This is the first global report on epilepsy summarizing the available evidence on the burden of epilepsy and the public health response required at global, regional and national levels.
The reports highlights major gaps in awareness, diagnosis, treatment, and health policies through a series of a...ppalling numbers. With around 50 million people affected worldwide, epilepsy is one of the most common and serious brain disorders. Nearly 80% of people with epilepsy live in low-income and middle-income countries
more
These guidelines provide a recommendation on iodine thyroid blocking (ITB), via oral administration of stable iodine, as an urgent protective action in responding to a nuclear accident. This recommendation aims to support emergency planners, policy makers, public health specialists, clinicians and o...ther relevant stakeholders, in order to strengthen public health preparedness for radiation emergencies in WHO Member States as required by the International Health Regulations (IHR) and in line with the international safety standards (GSR Part 7). The scope of the guidelines is confined to public health aspects of planning and implementation of ITB before and during a radiation emergency, such as dosage and timing of ITB administration, adverse effects of stable iodine, its packaging, storage, and distribution.
These guidelines supersede the 1999 WHO Guidelines for Iodine Prophylaxis following Nuclear Accidents.
more
Bisher hat die STIKO empfohlen, dass alle im Ausland mit einem nicht in der EU zugelassenen Impfstoff geimpften Personen eine erneute Impfserie mit einem in der EU zugelassenen Impfstoff erhalten sollen. Ziel der im Epidemiologischen Bulletin 13/2022 veröffentlichten aktualisierten COVID-19-Impfemp...fehlung ist es, Personen, die eine COVID-19-Impfung mit einem der nicht in der EU zugelassenen Ganzvirusimpfstoffen (CoronaVac, Covilo und Covaxin) oder dem Vektor-basierten Impfstoff Sputnik V erhalten haben, mit einem Impfschutz auszustatten, der vergleichbar mit dem einer Grundimmunisierung plus Auffrischimpfung mit einem mRNA-Impfstoff ist.
more
Recognizing the importance of the critical role of community health in disaster management, the Amref health Africa has
developed this operational guide to provide policy direction on COVID-19 response at community level. This guide has
been developed in collaboration with all the implementing cou...ntries in supporting prevention and control of COVID-19.
With a strong community COVID-19 response system at community level, we can all contribute to prevention and control
of COVID-19, and thereby improve health and livelihoods for all people
more
High salt consumption is an important determinant of high blood pressure and reducing it would improve health outcomes by lowering cardiovascular disease and therefore death rates. Reducing salt intake has been identified as one of the most effective public health measures and is one of the leading ...targets at global, regional and national levels to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases. The purpose of the Dietary Salt Intake Survey in the Republic of Moldova was to establish current baseline average consumption of salt (sodium), potassium and iodine through 24-hour urinary excretion testing among a random sample of the adult population (aged 18–69 years), and to assess the knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviour around dietary salt in order to enable more efficient planning and the implementation of an effective salt-reduction strategy in the Republic of Moldova.
more
Right now, we are facing an unpredictable and highly dynamic situation as a global community. However, as we have seen from the solidarity, support and power of communities in the HIV epidemic and already in communities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the response must not be fear and stigma. W...e need to build a culture of solidarity, trust and kindness. Our response to COVID-19 must be grounded in the realities of people’s lives and focused on eliminating the barriers people face in being able to protect themselves and their communities. Empowerment and guidance, rather than restrictions, can ensure that people can act without fear of losing their livelihood, sufficient food being on the table and the respect of their community. Ultimately it will give us a more effective, humane and sustainable response to the epidemic.
more
Singing to the Lions is a free training package (facilitator’s guide, supplement and video) by CRS, that is designed to help children and youth lessen the impact of violence and abuse in their lives. The main component is a three-day workshop where participants learn skills that can help them tran...sform their lives and no longer feel dominated by fear. Although the workshop is aimed at young people and includes games, art and songs, it can also be used to help adults take action on aspects of their lives that cause fear and, in so doing, become better parents and caregivers.
