Unmet mental health needs in the Region of the Americas are a leading source of morbidity and mortality, which result in tremendous health, social, and economic consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis in the Region, necessitating urgent action at the highest leve...ls of government and across sectors to build back better mental health now and for the future. This landmark report is the result of the PAHO High-Level Commission on Mental Health and COVID-19. It provides an analysis of the mental health situation in the Region, followed by a series of recommendations and corresponding actions to support countries in the Americas to prioritize and advance mental health using human rights- and equity-based approaches.
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There is increasing interest in understanding the role of air pollution as one of the greatest threats to human health worldwide. Nine of 10 individuals breathe air with polluted compounds that have a great impact on lung tissue. The nature of the relationship is complex, and new or updated data are... constantly being reported in the literature. The goal of our review was to summarize the most important air pollutants and their impact on the main respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory infections, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis) to reduce both short- and the long-term exposure consequences. We considered the most important air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ozone, particulate matter and biomass smoke, and observed their impact on pulmonary pathologies. We focused on respiratory pathologies, because air pollution potentiates the increase in respiratory diseases, and the evidence that air pollutants have a detrimental effect is growing. It is imperative to constantly improve policy initiatives on air quality in both high- and low-income countries.
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Results from the baseline study indicated that schoolgirls in the southwestern refugee settlement context lacked access to the menstrual hygiene knowledge and products required for them to manage their menstruation in a healthy and dignified manner. Although UNHCR mandates that all women and girls o...f reproductive age are to receive distributions of disposable sanitary pads, soap and underwear, 71% of the girls reported not having enough menstrual products, 65% reported not having enough soap and 59% reported not having enough underwear. 44% percent also reported that they didn’t have enough information about menstrual hygiene.
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Guide de l’OMS pour prisede décisions éclairéeset harmonisation,à l’échelle nationale et internationale, dela préparation et la réponseen cas de grippe pandémique
Данный документ предназначен в первую очередь для работников здравоохранения. Поскольку социальные детерминанты нарушений психического здоровья и психосоциаль...ых проблем относятся ко многим различным секторам, каждый второй инструмент из предложенного набора охватывает вопросы оценки ОПЗПП, актуальные не только для здравоохранения, но и для других секторов. Настоящий документ призван помочь вам в сборе необходимой информации для того, чтобы оказывать более действенную поддержку людям, пострадавшим от гуманитарных кризисов.
Assessing mental health and psychosocial needs and resources: toolkit for humanitarian setting
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The recommendations cover the level of blood pressure to start medication, what type of medicine or combination of medicines to use, the target blood pressure level, and how often to have follow-up checks on blood pressure. In addition, the guideline provides the basis for how physicians and other h...ealth workers can contribute to improving hypertension detection and management.
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This working draft develops guidance on conducting effective evaluations of conflict prevention and peacebuilding work. The current working draft will be used for a one year application phase through 2008. It is the result of an ongoing collaborative project by the OECD DAC Networks on Development E...valuation and on Conflict, Peace and Development Co-operation (CPDC). The two Networks began this collaboration in 2005, responding to the need expressed by CPDC members for greater clarity regarding techniques and issues of evaluation in their field. An assessment of past conflict and peace evaluations and a study of current practices were undertaken in 2006 and identified a need for further guidance.
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Over nine years of protracted and violent conflict in Syria has decimated its health system,killed an estimated 586,000 people and forcibly displaced more than half the 22 million pre-war population from their homes. As of June 2020, a total of 6.2 million Syrians (of whom 40% are children) are inte...rnally displaced (IDPs) and 5.5 million are refugees. Over half of Syria’s population (11.7 million) are in-need of humanitarian aid across the whole of Syria
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Interim guidance 2 February 2021 . Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Ukranian, Russian
Health workers are at the front line of the COVID-19 outbreak response and as such are exposed to different hazards that put them at risk. Occupational hazards include exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and othe...r pathogens, violence, harassment, stigma, discrimination, heavy workload and prolonged use of personal protective equipment (PPE). This document provides specific measures to protect occupational health and safety of health workers and highlights the duties, rights and responsibilities for health and safety at work in the context of COVID-19.
