A century after its discovery, Chagas' disease still represents a major public health challenge in Latin America. Moreover, because of growing population movements, an increasing number of cases of imported Chagas' disease have now been detected in non-endemic areas, such as North America and some E...uropean countries. This parasitic zoonosis, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted to humans by infected Triatominae insects, or occasionally by non-vectorial mechanisms, such as blood transfusion, mother to fetus, or oral ingestion of materials contaminated with parasites. Following the acute phase of the infection, untreated individuals enter a chronic phase that is initially asymptomatic or clinically unapparent. Usually, a few decades later, 40-50% of patients develop progressive cardiomyopathy and/or motility disturbances of the oesophagus and colon. In the last decades several interventions targeting primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of Chagas' disease have been attempted. While control of both vectorial and blood transfusion transmission of T cruzi (primary prevention) has been successful in many regions of Latin America, early detection and aetiological treatment of asymptomatic subjects with Chagas' disease (secondary prevention) have been largely underutilised. At the same time, in patients with established chronic disease, several pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are currently available and have been increasingly used with the intention of preventing or delaying complications of the disease (tertiary prevention). In this review we discuss in detail each of these issues.
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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.
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Leishmaniose cutanée : un important problèmede santé
La leishmaniose cutanée est une maladie potentiellement grave et défigurante. Les personnes atteintes de leishmaniose cutanée ont une ou plusieurs lésions durables sur la peau, le plus souvent sans fièvre ni symptômes généraux. L'impac...t de la leishmaniose cutanée sur la propagation de la pauvreté est important, car le traitement est coûteux et donc inabordable ou implique une grande perte d’argent.
Le coût du traitement et de la mise en œuvre de stratégies de prévention nécessite un investissement considérable de ressources financières et humaines. La leishmaniose cutanée est un problème de santé publique majeur dans la Région de l'OMS pour la Méditerranée orientale. Des nouveaux cas apparaissent dans des zones précédemment indemnes de la maladie. Plus de 100 000 nouveaux cas de leishmaniose cutanée sont notifiés chaque année à l'OMS par les pays de la Région, mais les estimations relatives à l'incidence réelle sont de trois à cinq fois plus élevées car de nombreux patients ne consultent jamais un médecin ou un professionnel de santé et les cas ayant reçu un diagnostic de leishmaniose cutanée ne sont pas toujours notifiés aux autorités sanitaires.
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Abstract: Chagas disease is caused by infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, and although over 100 years have passed since the discovery of Chagas disease, it still presents an increasing problem for global public health. A plethora of information concerning the chronic phase of human Chaga...s disease, particularly the severe cardiac form, is available in the literature. However, information concerning events during the acute phase of the disease is scarce. In this review, we will discuss the current status of acute Chagas disease cases globally, the immunological findings related to the acute phase and their possible influence in disease outcome, and reactivation of Chagas disease in immunocompromised individuals, a key point for transplantation and HIV invection management.
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DNA studies of Egyptian mummies shows evidence of the existence of Schistosomiasis about 5000 years ago. Schistosomiasis is increasing in prevalence, affecting nearly 10% of the world’s population and ranking second only to malaria as a cause of morbidity & mortality.
Schistosoma haematobium are... found in tropical Africa & part of southwest Asia.
Schistosoma mansoni are found in tropical Africa, part of southwest Asia, south America & Caribbean islands.
Schistosoma japonicum are found in parts of Japan, China, Philippines, India & part of southeast Asia.
Blood flukes are known as schistosomes because of the "split body" on the ventral side of the male, in which the female is held during insemination and egg laying.
Man is the definite host harbouring adult parasites, and fresh water snails are intermediate hosts.
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Datos y cifras
Se calcula que en el mundo hay entre 6 y 7 millones de personas infectadas por el Trypanosoma cruzi, el parásito causante de la enfermedad de Chagas, la mayoría de ellas en América Latina.
La infección por Trypanosoma cruzi se puede curar si el tratamiento se administra al poco ...tiempo de producirse la infección.
Hasta un 30% de los enfermos crónicos presentan alteraciones cardíacas y hasta un 10% padecen alteraciones digestivas, neurológicas o combinadas que pueden requerir un tratamiento específico.
El control de vectores y otras estrategias destinadas a reducir la transmisión que estos producen son los métodos más útiles para prevenir la enfermedad de Chagas en América Latina.
Los análisis de sangre son fundamentales para prevenir la infección por transfusiones o trasplantes de órganos en todo el mundo.
La detección y el tratamiento de niñas infectadas y mujeres infectadas en edad fértil es clave, además del cribado de los recién nacidos y otros hijos de madres infectadas que no hayan recibido antes tratamiento antiparasitario.
La enfermedad de Chagas, también llamada tripanosomiasis americana, es una enfermedad potencialmente mortal causada por el parásito protozoo Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi).