Singing to the Lions is available in English, French and Spanish, with Arabic and Hindi in process. See the links below. It can be easily adapted to different cultures, with different pictures and metaphors (e.g., “Singing to the Wolves” in Arabic; “Charming the Snakes” in Hindi.)
more
These consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services (HTS) bring together existing and new guidance on HTS across different settings and populations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) first released consolidated guidelines on HTS in 2015, in response to requests from Member States, national pr...ogramme managers and health workers for support to achieve the United Nations (UN) 90–90–90 global HIV targets – and specifically the first target of diagnosing 90% of all people with HIV. In 2016, based on new evidence, WHO released a supplement to address important new HIV testing approaches – HIV self-testing (HIVST) and provider-assisted referral.
Since the release of 2015 and 2016 HTS guidelines, new issues and more evidence have emerged. To address this, WHO has updated guidance on HIV testing services. In this guideline, WHO updates recommendation on HIVST and provides new recommendations on social network-based HIV testing approaches and western blotting (see box, next page). This guideline seeks to provide support to Member States, programme managers, health workers and other stakeholders seeking to achieve national and international goals to end the HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
These guidelines also provide operational guidance on HTS demand creation and messaging; implementation considerations for priority populations; HIV testing strategies for diagnosis HIV; optimizing the use of dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests; and considerations for strategic planning and rationalizing resources such as optimal time points for maternal retesting
more
By 2100, new UN figures show that 4 of today’s 10 most populous nations will be replaced by African countries.
Brazil, Bangladesh, Russia and Mexico—where populations are projected to stagnate or decline—will drop out. In their place: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and E...gypt. All 4 are projected to more double in population.
Top 10 rankings in population growth by 2100 include only 2 non-African nations—Pakistan and the US.
c1China will shrink by 374 million fewer people—more than the entire US population.
more
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – chief among them, cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – along with mental health, cause nearly three quarters of deaths in the world. Their drivers are social, environmental, commercial and geneti...c, and their presence is global. Every year 17 million people under the age of 70 die of NCDs, and 86% of them live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
more
Asthma is the most common noncommunicable disease in children, and among the most common in adults. According to the most recent estimates from the Global Asthma Network Phase I study, around one in 10 children and adults have symptoms of asthma and one in 20 school-aged children have severe asthma ...symptoms, with marked variations in prevalence and in prevalence trends between countries and regions of the world. The Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that asthma caused the loss of 21.6 million healthy years of life (disability-adjusted life years) and 461 069 deaths in 2019. Approximately 90% of the asthma burden of disease is borne by people living low and middle income countries (LMICs). Some countries report very high (up to 90%) rates of uncontrolled asthma. While the prevalence of asthma is highest in countries with a high Socio-Demographic Index (SDI), death rates from asthma are highest in countries with low and lower middle incomes.
more
As the culminating volume in the DCP3 series, volume 9 will provide an overview of DCP3 findings and methods, a summary of messages and substantive lessons to be taken from DCP3, and a further discussion of cross-cutting and synthesizing topics across the first eight volumes. The introductory chapte...rs (1-3) in this volume take as their starting point the elements of the Essential Packages presented in the overview chapters of each volume. First, the chapter on intersectoral policy priorities for health includes fiscal and intersectoral policies and assembles a subset of the population policies and applies strict criteria for a low-income setting in order to propose a "highest-priority" essential package. Second, the chapter on packages of care and delivery platforms for universal health coverage (UHC) includes health sector interventions, primarily clinical and public health services, and uses the same approach to propose a highest priority package of interventions and policies that meet similar criteria, provides cost estimates, and describes a pathway to UHC.
more
This year’s MPI results show that more than two-thirds of the multidimensionally poor—886 millionpeople—live in middle-income countries. A further 440 million live in low-income countries. In both groups, data show, simple national averagescan hide enormous inequality inpatterns of povertywith...in countries. For instance, in Uganda 55 percentof the population experience multidimensional poverty—similartotheaverage in Sub-Saharan Africa. But Kampala, the capital city, has an MPI rate of sixpercent, whileinthe Karamojaregion, the MPI soars to 96 percent—meaningthat partsof Ugandaspan the extremes of Sub-Saharan Africa.There is even inequality under the same roof. In South Asia, for example, almost a quarter ofchildren under five live in households where at least one child in the household is malnourished but at least one child is not.
