Η ανακάλυψη πριν από 80 περίπου χρόνια ότι ουσίες που παράγονται από μύκητες ή βακτήρια μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν θεραπευτικά για την ίαση διαφόρων λοιμώξεων, έφε...ε επανάσταση στα τότε ιατρικά δεδομένα. Οι λοιμώδεις νόσοι αποτελούσαν τότε την πρώτη αιτία θανάτου για κάθε ηλικιακή ομάδα. Το γεγονός αυτό ανατράπηκε με την έναρξη της χρήσης των ουσιών αυτών, που ονομάστηκαν αντιβιοτικά λόγω της ιδιότητας τους να καταστρέφουν τα μικρόβια. Έκτοτε εκατομμύρια ζωές έχουν σωθεί με τη χορήγηση αντιβιοτικών για την αντιμετώπιση σοβαρών λοιμώξεων. Σήμερα, οκτώ δεκαετίες μετά, οι πολύτιμες αυτές για τον άνθρωπο ουσίες χάνουν με συνεχώς επιταχυνόμενο ρυθμό την αποτελεσματικότητά τους λόγω επίτασης του φαινομένου της Μικροβιακής Αντοχής στα αντιβιοτικά.
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Spread of resistance to antimicrobial agents (AMR) does not know national borders and has reached dimensions, which require immediate actions at the national, regional and global levels.
Antibiotic resistance is a natural biological response to improper use of antimicrobial agents (AMA); increasing... number of essential drugs, which become ineffective, contributing to selection, survival and replication of resistant strains of microorganisms. When chosen antimicrobials prove to be ineffective, the second- or third-line drugs need to be used although
in the majority of cases these drugs are more expensive, less safe and not always available.
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A new respiratory infectious disease, COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, emerged in early December 2019. Since then, the virus has spread to India and 106 other countries in Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and Oceania. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) decl...ared the outbreak a pandemic, which has since rapidly evolved. As an economic hub with substantial global connectivity and movement of people and goods, India is directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it is too early to gauge the full spectrum of the outbreak’s social and economic impacts, COVID-19 has already caused lockdowns in China, Korea, and in many countries in Europe, and in some states of India, suspension of schools and universities, disruption of food systems and other supply chains, as well as a slowdown in trade between India and rest of the world.
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Scientific Brief 9 July 2020
Interium guidance, 25 June 2021Timely and accurate diagnostic testing is an essential tool in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. This document describes recommendations for national testing strategies and the use of PCR and rapid antigen tests in different transmission scenarios of t...he COVID-19 outbreak, including how testing might be rationalized in low resource settings. All testing should be followed by a strong public health response including isolating those who test positive and providing them care, contact tracing and quarantine of contacts.
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Productive and Inclusive Cities for an Emerging Democratic Republic of Congo
23 December 2020 This document summarizes WHO recommendations for the rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in health care settings and temporary strategies during acute supply shortages. This document also contains 2 Annex sections describing updated PPE use recommendations for health... workers based on the transmission scenario, setting, and activity in the context of COVID-19 (Annex 1), and updated considerations for the decontamination or reprocessing of PPE (Annex 2). This guidance is intended for public health authorities, organizations, and focal persons involved in decisions regarding PPE distribution, management, and use by health workers.
Available in Arabic, French, English, Spanish and Russian
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March – June 2020
This update: 3 April 2020
Qualitative assay for use on the cobas®6800/8800 Systems. For in vitro diagnostic use
Scientific brief
8 April 2020
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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4 April 2020
This interim guidance on oxygen sources and distribution strategies for COVID-19 treatment has been adapted from WHO and UNICEF’s technical specifications and guidance for oxygen therapy devices, which is part of the WHO medical device technical series. This guidance is intended for ...health facility administrators, clinical decision-makers, procurement officers, planning officers, biomedical engineers, infrastructure engineers and policy-makers. It describes how to quantify oxygen demand, identify oxygen sources that are available, and select appropriate surge sources to best respond to COVID-19 patients’ needs, especially in low-and-middle income countries.
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Strategie-Ergänzung zu empfohlenen Infektionsschutz-massnahmen und Zielen (3. Update).
Epid Bull 2020;19:3 – 5 | DOI 10.25646/6731