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Note d’orientation rapide
Addressing comorbidities and risk factors for TB is a crucial component of Pillar one of the End TB Strategy, which focuses on integrated patient-centred care and prevention, including action on TB and comorbidities. The Framework for collaborative action on TB and comorbidities aims to support coun...tries in the evidence-informed introduction and scale-up of holistic people-centred services for TB, comorbidities and health-related risk factors, with the goal of comprehensively addressing TB and other co-existing health conditions. It should be used in conjunction with relevant WHO guidelines. The Framework is intended for use by people working in ministries of health, other relevant line-ministries, policymakers, international technical and funding organizations, researchers, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, as well as primary care workers, specialist health practitioners, and community health workers who support the response to TB and comorbidities in both the public and private sectors.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a double shock - health and economic. As of March 1, 2021, COVID-19 has cost more than 2.5 million lives and triggered an economic recession surpassing any economic downturn since World War II.
Part I of this paper explores the impact of this current macro-fisc...al outlook on the three primary sources of health spending. Drawing on experiences from previous economic crises, scenario analyses suggest a fall in government per capita spending on health in 2021 and 2022 unless governments make bold choices to increase the share of health in general government spending.
Part II of the paper discusses policy options to meet the spending needs in health. These options encompass strategies to make fiscal adjustments work and channel funds where they are most needed, as well as policies to stabilize the balance sheets of social health insurance (SHI) schemes. The paper explains how the health sector can play an active role in expanding fiscal space, contributing to tax reforms, most importantly pro-health taxes, and mobilizing and absorbing external financing, including debt relief.
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This document presents the World Health Organization Operational framework for building climate resilient and low carbon health systems*. ***The framework's goal is to increase the climate resilience of health systems to protect and improve the health of communities in an unstable and changing clima...te, while optimizing the use of resources and implementing strategies to reduce GHG emissions. It aims to contribute to the design of transformative health systems that can provide safe and quality care in a changing climate.
Implementation of the framework's ten components would help health organizations, authorities, and programmes to be better able to anticipate, prevent, prepare for, and manage climate-related health risks and therefore decrease the burden of associated climate-sensitive health outcomes. Implementing low carbon health practices would contribute to climate change mitigation while also improving health outcomes. Achieving these aims is an important contribution to universal health coverage (UHC), global health security, and specific targets within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The document is a useful resource for decision-makers in health systems, including public health agencies, and other specialized institutions, and for decision-makers in health-determining sectors.
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This diagnostic and treatment manual is designed for use by medical professionals involved in curative care at the dispensary and hospital levels. We have tried to respond in the simplest and most practical way possible to the questions and problems faced by field medical staff, using the accumulate...d field experience of Médecins Sans Frontières, the recommendations of reference organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and specialized works in each field.
Available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic
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The rapid assessment tool (RAT) is meant to assess health facilities within mpox-affected areas that have at least one inpatient bed. Depending on time and resources available, certain facilities may be prioritized during an mpox outbreak. The RAT evaluates 16 infection prevention and control (IPC) ...and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) criteria identified as the minimum essential elements required for safe patient care and prevention of transmission within the health facility during readiness or response activities for outbreaks of mpox.
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Special Issue: Special Education in Sub-Saharan Africa | This special issue of our Communication*Support*World*Network*Newsletter attempts to share practical ideas and information about special education for children with disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa. Our intent is to begin a dialogue among th...ose interested in this important topic, and to promote an increased exchange of ideas, approaches, information, resources, and promising practices.
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This document provides guidance for countries on how to implement activities to achieve the interruption of yaws transmission. It is intended for use by national yaws eradication programmes, partners involved in the implementation of yaws eradication activities and WHO technical staff who provide te...chnical support to countries in the eradication of yaws.
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