There is also inequality among the poor. Findings of the2019 global MPI paint a detailed picture of the many differences in how-and how deeply -people experience poverty. Deprivationsamong the poor varyenormously: in general, higher MPI valuesgo hand in hand with greater variationin the intensity of poverty. Results also show that children suffer poverty more intensely than adults and are more likely to be deprived in all 10 of the MPI indicators, lackingessentialssuch as clean water, sanitation, adequate nutrition or primary education
more
Updated May 2021. Manual 3. The Practical Approach to Care Kit – PACK – is used by nurses, doctors and community health workers in their everyday work to care for patients at the clinic and in the community –PACK Adult, PACK Adolescent, PACK Child and PACK Community.PACK Home is designed for p...eople seeking more information about how to care for their own health and the health of their family at home.Collect and read all the PACK Home volumes in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu or Sesotho
Download the different languages: https://knowledgetranslation.co.za/pack/pack-home/
more
The IMCI chart booklet is for use by doctors, nurses and other health professionals who see young infants and children less than five years old. It facilitates the use of the IMCI case management process in practice and describes a series of all the case management steps in a form of IMCI charts.
...These charts show the sequence of steps and provide information for performing them. The IMCI chart booklet should be used by all health professionals providing care to sick children to help them apply the IMCI case management guidelines. Health professionals should always use the chart booklet for easy reference.The chart booklet is divided into two main parts because clinical signs in sick young infants and older children are somewhat different and because case management procedures also differ between these age groups.
Sick child aged 2 months to 5 years
This part contains all the necessary clinical algorithms, information and instructions on how to provide care to sick children aged 2 months to 5 years.
Sick young infant aged up to 2 months
This part includes case management clinical algorithms for the care of a young infant aged up to 2 months.
Each of these parts contains IMCI charts corresponding to the main steps of the IMCI case management process.
more
Group psychological help for adults impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity
With this manual, the World Health Organization (WHO) is responding to requests from colleagues around the world for a group version of the manual Problem Management Plus (PM+), which was developed for adul...ts impaired by distress in communities who are exposed to adversity. Aspects of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) have been changed to make them feasible in communities that do not have many specialists. To ensure maximum use, the intervention is developed in such a way that it can help people with depression, anxiety and stress, whether or not exposure to adversity has caused these problems. It can be applied to improve aspects of mental health and psychosocial well-being no matter how severe people’s problems are.
more
4. Central African Republic
Clashes throughout 2018 in the capital Bangui and a number of major towns illustrate the deadly threat posed by armed groups – a mix of pro-government militias, ex-rebels, bandits and local “self-defence” units – that control much of the countr...y. MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping force, has failed to neutralise these groups and, as a result, is mistrusted by the general public. Likewise, the national army, slowly being deployed in parts of the country, has been unable to constrain the armed groups’ predatory activities. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with more than one million people internally displaced or fleeing to neighbouring countries and 2.5 million in need of assistance, according to the UN.
more
Testing and diagnosis of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection is the gateway for access to both prevention and treatment services, and is a crucial component of an effective response to the hepatitis epidemic. Early identification of persons with chronic HBV or HCV infection enables them to recei...ve the necessary care and treatment to prevent or delay progression of liver disease. Testing also provides an opportunity to link people to interventions to reduce transmission, through counselling on risk behaviours and provision of prevention commodities (such as sterile needles and syringes) and hepatitis B vaccination.
more
Forests, trees and green spaces, hereinafter ‘forests and trees’ for short, provide multiple goods and services that contribute to human health. These include medicines, nutritious foods and other non-wood forest products (NWFPs). Globally, at least 3.5 billion people use NWFPs, including medici...nal plants, which are particularly important for vulnerable groups and Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
During periods of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for forest products typically increases amongst these groups. Forests and trees also contribute to better health by playing a role in climate change
mitigation and adaptation, contributing to regulating the carbon cycle, but also moderating the micro-climate, filtering pollutants from the air and protecting settlements against the effects of extreme events such as droughts and flash floods.
more
The World Health Organization (WHO) endorses the use of population-based prevalence surveys for estimating the prevalence of trachoma. In general, the prevalence of TF in children aged 1–9 years and the prevalence of TT in adults aged ≥ 15 years are measured at the same time in any district bein...g surveyed. This was the approach of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project, which undertook baseline surveys in > 1500 districts worldwide in order to provide the data required to start interventions where needed.
The survey design recommended by WHO is a two-stage cluster random sample survey, which uses probability proportional to size sampling to select 20–30 villages, and random, systematic or quasi-random sampling to select 25–30 households in each of those villages. In most surveys, everyone aged ≥ 1 year living in selected households is examined.
more