the aid library

Coverage at a crossroads: New directions for vitamin A supplementation programmes

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2018)

In where under-five mortality is high and vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem, two high-dose supplements of vitamin A per year, spaced four to six months apart, can strengthen children’s immune systems and improve their chances of survival.
During much of early childhood – from ... more

Guidelines for Diagnosing and Managing Disseminated Histoplasmosis among People Living with HIV
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. This disease is highly endemic in some regions of North America, Central America, and South America and is also reported in certain countries of Asia and Africa. It often affects people with impaired ... more

The urgency of now - Turning the tide against epidemic and pandemic infectious diseases

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) (2021) CC

CEPI is seeking to raise $3.5 billion to implement CEPI’s next 5-year plan. To mitigate the immediate threat of COVID-19 variants, it is activating key elements of this plan now—and seeking to mobilise a portion of this $3.5 billion in 2021. We have already launched R&D programmes to initiate de ... more

Geographical Distribution of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Pathogenesis

Flaih, M. (2021) CC

Leishmaniasis is still considered to be a global health problem, which spreads in most countries in the world. Leishmania is an intracellular obligate protistan parasite that causes different clinical symptoms in infected humans and other animals. There are clinically different types of the disease ... more

Undernourished and Overlooked: A Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women.

UNICEF (2023) C_UNICEF

There has been important progress for the rights of adolescent girls and women in recent decades, yet millions still struggle to access the nutritious diets, essential nutrition services and nutrition and care practices they need to prevent malnutrition. Undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies ... more

Therapeutics and COVID-19 (Living Guideline, 10 November 2023)

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

WHO has updated its guidelines for COVID-19 therapeutics, with revised recommendations for patients with non-severe COVID-19. This is the 13th update to these guidelines. Updated risk rates for hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19 The guidance includes updated risk rates for ... hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19. The current COVID-19 virus variants tend to cause less severe disease while immunity levels are higher due to vaccination, leading to lower risks of severe illness and death for most patients. This update includes new baseline risk estimates for hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19. The new ‘moderate risk’ category now includes people previously considered to be high risk including older people and/or those with chronic conditions, disabilities, and comorbidities of chronic disease. The updated risk estimates will assist healthcare professionals to identify individuals at high, moderate or low risk of hospital admission, and to tailor treatment according to WHO guidelines: **High: **People who are immunosuppressed remain at higher risk if they contract COVID-19, with an estimated hospitalization rate of 6%. **Moderate: **People over 65 years old, those with conditions like obesity, diabetes and/or chronic conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney or liver disease, cancer, people with disabilities and those with comorbidities of chronic disease are at moderate risk, with an estimated hospitalization rate of 3%. Low: Those who are not in the high or moderate risk categories are at low risk of hospitalization (0.5%). Most people are low risk. Review of COVID-19 treatments for people with non-severe COVID-19 WHO continues to strongly recommend nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (also known by its brand name ‘Paxlovid’) for people at high-risk and moderate risk of hospitalization. The recommendations state that nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is considered the best choice for most eligible patients, given its therapeutic benefits, ease of administration and fewer concerns about potential harms. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir was first recommended by WHO in April 2022. If nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is not available to patients at high-risk of hospitalization, WHO suggests the use of molnupiravir or remdesivir instead. WHO suggests against the use of molnupiravir and remdesivir for patients at moderate risk, judging the potential harms to outweigh the limited benefits in patients at moderate risk of hospital admission. For people at low risk of hospitalization, WHO does not recommend any antiviral therapy. Symptoms like fever and pain can continue to be managed with analgesics like paracetamol. WHO also recommends against use of a new antiviral (VV116) for patients, except in clinical trials. The update also includes a strong recommendation against the use of ivermectin for patients with non-severe COVID-19. WHO continues to advise that in patients with severe or critical COVID-19, ivermectin should only be used in clinical trials. more

Update 80: What we know about new COVID-19 Variants of Concern - the latest on the global situation & Omicron BA.4/5

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

While COVID-19 virus continues to circulate and evolve, new variants are constantly emerging. Most of the current COVID-19 cases are driven by the circulation of the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron. The COVID-19 vaccines are being updated with Omicron variants to provide broader ... more

