Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause a considerable burden of morbidity
and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and
affordable essential medicines is variable. We aimed to review the existing ...literature relating to the availability, cost,
and affordability of WHO’s essential medicines for asthma and COPD in LMICs.
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What you should do as head of school or child centre to prevent cholera:
Educate all staff and pupils on the common cholera transmission routes and how to prevent it.
Educate all kitchen staff on how to handle food and cooking utensils. Emphasis the key points below:
o All kitchen staff MUST wa...sh their hands with soap and chlorine solution before cooking or handling food.
o All food should be properly stored to prevent contamination from insects etc.
o Wash all food in safe water.
o All food served should be properly cooked, and served hot.
o Only allow kitchen staff to enter the kitchen and to serve food.
o Wash dishes with soap or chlorine solution and rinse under safe water. Dry dishes on a rack well above the ground and in the direct sunlight (sunlight will help to disinfect).
All students should wash their hands with soap and safe water or chlorine solution before eating
Avoid washing your hands in a bowl of standing water, always use safe, running water!
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Initial public health responses to control the pandemic focused on promoting protective behaviors among the general population, including frequent hand washing, physical distancing and the use of face masks in public spaces However, many saw these only as interim measures to reduce the spread of the... virus and hopes for a return to a sense of ‘ rested on the development of a safe and effective vaccine.
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The roadmap describes the actions needed to
achieve the three development goals for TB
vaccines set by the WHO:
1. A safe, effective and affordable TB vaccine
for adolescents and adults.
2. An affordable TB vaccine for neonates and
infants with improved safety and efficacy.
3. A therapeutic v...accine to improve TB
treatment outcomes
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In the face of rapid increases in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, coupled with shortages of human and material resources, including medical equipment and gases, there is a need to redesign models of care in the Region to optimize available resources... and ensure that more patients receive the quantity and quality of oxygen they need. Oxygen is included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines and is used to care for patients at all levels of integrated health services networks. The efficacy of oxygen use in the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions caused by COVID-19 has been demonstrated, but there is great opportunity to improve the effectiveness of its use if it is used in a rational, sustainable, and safe way. Bearing in mind that the efficacy of a health technology is measured by its benefit under actual conditions of use, practical actions can be taken to improve the use of medical oxygen and avoid oxygen shortages. A drug is considered to be used rationally when patients receive it according to their clinical needs, in doses appropriate to their individual needs, for an appropriate period, and at a low cost to them and their community. By providing instruction on the rational use of oxygen and promoting it, negative repercussions can be avoided, such as loss of efficacy as a result of activities related to oxygen storage, distribution, and administration. Rational use of oxygen also involves controlling waste due to leaks in storage and distribution systems, use of gas at incorrect pressures, use of incorrectly adjusted flowmeters, and disconnections, among other problems. Another aspect to consider is the provision of adequate technical support for all oxygen production systems, in terms of maintenance and calibration, availability of electrical energy, and specific knowledge about these systems. For these reasons, a set of guidelines has been put together for the development of an efficient management system to deal with situations of oxygen scarcity, both now and in the future.
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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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April 15, 2020
COVideo19 is an initiative led by students and faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health aimed at disseminating science-based information about COVID19. We want to make it easy for you and your loved ones to learn how to stay safe during this pandemic that has ...cost so many lives around the world.
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Under the theme “Stronger Together”, the campaign aims to offer information and strategies to assist communities in the region in better coping with the psychological impact of adverse events before, during and after a disaster situation. It also aims to raise awareness to reduce the stigma abou...t seeking mental health and psychosocial support.
You can download a wide range of communication material: videos, posters, radio jingles, guidebooks.
The Caribbean is highly prone to natural hazards, including seismic activity, hurricanes, landslides and floods. These events have resulted in lost lives, serious injuries and severe damage to housing and infrastructure. A single hurricane event can affect more than one island, and completely erase the gains of many years of productivity. As a result, these unpredictable hazards create disruption and have an ongoing impact on people’s lives - affecting their mental health and psychosocial well-being.
Although everyone is affected in some way by disaster events, there are a wide range of reactions and feelings that a person can experience. People may feel overwhelmed, confused or very uncertain about what is happening. They can also feel very fearful, anxious, numb or detached. People who feel safe, connected, calm and hopeful, have access to social, physical and emotional support and find ways to help themselves after a disaster, however, will be better able to recover long-term from mental health effects
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This course is based on the Manual on Safety in Administering Medicines for Neglected Tropical Diseases which provides practical tools, training modules and jobs aids to further improve the planning, preparation, and monitoring of safe administration of NTD medicines.
