The power relations around global decisions which shape population health can be changed through new alliances and information flows. The Democratising Global Health Governance Initiative, of which WHO Watch is a project, is designed to contribute to improved population health (and health equity) th...rough new alliances and information flows.
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Specific action sheets offer useful guidance on mental health and psychosocial support and cover the following areas coordination assessment monitoring and evaluation protection and human rights standards human resources community mobilisation and support health services education dissemination of i...nformation food security and nutrition shelter and site planning and water and sanitationthe guidelines include a matrix with guidance for emergency planning actions to be taken in the early stages of an emergency and comprehensive responses needed in the recovery and rehabilitation phases
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When terrible things happen in our communities, countries and the world, we want to reach out a helping hand to those who are affected. This guide covers
psychological first aid which involves humane, supportive and practical help to fellow human beings suffering serious crisis events. It is writt...en for people in a position to help others who have experienced an extremely distressing event. It gives a framework for supporting people in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities. Despite its name, psychological first aid covers both social and psychological support.
Available in various languages: http://www.who.int/mental_health/publications/guide_field_workers/en/
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This diagnostic and treatment manual is designed for use by medical professionals involved in curative care at the dispensary and hospital levels. We have tried to respond in the simplest and most practical way possible to the questions and problems faced by field medical staff, using the accumulate...d field experience of Médecins Sans Frontières, the recommendations of reference organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and specialized works in each field.
Available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic
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Hendra virus (HeV) continues to pose a serious public health concern as spillover events occur sporadically. Terminally ill horses can exhibit a range of clinical signs including frothy nasal discharge, ataxia or forebrain signs. Early signs, if detected, can include depression, inappetence, colic o...r mild respiratory signs. All unvaccinated ill horses in areas where flying foxes exist, may potentially be infected with HeV, posing a significant risk to the veterinary community. Equivac® HeV vaccine has been fully registered in Australia since 2015 (and under an Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority special permit since 2012) for immunization of horses against HeV and is the most effective and direct solution to prevent disease transmission to horses and protect humans. No HeV vaccinated horse has tested positive for HeV infection. There is no registered vaccine to prevent, or therapeutics to treat, HeV infection in humans. Previous equine HeV outbreaks tended to cluster in winter overlapping with the foaling season (August to December), when veterinarians and horse owners have frequent close contact with horses and their bodily fluids, increasing the chance of zoonotic disease transmission. The most southerly case was detected in 2019 in the Upper Hunter region in New South Wales, which is Australia's Thoroughbred horse breeding capital. Future spillover events are predicted to move further south and inland in Queensland and New South Wales, aligning with the moving distribution of the main reservoir hosts. Here we (1) review HeV epidemiology and climate change predicted infection dynamics, (2) present a biosecurity protocol for veterinary clinics and hospitals to adopt, and (3) describe diagnostic tests currently available and those under development. Major knowledge and research gaps have been identified, including evaluation of vaccine efficacy in foals to assess current vaccination protocol recommendations.
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En 2015, el 26% de los decesos de 5,9 millones de niños que murieron antes de cumplir los cinco años podría haberse prevenido
abordando los riesgos medioambientales; una impactante oportunidad perdida. El período prenatal y de la primera infancia
representa un escenario de particular vulnerabi...lidad, donde los peligros medioambientales pueden conducir al parto prematuro y otras complicaciones, y aumentar el riesgo de desarrollar una enfermedad de por vida, como enfermedades respiratorias, enfermedades cardiovasculares y cáncer. De este modo, el medio ambiente representa un factor importante en la salud infantil, así como una gran oportunidad de implementar mejoras, con efectos observados en cada región del mundo
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En 2015, 26 % des décès de 5,9 millions d'enfants de moins de cinq ans auraient pu être évités si les facteurs de risque
environnementaux avaient été pris en compte – cette possibilité manquée de sauver des vies est révoltante. La période prénatale
et de la petite enfance constitue u...ne source de vulnérabilité particulière, les menaces environnementales pouvant provoquer une
naissance prématurée et d'autres complications, et accroître le risque de maladies chroniques, et notamment de troubles respiratoires, de maladie cardiovasculaire et de cancer. L'environnement est donc un facteur majeur de la santé des enfants et offre d'importantes possibilités d'amélioration dont les effets se manifestent dans toutes les régions du monde.
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Este informe se basa en la aplicación de un protocolo diseñado conforme a las recomendaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud sobre los servicios de agua, saneamiento e higiene en establecimientos de salud, cuya metodología permite definir las características de dichos servicios y evalua...rlos. Los resultados abarcan los muestreos realizados en los establecimientos de salud de los siguientes siete países: Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de), Guatemala, Honduras, México, Panamá, Paraguay y Perú, con una muestra representativa y un valor de confianza de 95%.
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Front. Public Health, 04 June 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.618234
In January 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a new road map to address the burden of disease and death imposed by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The end of the first year of the 2021-2030 NTD road map is an opportunity to take stock of where we stand and how we plan to move fo...rward.
Considerable progress has been made since 2012 when the first road map was adopted. As of 6 June 2022, forty-six countries have eliminated at least one NTD, while 600 million people no longer require treatment because they are no longer exposed to risks associated with the pathogens that previously harmed them. In some cases, diseases that have plagued humanity for centuries, such as sleeping sickness and Guinea worm disease, are at an all-time low. Less tangible, but also important, there has been significant progress in the way NTDs are viewed. Additionally, the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on NTD programmes is evident.