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High prevalence of target diseases in rural and developing nations, increased prevalence of malnutrition across the globe, lack of hygiene and poor sanitation facilities, Migratory patterns of population, introduction of new chemical entity in the field of therapeutics, favorable government regulati...ons, and increased R&D investments are key factors contributing to high CAGR of point of care diagnostics market during the forecast period.
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Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease that typically results from the injection of a mixture of different toxins (“venom”) following the bite of a venomous snake. Envenoming can also be caused by venom being sprayed into a person’s eyes by certain species of snakes tha...t have the ability to spit venom as a defence measure. Not all snakebites result in envenoming: some snakes are non-venomous and venomous snakes do not always inject venom during a bite. About 50–55% of all snakebites result in envenoming. Snake venoms are complex mixtures of protein and peptide toxins, varying from one species to another, and even within species. The toxins in snake venoms are evolutionarily adapted to interact with a large variety of cellular targets in the organisms exposed to them. In humans and animals, snakebite envenoming affects multiple organ systems (depending on the particular species of snake and the classes of toxins present in the venom) and can cause, among other things: haemorrhage and prolonged disruption of haemostasis, neuromuscular paralysis, tissue necrosis, myolysis (muscle degeneration), cardiotoxicity, acute kidney injury, thrombosis and hypovolaemic shock.
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Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An
understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and
control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis
prevention and control. To this must b...e added the awareness that schistosomiasis is
also a disease of poverty. It still survives in poverty-stricken, remote areas where there
is little or no safe water or sanitation, and health care is scarce or non-existent. For
a variety of complex reasons, many of which are addressed in this book, the disease
is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and persists in certain areas of rural
China. This concern for human behaviour in an environment of poverty echoes the
concerns of the new research priority for “diseases of poverty” identified by the
Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases.
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Rabies is an infectious viral disease that is almost always fatal once clinical symptoms appear.
In most cases, the disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of a rabid dog, but infection can also spread through scratches or via saliva.
Rabies kills one person every 9 minutes and children aged ...5–14 years are frequent victims.
Yet rabies is 100% vaccine preventable. Vaccinating dogs is the most cost-effective way to prevent rabies in people.
Education about dog behaviour, immediate care measures after a bite, responsible dog ownership and bite prevention are essential components of rabies elimination.
WHO and partners aim to achieve zero human rabies deaths by 2030.
The time to act is now.
More information: http://www.who.int/rabies/en/
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Based on scientific evidence, expert consensus and country experiences, the WHO core components for infection prevention and control (IPC) are the foundation for establishing or strengthening effective programmes at the national and facility level.
These new guidelines on core components of infecti...on prevention and control (IPC) at the national and acute health care facility level will enhance the capacity of Member States to develop and implement effective technical and behaviour modifying interventions. They form a key part of WHO strategies to prevent current and future threats from infectious diseases such as Ebola, strengthen health service resilience, help combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and improve the overall quality of health care delivery. They are also intended to support countries in the development of their own national protocols for IPC and AMR action plans and to support health care facilities as they develop or strengthen their own approaches to IPC.
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This guide to local production of WHO-recommended handrub formulations is separated into two discrete but interrelated sections:
Part A provides a practical guide for use at the pharmacy bench during the actual preparation of the formulation. Users may want to display the material on the wall of ...the production unit.
Part B summarizes some essential background technical information and is taken from WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (2009). Within Part B the user has access to important safety and cost information and supplementary material relating to dispensers and distribution.
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Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a significant burden globally, with millions of patients affected each year. These infections affect both high- and limited-resource healthcare settings, but in limited-resource settings, rates are approximately twice as high as high-resource settings (15 o...ut of every 100 patients versus 7 out of every 100 patients). Furthermore, rates of infections within certain patient populations are significantly higher in limited-resource settings, including surgical patients, patients in intensive-care units (ICU) and neonatal units. It is well documented that environmental contamination plays a role in the transmission of HAIs in healthcare settings. Therefore, environmental cleaning is a fundamental intervention for infection prevention and control (IPC).It is a multifaceted intervention that involves cleaning and disinfection (when indicated) of the environment alongside other key program elements to support successful implementation (e.g., leadership support, training, monitoring, and feedback mechanisms). To be effective, environmental cleaning activities must be implemented within the framework of the facility IPC program, and not as a standalone intervention. It is also essential that IPC programs advocate for and work with facility administration and government officials to budget, operate and maintain adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure to ensure that environmental cleaning can be performed according to best practices.
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More than 700 000 people lose their life to suicide every year. A core foundation of suicide prevention is the timely registration and regular monitoring of suicide and self-harm. Surveillance data can be used to show important progress towards reaching global targets, such as reducing the suicide r...ate by one third by 2030 as articulated in the UN SDGs and in the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030. However, there are considerable discrepancies in the quality of data on suicide and self-harm globally. The aim of this training manual is to equip fieldworkers and supervisors with the skills to collect and manage data on suicide and self-harm in the community via key informants, health-care facilities and police records. In doing so, the value and overall goal is to strengthen the surveillance of suicide and self-harm in communities, particularly in LMICs and hard-to-reach communities where CRVS systems are weak or absent.