The Clinical Management of Patients with COVID-19 course series is developed for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course provides crucial knowledge necessary to provide safe, effective quality patient care. Presentations address all aspects of clinical management, including facil...ity preparation and surge planning; health worker infection prevention and control; interfacility transfer; clinical management of mild, moderate, and severely ill patients with COVID-19; special considerations for geriatric, pregnant, and pediatric patients with COVID-19; rehabilitation; and ethics and palliative care.
The course series consists of 6 courses, which include video lectures and downloadable presentations that have been updated with the latest guidance and evidence. Each module contains 5-8 lectures, and each lecture includes a quiz to evaluate knowledge acquisition.
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his course is intended for decision-makers and programme managers who want to learn more about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its 5 modules introduce NTDs, outline the impact of COVID-19 on NTD programmes and WHO’s response to mitigate its consequences,... and finally present WHO’s recommendations on maintenance of essential health services for NTDs as well as guidance on adaptation and safe resumption of community-based NTD activities during the pandemic.
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West: Drada & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra
South: Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
This technical document consists of epidemiological profiles (fact-sheets) for States and districts based on information available from multiple d...ata sources including the HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) and the Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance (IBBS). Given the need for focussed prevention efforts in low/high prevalence and vulnerable States/districts, the information presented will be useful for policy makers, program planners at national/State/ district level, researchers, and academicians in identification of areas for priority attention and also to derive meaningful conclusions for programme planning, implementation, monitoring and scale-up. This document will be a quick reference for the HIV/AIDS situation in a State/district, risk and safe behaviour of the high risk groups, their level of knowledge about STIs and HIV/AIDS, experience of violence, HIV testing and ART awareness and exposure to HIV/AIDS prevention.
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Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura
This technical document consists of epidemiological profiles (fact-sheets) for States and districts based on information available from multiple data sources including the HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) and the In...tegrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance (IBBS). Given the need for focussed prevention efforts in low/high prevalence and vulnerable States/districts, the information presented will be useful for policy makers, program planners at national/State/ district level, researchers, and academicians in identification of areas for priority attention and also to derive meaningful conclusions for programme planning, implementation, monitoring and scale-up. This document will be a quick reference for the HIV/AIDS situation in a State/district, risk and safe behaviour of the high risk groups, their level of knowledge about STIs and HIV/AIDS, experience of violence, HIV testing and ART awareness and exposure to HIV/AIDS prevention.
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The Ethiopian Hospital Services Transformation Guidelines (EHSTG) build on and expand the Ethiopian Hospital Reform Implementation Guidelines (EHRIG) and are consistent with the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP). The EHSTG, which is consistent with the national focu...s on quality improvement in health care, contains a common set of guidelines to help hospital Chief Executive Officers(CEOs), managers, and clinicians (care providers) in steering the consistent implementation of these transformational systems and processes in hospitals throughout the country. The EHSTG focused on selected management and clinical functions, including new individual service specific chapters for Emergency Medical, Outpatient and Inpatient Services, Nursing and Midwifery, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health and Teaching Hospitals’ Management. These guidelines also incorporate recent lessons from the operationalization of the EHRIG, as well as, new national initiatives such as the Guidelines for the Management of Federal Hospitals in Ethiopia, Hospital Development Army (HDA), Clean and Safe Hospital (CASH), and Auditable Pharmaceutical Transaction and Service (APTS).
II10 Pharmacy ChapterIt is expected that the guidelines will continuously evolve as new evidence emerges regarding improved hospital care and practices that are better tailored to needs and circumstances of different tiers of public hospitals. We are grateful to all partners that have participated in the production of these guidelines. Special thanks go to our colleagues at the Clinton Health Access Initiative for their substantial contributions and support throughout the development of these guidelines as well as their dedicated efforts in support of our health reform efforts in so many other capacities
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Northern: Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand
Central: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
Eastern: Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal
This technical document consists of epidemiological ...profiles (fact-sheets) for States and districts based on information available from multiple data sources including the HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) and the Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance (IBBS). Given the need for focussed prevention efforts in low/high prevalence and vulnerable States/districts, the information presented will be useful for policy makers, program planners at national/State/ district level, researchers, and academicians in identification of areas for priority attention and also to derive meaningful conclusions for programme planning, implementation, monitoring and scale-up. This document will be a quick reference for the HIV/AIDS situation in a State/district, risk and safe behaviour of the high risk groups, their level of knowledge about STIs and HIV/AIDS, experience of violence, HIV testing and ART awareness and exposure to HIV/AIDS prevention.
