The website for the COPD Foundation in South Africa provides information and resources dedicated to raising awareness, improving education, and supporting individuals affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Managed by the C.A.R.E.S. Group (COPD Advocacy, Research, Education, Suppor...t), the site aims to advocate for better COPD management and care. It includes guidance for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, along with updates on research, events, and programs to enhance COPD treatment and support throughout South Africa.
more
Volume 3, Cancer, presents the complex patterns of cancer incidence and death around the world and evidence on effective and cost-effective ways to control cancers. The DCP3 evaluation of cancer will indicate where cancer treatment is ineffective and wasteful, and offer alternative cancer care packa...ges that are cost-effective and suited to low-resource settings. Main messages from the volume include:
-Quality matters in all aspects of cancer treatment and palliation.
-Cancer registries that track incidence, mortality, and survival paired with systems to capture causes of death are important to understanding the national cancer burden and the effect of interventions over time.
-Effective interventions exist at a range of prices. Adopting ‘resource appropriate’ measures which allow the most effective treatment for the greatest number of people will be advantageous to countries.
-Prioritizing resources toward early stage and curable cancers is likely to have the greatest health impact in low income settings.
-Research prioritization is no longer just a global responsibility.
more
Cardiovascular diseases, principally ischemic heart disease (IHD), are the most important cause of death and disability in the majority of low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). In these countries, IHD mortality rates are significantly greater in individuals of a low socioeconomic status (...SES).
Three important focus areas for decreasing IHD mortality among those of low SES in LLMICs are (1) acute coronary care; (2) cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention; and (3) primary prevention. Greater mortality in low SES patients with acute coronary syndrome is due to lack of awareness of symptoms in patients and primary care physicians, delay in reaching healthcare facilities, non-availability of thrombolysis and coronary revascularization, and the non-affordability of expensive medicines (statins, dual anti-platelets, renin-angiotensin system blockers). Facilities for rapid diagnosis and accessible and affordable long-term care at secondary and tertiary care hospitals for IHD care are needed. A strong focus on the social determinants of health (low education, poverty, working and living conditions), greater healthcare financing, and efficient primary care is required. The quality of primary prevention needs to be improved with initiatives to eliminate tobacco and trans-fats and to reduce the consumption of alcohol, refined carbohydrates, and salt along with the promotion of healthy foods and physical activity. Efficient primary care with a focus on management of blood pressure, lipids and diabetes is needed. Task sharing with community health workers, electronic decision support systems, and use of fixed-dose combinations of blood pressure-lowering drugs and statins can substantially reduce risk factors and potentially lead to large reductions in IHD. Finally, training of physicians, nurses, and health workers in IHD prevention should be strengthened.
more
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection, and two types of HPV (16 and 18) cause nearly 50% of high-grade cervical pre-cancers. HIV and cervical cancer are inextricably linked. Women living with HIV are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer, which is o...ne of the AIDS-defining illnesses and the most common cancer among women living with HIV globally. Cervical cancer is a preventable, curable disease and can be eliminated as a public health problem with primary and secondary prevention, treatment, and care of cervical cancer, in combination with addressing social, health and other inequalities and integrated approaches.
more
The compendium provides guidance on low-cost handwashing facilities that can be widely used in low and middle-income countries. We hope that this can be shared extensively as governments and agencies tackle the crisis in low and middle-income countries where handwashing facilities are urgently neede...d in households, communities, schools and healthcare facilities.
The compendium includes information and further reading on: handwashing facilities – including facilities that are accessible for all, environmental cues to reinforce handwashing behaviours, physical distancing hygiene promotion.
more
This Knowledge and Skills reference guide to support professional desvelopment in diabetes is intendet to help pharmacists with the increasingly necessary competencies they may have to acquire in managing patients with diabetes. There roles range from prevention and acreening to clinical management.... Some barriers and regulations may prevent pharmacists in some countries from performing certain services as outlined in the diabetes handbookor listed in this guide, but the incorporation of pharmacists into multidisciplinary diabetes care teams shouldalways be strongly considered by clinicians and health policymakers. By expanding the full potential of pharmacists in the delivery of diabetes care and associated services, weg et closer to offering optimal health services to patients making sure that no one is left behind.
more
Covid-19 Social Policy Response Series / No.14
This report examines Ecuador’s social policy response to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects and protect
vulnerable populations. It chronologically traces containment, closure policies, social policies and programmes
put in place following t...he announcement of Covid-19 as a global pandemic. A combination of external con-
straints and domestic structures, i.e. informality and weak coordination, led to truncated efforts in the healthcare
response, while persistent inequalities in access to technology and high levels of informality led to fragmented
education, labour policies and social protection responses. The report zooms into the Family Protection Grant
(Bono de Protección Familiar or BPF), a new social protection programme that covers informal workers, which
captures the difficulties in reaching unregistered populations amid lockdown and containment measures.
more
Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment, expecting to share their invaluable practical advice and references with medical staff around the world. This handbook compared and analyzed the experience of other experts in China, and provides good reference to key departments such as hospital infect...ion management, nursing, and outpatient clinics. This handbook provides comprehensive guidelines and best practices by China's top experts for coping with COVID-19.
This handbook, provided by the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, describes how organizations can minimize the cost while maximizing the effect of measures to manage and control the coronavirus outbreak. The handbook also discusses why hospitals and other healthcare institutions should have command centers when encountering a large-scale emergency in the context of COVID-19. This handbook also includes the following:
- Technical strategies for addressing issues during emergencies.
- Treatment methods to treat the critically ill.
- Efficient clinical decision-making support.
- Best practices for key departments like inflection management and outpatient clinics.
more
The report showed commitments made three decades ago to protect the rights of children remain unfulfilled for millions. Violence still affects countless children. Discrimination based on age, gender, disability, sexual orientation and religion harms children worldwide.
