UNAIDS leads the world's most extensive data collection on HIV epidemiology, programme coverage and finance and publishes the most authoritative and up-to-date information on the HIV epidemic.
PEPFAR Malawi’s Country Operational Plan (COP) 2021 reflects a culmination of strong interagency collaboration between the PEPFAR Malawi team, Government of Malawi (GoM), and civil society organizations (CSOs) to mitigate the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and sustain progress achieved over the l...ast two decades towards HIV epidemic control.
At the conclusion of the March 2020 Johannesburg Regional Planning Meeting, the PEPFAR Malawi team presented a COP20 surge strategy to improve client-centered care, mitigate treatment disruption, scale prevention programs to key and vulnerable populations, and strengthen national health systems.
Following this meeting, the first three COVID-19 cases were reported in Malawi and immediately thereafter, adaptations to the COP20 strategy became imperative to deliver safe, client-centered care.
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Epidemics of infectious diseases are occurring more often, and spreading faster and further than ever, in many different regions of the world. The background factors of this threat are biological, environmental and lifestyle changes, among others. A potentially fatal combination of newly-discovered ...diseases, and the re-emergence of many long-established ones, demands urgent responses in all countries. Planning and preparation for epidemic prevention and control are essential. The purpose of this “Managing epidemics” manual is to provide expert guidance on those responses.
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WHO has updated the mpox Case reporting form (CRF) and data collection tool, mainly by reducing the number of variables. A detailed list of changes is presented in the file. The content of the Case investigation form (CIF) has not been changed.
March 2025. Access to appropriate, quality-assured diagnostics remains a challenge. There is limited information on key characteristics of available test kits, including their performance, reliability, and ability to detect relevant Mpox clades. Additionally, the lack of multiplex diagnostic tools c...apable of distinguishing Mpox from other pathogens with similar clinical presentations further complicates case detection and response efforts.
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The Guide has been developed to enhance the knowledge capabilities of NDMAs and their local partners. This is accomplished by exposing them to the existing tools and services developed by the international community to facilitate effective disaster response to any scale of disaster (small, medium an...d large) and assist in comprehensive response preparedness
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The document titled "Use of Non-Sugar Sweeteners: WHO Guideline" provides recommendations from the World Health Organization on the use of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) to reduce sugar intake, manage weight, and prevent diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). It discusses the potential effects of... NSS on body weight, blood sugar control, and long-term health risks such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The guideline highlights limited evidence on the benefits of NSS for weight control and raises concerns about possible health risks with long-term use, leading WHO to suggest limiting NSS consumption as a preventive health measure.
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The article "The silent epidemic of COPD in Africa" discusses the under-recognized yet significant prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Africa. Despite being the third leading cause of death worldwide, COPD remains poorly studied and largely unknown in sub-Saharan Africa. Th...e article highlights risk factors such as tobacco smoking and biomass smoke exposure, which significantly affect both men and women. Biomass smoke, in particular, is linked to COPD in younger individuals and impacts women due to prolonged exposure during cooking. The piece calls for better awareness, training for healthcare providers, and proactive measures to address and manage COPD in the region.
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Asbestos, the most frequent cause of occupational cancer, continues to be consumed ona massive scale, with millions of people exposed on a daily basis. This review explains why we havefailed in curtailing the silent epidemic of asbestos-related disease and why the numbers of asbestosvictims are like...ly to remain high. Emerging and developed countries have to be reminded that asbestosexposure has yet to become a problem of the past. The worldwide spread of asbestos, followed by thesurge of asbestos-related cancers, resembles the lung cancer epidemic caused by smoking andstimulated by manufacturers.
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Recovery partnership preparation package: Building capacity to reactivate safe essential health services and sustain health service resilience.
In the aftermath of an emergency, the recovery partnership preparation package supports the establishment and implementation of institutional health partne...rships, or ‘twinning partnerships’. These partnerships focus on shared learning and improvement in the services that are being delivered. The Twinning Partnerships for Improvement (TPI) approach supports capacity-building, the re-establishment of safe essential health services and encourages joint long term efforts on service delivery strengthening
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The Facilitator Training Manual on Workplace Pandemic Preparedness is a guide developed by GIZ and the Ministry of Health to help organizations prepare for and respond to pandemics while ensuring business continuity. It provides structured guidance on training, risk assessment, prevention, and respo...nse strategies for both medical and non-medical personnel.
Key topics include pandemic preparedness and response, covering diseases like Influenza, Cholera, Yellow Fever, and Meningitis, as well as personal hygiene, risk communication, and business continuity planning. The manual emphasizes participatory learning, practical training, and leadership in crisis management, aiming to enhance institutional resilience and ensure workplaces remain safe and operational during health crises.
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PEPFAR Malawi’s Country Operational Plan 2022 (COP22) embodies joint priorities from national and subnational dialogues building on the 2020-2025 National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS. The interagency team has developed a person-centered, district-tailored and Malawi Population-Based HIV Impact Ass...essment (MPHIA)-informed strategy through extensive engagement with Government of Malawi (GoM) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to sustain HIV epidemic control. At the end of COP21, PEPFAR Malawi was commended for contributing to reaching epidemic control in strong collaboration with GoM and stakeholders including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). This includes enrollment of 88% of recipients of care on three or more months of antiretroviral treatment (ART), better outcomes for Malawian children through remarkable efforts in Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) programming and progress made towards reaching men with more intentional and focused programming.
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Biosafety involves the implementation of containment principles, technologies and practices to prevent unintentional exposure to biological agents. Biosecurity involves the protection, control and accountability of biological materials and information related to these materials and dualuse research,... to prevent their unauthorized access, loss, theft, misuse, diversion or intentional release.
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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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Namibia is estimated to be at 94-97-93 as defined by the UNAIDS 95-95-95 treatment cascade, one of the first high burden countries to approach epidemic control. COP22 is about sustaining the impact of years of investment and partnership with the Namibian government and other stakeholders by employin...g targeted and innovative approaches to prevent new infections, reduce mortality rates, and strengthen the health system to endure the impact of unexpected external shocks, while still providing person-centered health services.
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This selection of online courses provides a comprehensive education in malaria and related infectious diseases, set within the broader frameworks of global health and epidemiology. Courses such as the Global Disease Masterclass and Immunology: The Immune System and Infectious Diseases (both offered ...by Imperial College London on Coursera), explore malaria alongside diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and emerging infections. Spanning several weeks, they provide insights into disease dynamics, immune responses, and public health interventions, and are suitable for learners from beginner to intermediate levels.
Specialised courses such as 'Medical Entomology' from the Institut Pasteur focus on mosquito vectors and parasite transmission, which are critical to malaria control. Additionally, French-language courses such as 'Le paludisme' from Aix-Marseille Université offer in-depth knowledge of malaria biology, prevention and treatment strategies.
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Cholera epidemics continue to be a major public health problem in many countries around the
world. When epidemics strike, they can spread rapidly. The disease can also evolve quickly;
patients with severe disease can die of dehydration hours after showing the first symptoms of
cholera.
19 August 2022. A monkeypox case investigation form (CIF) has been designed as a tool for Member States and researchers to conduct in-depth epidemiological investigation of suspected, probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox. This form allows to collect data prospectively or retrospectively for bot...h cases and their contacts. The full form is meant to serve as a tool for in-country use and the data are not required to be reported to WHO.
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