Targeted and selective strategies in measles and rubella vaccination campaigns: Interim guidance

World Health Organization WHO (2025) C_WHO

The World Health Organization provides regional and national strategies and operational plans that aim to support countries in work to achieve measles control and elimination. These are guided by high level frameworks including the Immunization Agenda 2030 and the Measles and Rubella Strategic Frame ... more

Contact tracing and quarantine in the context of COVID-19: interim guidance, 6 July 2022
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

Contact tracing for COVID-19 is the process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to someone who has been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, while quarantine is the separation of contacts from other people after exposure to a probable or confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 i ... more

What is Dengue? Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and treatment.

Medical Centric Medical Centric (2018) CC

Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0.27 Causes of Dengue Fever 1:09 Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Fever 2:30 Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever 3:53 Diagnosis of Dengue Fever 4:10 Treatment of Dengue Fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically beg ... more

Single-Dose Cholera Vaccine in Response to an Outbreak in Zambia

Ferreras, E.; (2018) C2

The study on single-dose cholera vaccine in Zambia evaluates the effectiveness of using a single dose of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) during a 2016 outbreak in Lusaka. Due to limited vaccine supply, authorities opted for a one-dose emergency campaign instead of the usual two-dose regimen. A matche ... more

Vaccines 101: How vaccines work

Nature Video (2020) CC

As the world waits for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, we delve into how vaccines actually work. What are the different types of vaccine? How do they trigger and train the immune system, and what is the role of herd immunity?

Overview on Chikungunya Virus Infection: From Epidemiology to State-of-the-Art Experimental Models

Constant, L.E.C.; B.F. Rajsfus, P. H. Carneiro Frontiers in Microbiology (2021) CC

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is currently one of the most relevant arboviruses to public health. It is a member of the Togaviridae family and alphavirus genus and causes an arthritogenic disease known as chikungunya fever (CHIKF). It is characterized by a multifaceted disease, which is distinguished fr ... more

Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease (‎COVID-19)‎: a living guideline, 13 January 2023

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

The WHO continuously reviews available data on SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. For this version, the global epidemiological situation of the COVID-19 pandemic as of 21 January 2022 – at a time when the Omicron VOC had been identified in 171 countries across all six WHO Regions and was rapidly re ... more

Hesitation and Refusal Factors in Individuals' Decision-Making Processes Regarding a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination

Cerda A. A., Garcia L. Y. (2021) C2

Introduction: Considering the global prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a vaccine is being developed to control the disease as a complementary solution to hygiene measures—and better, in social terms, than social distancing. Given that a vaccine will eventually be produced, informa ... more

Malaria and HIV coinfection in sub-Saharan Africa: prevalence, impact, and treatment strategies

Kwenti, T. (2018) C2

Malaria and HIV, two of the world’s most deadly diseases, are widespread, but their distribution overlaps greatly in sub-Saharan Africa. Consequently, malaria and HIV coinfection (MHC) is common in the region. In this paper, pertinent publications on the prevalence, impact, and treatment strategie ... more

Lograr una mejor inmunidad: el enfoque de curso de vida para una longevidad saludable

Pan American Health Organization PAHO (2023) C_WHO

A medida que las Américas experimentan un profundo cambio demográfico y hay más personas de 65 años que menores de 5 años, es crucial reconocer que los programas nacionales de inmunización deben rediseñarse para garantizar una protección integral a las personas a lo largo de toda su vida. Al ... more

Profil national de la fièvre jaune: Argentine

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2022) C_WHO

La fièvre jaune est endémique dans plusieurs pays d'Amérique latine. Afin d'aider les décideurs à hiérarchiser les actions de prévention contre cette maladie, l'Organisation panaméricaine de la santé présente ces profils de pays avec une sélection concise et complète de données provenan ... more

Country Profile on Yellow Fever: Argentina

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2022) C_WHO

This country profile presents a summary and analysis of Argentina's status with yellow fever. It is part of a series of profiles on this topic, each focusing on a different country in the Region of the Americas. Argentina's geographical location presents a wide territorial extension throughout diffe ... more