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This document provides additional guidance for the responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, and should be read in conjunction with the Recommended International Code of Practice for Control of the Use of Veterinary Drugs CAC/RCP 38-1993. Its obj...ectives are to minimize the potential adverse impact on public health resulting from the use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals, in particular the development of antimicrobial resistance. It is also important to provide for the safe and effective use of veterinary antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine by maintaining their efficacy. This document defines the respective responsibilities of authorities and groups involved in the authorization, production, control, distribution and use of veterinary antimicrobials such as the national regulatory authorities, the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, veterinarians, distributors and producers of food-producing animals.
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Infection prevention and control (IPC) in a CTC/ CTU IPC are all practical measures taken in the healthcare facility to prevent harm caused by infections to patients, health workers and communities.
The main goal of IPC in the cholera response is to
• To reduce transmission of health care-as...sociated infections of cholera and any other infectious disease
• To enhance the safety of staff, patients and visitors
• To enhance the ability of the organization/health care facility to respond to an outbreak
• To reduce the risk of the hospital (health care facility) itself amplifying the outbreak
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
WASH are all measures taken to guarantee environmental hygiene, safe water of all used within the health facility. It encompasses water, sanitation, waste management, cleaning within the health facility which in this case is CTU/C. A complete WASH package in the CTU/CTC reduces the risk of spread of Vibrio cholerae inside and outside the CTC/CTU.
The probability of spreading or acquiring cholera through a CTC/CTU can be highly reduced when proper IPC and WASH measures are respected, followed and monitored. These measures are, in principle, valid in CTC/CTUs and ORPs, although they need to be adapted to the specific characteristics of the facility concerned.
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global human, animal, plant and environment health threat that needs to be addressed by every country. The impacts of AMR are wide-ranging in terms of human health, animal health, food security and safety, environmental effects on ecosystems and biodiversity, and ...socioeconomic development. Just like the climate crisis, AMR poses a significant threat to the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The response to the AMR crisis has been spearheaded through the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance (GAP-AMR), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and formally endorsed by the three organizations’ governing bodies and by the Political Declaration of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on AMR in 2016. In 2022, the three organizations officially became the Quadripartite by welcoming the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into the alliance “to accelerate coordination strategy on human, animal and ecosystem health”.
The aim of the GAP-AMR is to ensure the continuity of successful treatment with effective and safe medicines.
Its strategic objectives include:
• improving the awareness and understanding of AMR;
• strengthening the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and research;
• reducing the incidence of infection through effective sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention measures; optimizing the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health; and
• developing the economic case for sustainable investment that takes account of the needs of all countries and increasing investment in new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions.
With the adoption of the GAP-AMR, countries agreed to develop national action plans (NAPs) aligned with the GAP-AMR to mainstream AMR interventions nationally. Individually, the Quadripartite took action to advance AMR interventions in their respective sectors. FAO adopted a resolution on AMR recognizing that it poses an increasingly serious threat to public health and sustainable food production, and developed an AMR action plan to support the resolution’s implementation. For its part, WOAH developed a strategy on AMR aligned with the GAP-AMR, acknowledging the importance of a One Health approach to AMR. Similarly, more recently, UNEP’s governing body, the United Nations Environment Assembly, recognized that AMR is a current and increasing threat and a challenge to global health, food security and the sustainable development of all countries, and welcomed the GAP-AMR and the NAPs developed in accordance with its five overarching strategic objectives
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This brief summarizes current evidence and guidance for maintaining safe and effective care across the spectrum of maternal, newborn and infant care while protecting mother and child and health care providers during COVID-19. Furthermore, implications of the principle of “do no harm” are reviewe...d for maternal, newborn and infant care delivery during COVID-19, so that this information is conveniently and readily available to clinical and health system policy leaders and stakeholders in countries and communities. Additionally, considerations for safe oxygen delivery as well as key Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures at home and in healthcare facilities for pregnant women, newborns and children are described in detail in the brief.
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Many children will not be ‘safe to learn at home’: As of April 2020, 91 percent of the world’s students have been affected by school closures due to COVID-19. While schools are often places where violence occurs, they also offer a comparatively protective and nurturing space for many children.... Especially for the most vulnerable learners -the poorest and most left behind- that rely on school not only for learning and development, but also for food, trusted and accurate information on important issues such as hygiene, and their overall physical and mental health.
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