Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are among the leading causes of death worldwide, with asthma rated the most common chronic disease affecting children (1). Globally, about 300 million people have asthma, and current trends suggest that an additional 100 million people may be living with asthma by... 2025.
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The National Asthma Education Programme (NAEP) is a registered non-profit organisation whose mission is to provide asthma education to healthcare professionals, patients and the lay public. It was founded in 1994 by Dr Mike Greenblatt and Profs Dave Luyt and Robin Green. This year NAEP celebrates it...s 25th anniversary and remains driven by the need to improve the daily lives of numerous asthmatics in South Africa (SA) and Africa.
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The prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis is high in western countries, and has been rising throughout the late 20th century. However, relatively little is known about the prevalence of allergic disorders in children in North Africa and the Middle East, and even less is known about t...he relative importance of socioeconomic factors in its aetiology in these countries, when compared to Europe, the USA and Australia.
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As we approach World Asthma Day on the May 2, 2023, we reflect on the theme “ Asthma Care for All”. Prevalence of Asthma is increasing amongst children, adolescents and adults. Under-diagnosis, underutilization of inhaled corticosteroids, inaccessibility of treatment, and unaffordability of medi...cines are amongst the challenges that low-middle income countries are faced with. This commentary seeks to highlight the challenges, the resources available and to suggest recommendations that can be implemented to improve asthma care for all and reduce burden of asthma in Africa.
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Asthma is the most common non-communicable disease in children and remains one of the most common throughout the life course. The great majority of the burden of this disease is seen in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have disproportionately high asthma-related mortality relati...ve to asthma prevalence. This is particularly true for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Although inhaled asthma treatments (particularly those containing inhaled corticosteroids) markedly reduce asthma morbidity and mortality, a substantial proportion of the children, adolescents, and adults with asthma in LMICs do not get to benefit from these, due to poor availability and affordability. In this review, we consider the reality faced by clinicians managing asthma in the primary and secondary care in sub-Saharan Africa and suggest how we might go about making diagnosis and treatment decisions in a range of resource-constrained scenarios. We also provide recommendations for research and policy, to help bridge the gap between current practice in sub-Saharan Africa and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommended diagnostic processes and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults with asthma.
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A systematic review of connections between climate change, globalization and NCD'S
A systematic review of connections between climate change, globalization and NCD'S
A systematic review of connections between climate change, globalization and NCD'S
Africa CDC Institute of Pathogen Genomics (IPG) was launched in November 2019 and operates under the Division of Laboratory Systems and Networks.
IPG coordinate the implementation of molecular diagnostics, pathogen genomics and bioinformatics in National Public Health Institutions (NPHIs) and/or Re...fe-
-rence Laboratories (NRLs) across Africa.
Africa CDC and APHF are coordinating a continental initiative to maximize the benefits of molecular approaches and pathogen genomics for more effective
outbreak preparedness, prevention, response, and for the control and elimination of endemic diseases in Africa. One of Africa CDC’s flagship initiative is the Africa
Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI), a partnership that aims to strengthen laboratory systems and enhance genomic surveillance by equipping the continent’s
public health institutions with the tools, training, and data infrastructure.
About the Project
In 2023, 166 outbreaks and public health events were reported in Africa. This calls for a resilient laboratory systems for timely detection and reporting of current and future outbreaks. This project aims to scale up molecular diagnostic and genomic sequencing-based detection and characterization of outbreaks.
Africa CDC is working with Member States to develop guidance, diagnostic algorithm, training and capacity building to enable outbreak detection, and reporting to inform public health response.
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Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a category of chronic, disabling, and at times disfiguring diseases and conditions that occur most commonly in the setting of extreme poverty. Historically, NTDs have received less attention and funding when compared to other diseases occurring in the same regi...ons of the world. Several NTDs have internationally agreed upon targets for their control, elimination, and eradication. Nineteen countries in the WHO African Region have successfully eliminated at least one NTD, however recent gap analyses identified moderate to severe gaps across technical, strategy and service delivery, and enabling factors. This report summarizes the findings of a scoping review of published literature undertaken to highlight control, elimination, and eradication efforts towards NTDs across the WHO African Region over the last 30 years.
