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Cardiovascular diseases in Africa in the twenty-first century: Gaps and priorities going forward

Minja, N.W.; Nakagaayi, D.; Aliku, T. et al. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (2022) CC

In 2015, the United Nations set important targets to reduce premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths by 33% by 2030. Africa disproportionately bears the brunt of CVD burden and has one of the highest risks of dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. There is currently an epide...miological transition on the continent, where NCDs is projected to outpace communicable diseases within the current decade. Unchecked increases in CVD risk factors have contributed to the growing burden of three major CVDs—hypertension, cardiomyopathies, and atherosclerotic diseasesleading to devastating rates of stroke and heart failure. The highest age standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to hypertensive heart disease (HHD) were recorded in Africa. The contributory causes of heart failure are changing—whilst HHD and cardiomyopathies still dominate, ischemic heart disease is rapidly becoming a significant contributor, whilst rheumatic heart disease (RHD) has shown a gradual decline. In a continent where health systems are traditionally geared toward addressing communicable diseases, several gaps exist to adequately meet the growing demand imposed by CVDs. Among these, high-quality research to inform interventions, underfunded health systems with high out-of-pocket costs, limited accessibility and affordability of essential medicines, CVD preventive services, and skill shortages. Overall, the African continent progress toward a third reduction in premature mortality come 2030 is lagging behind. More can be done in the arena of effective policy implementation for risk factor reduction and CVD prevention, increasing health financing and focusing on strengthening primary health care services for prevention and treatment of CVDs, whilst ensuring availability and affordability of quality medicines. Further, investing in systematic country data collection and research outputs will improve the accuracy of the burden of disease data and inform policy adoption on interventions. This review summarizes the current CVD burden, important gaps in cardiovascular medicine in Africa, and further highlights priority areas where efforts could be intensified in the next decade with potential to improve the current rate of progress toward achieving a 33% reduction in CVD mortality. more

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Pediatric oncology nursing practice in Latin America and the Caribbean

Pan American Health Organisation PAHO (2024) C_WHO

One of the main aims of the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and the CureAll Americas framework is to strengthen centers of excellence and promote the training of the health workforce, especially pediatric oncology nurses, specialized in nursing care for children and adolescents with cance... more

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OCHA Policy Brief on Gendered Drivers, Risks and Impacts of Food Insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2023) CC

It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t...he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency. Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls. An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is: A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes). An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions. Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward. more

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Standards for Prosthetics and Orthotics. Part 1: Standards

World Health Organization (WHO) (2017) C_WHO

WHO, in partnership with the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has published global standards for prosthetics and orthotics. Its aim is to ensure that prosthetics and orthotics services are people-centred an... more

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Malawi Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Needs Assessment, 2014

Ministry of Health (Malawi), USAID, UNFPA, UNICEF, Save the Children International, Clinton Health Foundation (2015) C2

In 2014, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malawi conducted a nationwide assessment of emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) services. This cross-sectional facility-based survey used 10 data collection modules. Data collection began on 23rd September 2014 and concluded on 17th October 2014, in ... more

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Cardiovascular Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa Compared to High-Income Countries: An Epidemiological Perspective

Yuyun, M.F.; Sliwa, K.; Kengne, A.P. et al. Global Heart (2020) CC

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the second common cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounting for about 35% of all deaths, after a composite of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases. Despite prior perception of low NCDs mortality rates, current evidence suggests t... more

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Epilepsy in the WHO South-East Asian Region

World Health Organization (WHO) (2005) C_WHO

Bridging the Gap

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Action on the Social Determinants of Health: learning from previous experiences.

Irwin A, Scali E World Health Organization (2010) C_WHO

Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper 1 (Debates). This paper was prepared for the launch of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) by its secretariat based at WHO in Geneva. It was discussed by the Commissioners and then revised considering their input.

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Republic of Congo: Population Movement - Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) MDRCG016

International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2019) C1

On Sunday 16th December 2018, some villages in the Province of Mai-Nambiar, Democratic Republic of Congo, neighboring the district of Makotimpoko in the Republic of Congo (CongoBrazzaville) were affected by inter-ethnic conflict between the Banunu and the Batende. The fighting has resulted in 400 fa... more

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Cognitive functioning in major depression – a summary

Åsa Hammar and Guro Årdal (2009) CC

Front. Hum. Neurosci., 25 September 2009 | https://doi.org/10.3389/neuro.09.026.2009

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One hundred million cases in one hundred weeks

World Health Organization WHO, Regional Office of Europe (2022) C_WHO

Working towards better COVID-19 outcomes in the WHO European Region.From the first COVID-19 cases in Europe reported on 24 January 2020, the pandemic reached 1 million cases within 3 months, 10 million cases within 8 months, and 100 million cases in Europe alone within 2 years. Over the course o... more

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UNHCR’s mental health and psychosocial support

Meyer, S. UNHCR (2013) C2

A broad range of UNHCR’s key priorities overlap with MHPSS issues – for example, child protection and sexual and gender-based violence [SGBV] prevention and response. Despite all these existent synergies, UNHCR’s current policies and guidelines do not sufficiently link with MHPSS principles.... more

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Culture, Context and the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Syrians

Hassan, G, Kirmayer, LJ, Mekki- Berrada A., et al. UNHCR (2015) C1

The document is primarily meant to inform mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) staff, such as: psychologists, psychosocial counsellors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and others who are involved providing individual or group counselling, psychotherapy and/or psychiatric... more

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WHO Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. Text and map volume

Bodeker, Gerard, Ong, Chi-Keong, Grundy, Chris, Burford, Gemma, Shein, Kin. et al. (‎2005)‎. WHO global atlas of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine. Kobe, Japa World Health Organization WHO (2005) C_WHO

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Cities ending the AIDS epidemic

Fast-Track Cities; UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIVAIDS); Mairie de Paris; et al. (2016) C2

UNAIDS / 2016

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Verwehrtes Recht auf Gesundheit. Krank und ohne medizinische Versorgung in Deutschland

Ärzte der Welt (2019) C1

Der Bericht gibt einen seltenen Einblick in die Situation derjenigen, die keinen oder nur einen eingeschränkten Zugang zum deutschen Gesundheitssystem haben. Er basiert auf der Analyse von Patientendaten aus den medizinischen Anlaufstellen der Organisation in Berlin, München und Hamburg.

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Fighting MDR-TB in the SEA Region - 10th Meeting of the Regional MDR-TB Advisory Committee

WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (2018) C_WHO

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The State of Mental Health in America 2018

Nguyen T, Hellbuyck M & Halpern M. Mental health America (2018) C1

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Principled Aid in SyriaA Framework for International Agencies

Haid Haid (2019) C1

Research Paper. As the fighting in Syria winds down, international humanitarian organisations (IHOs) operating from Damascus are hopeful that the Syrian government’s interference in their work will decrease. However, the government is attempting to formalise its influence over humanitarian operat... more

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Localised Resilience in Action: Responding to the Regional Syria Crisis

UN Development Programme, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2019) C1

This study looks at commitments made at the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) under the Grand Bargain and provides an overview of good practices on localisation approaches, provides a number of case studies from the regional response and makes recommendations on how to further strengthen leadership an... more