
In an era of growing demand for animal products, there is an increasing trend towards the industrial production of food animals, especially in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). One hallmark of this me...thod of animal production is the
use of antimicrobial drugs, which in the majority of cases are administered to healthy animals for purposes other than
treating or controlling disease (termed “therapeutic uses”)
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Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide is a stress management guide for coping with adversity. The guide aims to equip people with practical skills to help cope with stress. A few minutes each day are enough to practice the self-help techniques. The guide can be used alone or wi...th the accompanying audio exercises.
Informed by evidence and extensive field testing, the guide is for anyone who experiences stress, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances.
Different languages available: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003927
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