The UN Convention on the Ri...ghts of the Child is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. It has prompted substantial investment in children’s health, education and safety and the adoption of laws and policies that recognise the rights of children, particularly in areas where they are vulnerable, including labour exploitation, corporal punishment, alternative care and forced and early marriage.
more
In view of the global concern overthe outbreak of the Zika virus, both Elsevier and The Lancet have created a Zika Virus Resource Center on Elsevier Connect with the latest updates, research, reviews, editorials, correspondence and comentary to help healthcare professionals, medical researchers
and... the public understand the outbreak. Both info centers are advised by clinicians and professional editors and will be updated with the most current research and evidence-based information available
more
This video animation was created for use in West Africa to help dispel myths about how Ebola is spread, and to prevent infection and further spreading of the disease. The story is based around a teenage boy on a hospital cot in Liberia, who speaks to his parents, brother and sister warning them abou...t the disease and telling them how it can be prevented. The story highlights the need for isolation and shows the heartache of the family as they are unable to comfort, touch, or care for the boy who is very ill. His words are words of comfort to those who are separated from their loved ones as they are encouraged to take care of themselves and keep away from those who are ill.
The video was created by Chocolate Moose Media, an organisation specialising in the use of film and animation for behaviour change, and mobile-health-education innovator iHeed, in collaboration with United Methodist Communications, who provided partial funding.
The video, which uses only young voices, is being made available in eight versions: Nigerian English and Pidgin, South African English, French (for Ivory Coast and Guinea), Sierra Leone English, and Liberian English and Krio. It can be downloaded in high definition, low definition, and for use on mobile platforms.
more
The South African Pharmacy Council’s vision is to strive for quality pharmaceutical services for all the people of South Africa, and the Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) manual affords us the opportunity to improve the quality of our work. The additional standards in this edition aim at doing just tha...t - to assist in the promotion of the provision of pharmaceutical care which complies with universal norms and values, both in the private and public sector, and the promotion of the health and quality of life of patients. The GPP standards are for use by all practising pharmacists and other healthcare professionals providing a pharmaceutical-related service to patients. All healthcare professionals are therefore urged to embrace the manual and support its implementation.
more
These Guidelines are intended to provide knowledge to the treating ophthalmologists, pediatricians, ocular oncologists, pediatric oncologists, and general physicians to arrive at an early diagnosis of retinoblastoma in the settings of district hospital, in private clinics and hospitals. The guidelin...es will enable the contact health personnel to refer at the right
time to the tertiary care hospital for management of retinoblastoma.
more
The CDC Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis are a series of nine educational modules divided into two courses. The first course (Modules 1–5) provides fundamental information about tuberculosis, while the second course (Modules 6–9) offers more specific program-related details. These modules are ...designed for healthcare providers and other professionals who want to expand their knowledge of tuberculosis through self-study.
The modules cover topics such as transmission, pathogenesis, epidemiology, targeted testing, diagnosis, treatment, infection control, patient management, patient rights, contact investigations, and outbreak response. Some modules also offer the opportunity to earn continuing education credits.
more
Recognizing neglected tropical diseseases through changes on the skin.
App for Android and IOS, free of charge. The App is available in English and French, with plans to explore translations into other languages, such as Portuguese and Spanish, to better serve diverse communities.
A patient's skin... is the first and most visible structure of the body that a healthcare worker encounters during an examination. It is also highly visible to the patient, and any disease that affects it can be felt and has an impact on personal and social wellbeing. The skin is therefore an important entry point for diagnosis and management. Many human diseases are associated with changes in the skin, ranging from symptoms such as itching to changes in colour, feel and appearance.
more
The document is a comprehensive practical guide for managing cholera epidemics. It includes detailed instructions on outbreak investigation, control measures, case management, and the organization of treatment facilities. It emphasizes strategies such as rehydration therapy, water sanitation, hygien...e promotion, and vaccination to prevent the spread of cholera. The guide serves as a resource for healthcare professionals, logisticians, and public health officials to respond effectively to cholera outbreaks.
more
The document provides comprehensive guidelines on cholera outbreak management, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. It emphasizes rapid response measures, the importance of rehydration therapy (oral and intravenous), and public health interventions such as water sanitation, hygiene promot...ion, and disease surveillance to control the spread of cholera in affected communities. It is designed as a resource for healthcare providers and public health officials.
more
The document provides comprehensive guidelines on cholera outbreak management, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. It emphasizes rapid response measures, the importance of rehydration therapy (oral and intravenous), and public health interventions such as water sanitation, hygiene promot...ion, and disease surveillance to control the spread of cholera in affected communities. It is designed as a resource for healthcare providers and public health officials.
more
The article focuses on "The State of the World’s Children 2023" report published by UNICEF. It highlights the critical role of vaccines in saving lives and the challenges in global immunization efforts, especially for marginalized and underserved children. The report emphasizes the impact of COVID...-19 on routine immunization, leaving millions of children unprotected from preventable diseases. It calls for urgent measures to restore and improve vaccination coverage, ensure equity in vaccine access, strengthen primary healthcare systems, and build trust in vaccines. The report also advocates for innovations and sustainable funding to achieve immunization for every child.
more
The article focuses on "The State of the World’s Children 2023" report published by UNICEF. It highlights the critical role of vaccines in saving lives and the challenges in global immunization efforts, especially for marginalized and underserved children. The report emphasizes the impact of COVID...-19 on routine immunization, leaving millions of children unprotected from preventable diseases. It calls for urgent measures to restore and improve vaccination coverage, ensure equity in vaccine access, strengthen primary healthcare systems, and build trust in vaccines. The report also advocates for innovations and sustainable funding to achieve immunization for every child.
more