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Member States have requested WHO policy guidance on how to facilitate the implementation of national AMS activities in an integrated and programmatic approach. This policy guidance responds to that demand from Member States and is anchored in public health guiding principles in the human health sect...or. It provides evidence-based and pragmatic recommendations to drive comprehensive and integrated AMS activities under the purview of a central national coordination unit, National AMR steering or coordinating committees or other equivalent national authorities.
Please note that this course is part of a training package, so please register for the complementary course Antimicrobial stewardship programmes in health-care facilities in low- and middle-income countries: a WHO practical toolkit so that you can complete your learning journey.
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L'anthrax est une maladie bactérienne, causée par Bacillus anthracis, qui peut se transmettre des animaux
herbivores à l'homme par contact étroit, en mangeant de la viande d'animaux infectés, ou par contamination
environnementale. L'anthrax peut être une maladie grave nécessitant un diagnos...tic et un traitement précoces
pour éviter une issue fatale, un handicap ou une charge financière pour les patients et leurs familles. e. La
maladie affecte également le bien-être de l'homme lorsque le bétail constitue son moyen de subsistance et
un élément important de la pratique agricole. La prévention est un mayen efficace de lutte contre la maladie.
Ces observations fournissent des données sur la survenue des cas d’anthrax dans les communes de Alafia
et Douekiré dans la région de Tombouctou ; les caractéristiques des populations et la description de la zone
en appliquant une approche One Health et la vaccination du cheptel. L’objectif était de Vacciner au moins
80% du cheptel identifié des communes de Alafia dans le cercle de Tombouctou, et de Douekiré dans le
cercle Goundam contre le charbon bactéridien afin de prévenir une épizootie de pathologie infectieuse
zoonotique.
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As of 14 December 2021, a total of 19 laboratory-confirmed human rabies cases has been reported in South Africa for 2021. The cases are from Eastern Cape, KwaZuluNatal and Limpopo provinces. In addition, four probable rabies cases were reported from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces. A pr...obable case of rabies is defined as a person who has had a history of contact with a suspected or confirmed rabid animal and has developed an acute encephalitis with hyperactivity and paralytic signs and symptoms that progressed and resulted in death, usually by cardiac or respiratory failure, typically within ten days.
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Clin Microbiol Infect 2010; 16: 225–231 Abstract In non-endemic countries, acute (invasive) schistosomiasis (AS) is typically seen in non-immune travellers, whereas chronic schistosomiasis is more frequently diagnosed in immigrants. Travellers with AS initially present with non-specific signs such... as fever, cough, headache, and urticaria. Life-threatening cardiac and neurological complications may occur. The positive diagnosis of AS relies on seroconversion, which appears together with hypereosinophilia approximately 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms. When prescribed during AS, praziquantel usually does not prevent the chronic phase of the disease and is associated with exacerbation of signs and symptoms in approximately 50% of cases. According to the published literature, corticosteroids may be recommended alone or in association with praziquantel. When associated with corticosteroids, pharmacokinetic interactions may impair the efficacy of praziquantel. We suggest that corticosteroids should be restricted to use in patients with systemic complications of AS, whereas praziquantel should be initiated only when ova are detected in either stools or urine, depending on the culprit species.
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Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) affect 1.45 billion people worldwide, and high intensity infections are associated with anemia, undernutrition and impaired cognition, particularly among children. Mathematical models suggest it may be possible to interrupt the transmission of STH in a community by e...xpanding mass drug administration (MDA) from targeted high-risk groups (primarily school-aged children and women of child-bearing age) to all community members with high coverage. The DeWorm3 Project will test the feasibility of this approach to interrupting the transmission of STH using a series of cluster randomized trials in Benin, India and Malawi. Each study area (population 80,000) will be divided into 40 clusters and randomized to community-wide or standard-of-care targeted MDA for three years. Two years following the final round of MDA, prevalence of STH will be compared between arms and transmission interruption assessed in each cluster. The DeWorm3 trials will provide stakeholders with information regarding the potential to switch from STH control to a more ambitious and sustainable strategy.
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In the last decade, Timor-Leste has made remarkable progress in strengthening its health system and improving the health status of its population. This has resulted in an increased life expectancy, and the achievement of Millennium Development Goals such as a reduction in infant and under-five morta...lity, an improvement in maternal and child health outcomes, and an increase in immunization coverage. Further, the country has successfully eliminated infectious diseases such as polio, measles, and maternal and neonatal tetanus. There is full political commitment to reducing the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) by 80% and the number of deaths due to TB by 90% by 2030. The country has made great progress in the context of the pandemic, having established numerous quarantine facilities/isolation centres; trained health-care workers; streamlined the procurement and supply of medicines, consumables, personal protective equipment and other equipment; and strengthened the capacity in critical care across secondary and tertiary health care, to better respond to future pandemics and other disaster situations.
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