This brochure is the first in a series of advocacy briefs for the new NTD road map presenting highlights of success and challenges towards attaining the 2030 goals.
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PLoS Neglected Tropical diseases August 16, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009697
Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a neglected tropical disease transmitted by triatomine insects, first identified in 1909. Chagas disease affects approximately 6–7 million peop...le globally and is highly prevalent in Latin America where most cases are reported. However, there is increasing evidence that Chagas disease is now an important public health issue outside the “classical” endemic countries due to population migration. Our understanding of Chagas disease, including its pathologies and factors relating to progression, remains to date limited, and is also challenged by lack of diagnosis and highly effective treatment. This systematic review aims to describe studies with Chagas patients receiving antiparasitic treatment. Databases were searched for relevant studies published after 1997, and the results of these searches were screened.
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Over 6 million people worldwide are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan that causes Chagas disease
(CD). T. cruzi is transmitted by triatomine insects, congenitally, through uncontrolled blood donations and organ transplants,
and via consumption of food or drink contaminated by triatomi...nes.
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The sub-Saharan African region, carries 90% of the over 250 million cases of schistosomiasis occurring worldwide. In this region, after Nigeria, Tanzania is second country having the highest cases of schistosomiasis and approximately 51.5%0 of the Tanzanian population is either exposed or live in ar...eas with high risk of exposure. The country is endemic to both Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium, these infections are common in communities characterised with limited access to water, sanitation, hygienic practices and health services. Schistosoma mansoni infection is associated with hepatosplenic disease characterised with hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, progressive periportal fibrosis (PPF) which can lead to portal hypertension and its related sequelae, mainly ascites, liver surface irregularities, oesophageal varices and haematemesis. The main consequences of S. haematobium infection are haematuria, dysuria, nutritional deficiencies, urinary bladder lesions, hydronephrosis, urinary bladder squamous cell carcinoma and in children, growth retardation. Preventive chemotherapy using mass drug administration (MDA) of praziquantel targeting primary school aged children is the main strategy for controlling schistosomiasis in Tanzania.
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The aim of this toolkit is to guide countries on how to best estimate their current burden of dengue by combining existing data from dengue surveillance systems with on-going research efforts to measure the community burden
of dengue.
La enfermedad de Chagas es parasitaria y afecta a más de 6 millones
de personas en el mundo. Como normalmente es asintomática durante
años, los nuevos casos suelen no detectarse ni reportarse y la mayoría
de las personas con la enfermedad no tiene conciencia de su condición.
Se diagnostica ...a menos del 10% de las personas afectadas, y en su gran
mayoría estas no reciben el tratamiento que necesitan. Sin tratamiento,
la enfermedad de Chagas puede causar daños irreversibles al corazón y
otros órganos vitales, o la muerte.
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Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects ~6–7 million people worldwide. Significant limitations still exist in our understanding of CD. Harnessing individual participant data (IPD) from studies could support more in-depth analyses to address the many outstanding resea...rch questions. This systematic review aims to describe the characteristics and treatment practices of clinical studies in CD and assess the breadth and availability of research data for the potential establishment of a data-sharing platform.
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El desarrollo, desde 1991, de las Iniciativas Subregionales de Control de la Enfermedad de Chagas, y los avances de conocimiento en materia de diagnóstico y manejo de la infección/enfermedad de Chagas, llevan a la necesidad ética, y operativamente imperiosa, de estructurar el diagnóstico, atenci...ón y tratamiento de esta afección.
Una situación particularmente delicada, preocupante y alarmante, se constituye por la escasa einequitativa disponibilidad de los limitados recursos terapéuticos, actualmente disponibles, para el tratamiento etiológico de Chagas, en la mayor parte de los países endémicos de América.
En esta situación, se propone el desarrollo de la Consulta técnica regional OPS/MSF sobre organización y estructura de la atención médica del enfermo e infectado por Trypanosoma cruzi (enfermedad de Chagas), con los objetivos de:
- definir el alcance y estructura de la atención médica al paciente, tanto en diagnóstico, manejo como tratamiento;
- desarrollar modelos alternativos y optativos de atención, asimilables a las estructurassanitarias de los países;
- delinear la atención del chagásico, según su momento biológico-patológico evolutivo,dentro de los niveles de complejidad de la atención médica;
- establecer consideraciones sobre la atención pediátrica, materno-infantil, transfusional y mayor complejidad;
- definir las necesidades y alcances del diagnóstico de la enfermedad;
- establecer los alcances y facilidades que, dentro de los sistemas de atención, deben poseer estos pacientes;
- definir el panorama total de disponibilidad y accesibilidad de los pacientes al tratamiento etiológico de esta dolencia;
- proyectar conceptos y concepciones marco sobre el costo, impacto y efectividad del
desarrollo de este componente de morbilidad y atención en enfermedad de Chagas; y
- establecer las necesidades de investigación operativa y de gestión para avanzar en el
desarrollo de la atención médica a este grupo de pacientes.
Esta consulta, desarrollada en la ciudad de Montevideo, el 13 y 14 de octubre de 2005, pretende marcar la elaboración de una guía conceptual para comentarla y diseminarla en el año 2006, desde las cinco Iniciativas Intergubernamentales Subregionales de Control de Enfermedad de Chagas.
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MOBILISIERUNG INLÄNDISCHER ÖFFENTLICHER RESSOURCEN FÜR GESUNDHEIT