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In 2006, the Special Session of African Union Health Ministers adopted the Maputo Plan of Action for implementing the Continental Policy Framework on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), which expired at the end of 2015. The goal was for all stakeholders and partners to join forces and ...re-double efforts, so that together, the effective implementation of the Continental Policy framework including universal access to sexual and reproductive health by 2015 in all countries in Africa can be achieved. The Revised Maputo Plan of Action (MPoA) 2016 – 2030 was subsequently endorsed by the African Union Heads of State at the 27th AU Summit in July 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda. The plan reinforces the call for universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in Africa and lays foundation to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 and 5, as well as the African Union Agenda 2063.
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The Africa Scorecard on Domestic Financing for Health is an advocacy tool for member states to use in financial planning and expenditure tracking. It is a tool for measuring only AIDS, TB and malaria spending and is intended to measure only the Abuja Declaration 15% target.
Accessed on 21.07.2023
This report presents findings from research conducted by Economist Impact to assess the health, demographic, social and economic impacts associated with different scenarios for financing the HIV epidemic across 13 selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The sponsorship of UNAIDS towards this repor...t is gratefully acknowledged. However, the findings and ideas expressed herein represent those of Economist Impact. They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of UNAIDS, nor do they engage the responsibility of UNAIDS.
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While there has been real progress in addressing the burden of disease in the WHO African region, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the link between health, economics and security, as the region saw decades of progress threatened, including positive trends in decreasing inequality. In the Africa...n Region the momentum towards achieving the 2030 SDG disease burden reduction targets (SDG targets 3.3, 3.4 and 3B) has stalled.
The COVID-19 pandemic was also a major threat to gains made, such as the eradication of polio in the region, declared in 2020; reduced numbers of new HIV infections in 2021 compared to 2010; and passing the 2020 milestone of the End TB Strategy, with a 22% reduction in new cases compared with 2015. However, the pandemic also disrupted essential health services in 92% of countries globally, 22.7 million children missed basic immunization, there was an increase in malaria and TB, and global deaths from TB rose for the first time since 2015.
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The importance of robust mortality surveillance systems cannot be overstated in an era marked by increasing global health challenges where health threats loom large and population dynamics continue to evolve. Accurate and timely mortality data is essential for identifying trends and detecting emergi...ng health threats, evaluating the impact of interventions, and guiding evidence-based policy decisions.
This framework outlines a holistic approach to strengthening routine mortality surveillance systems, considering the unique contextual factors and challenges faced by African countries. It emphasizes the importance of establishing efficient data collection mechanisms, enhancing data quality and completeness, and promoting data sharing and collaboration among stakeholders.
Moreover, the framework recognizes the pivotal role of technology in the integration of data from fragmented mortality data sources. It highlights the potential of innovative data capture methods, advanced analytics, and real-time reporting systems to enhance mortality data’s accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness.
The continental framework for mortality surveillance aligns with Africa CDC’s mission and strategic goal by serving as a fundamental component in strengthening public health systems, enhancing disease surveillance capacities and capabilities, informing evidence-based policies and interventions, and promoting collaboration and coordination among African countries to address health challenges and improve health outcomes on the continent.
The successful implementation of this framework requires collective commitment and concerted efforts from governments, health institutions, and the international community. We hope this document will serve as a catalyst for transformative change, enabling countries to build resilient mortality surveillance systems that protect public health, save lives, and contribute to evidence-based decision-making.
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The Strategic Plan of Action and Budget 2016-2025 for the elimination of onchocerciasisin countries was prepared based on the above dlrective for the consideration of IAF 18.The vision of the plan of action is to eliminate onchocerciasis in 80 percent of Africancountries. Implementation of the plan ...will also help strengthen health systems at community level while implementing CDI wlll help scale-up interventions agalnst other NTDs to the benefit of the wider national health systems.
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Website last accessed on 08.05.2023
Parts of the continent are still blighted by one of the world's deadliest diseases. An app is helping to turn the tide.
This annual report presents key highlights of our results and are a testament to our staff’s hard work and dedication to safeguarding Africa’s health. We are indebted to the continued support of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Africa CDC Governing Board, and the Technical an...d Advisory Council of Africa CDC.
Overall, it has been another successful year for the Africa CDC, for Africa and health security in general. I am grateful for your ongoing support and
look forward to continuing to work with you in the years ahead.
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) was established in 2017, after the west Africa Ebola virus disease outbreak. Upon creation, the
role of Africa CDC was to mandate strengthening of the capacity of public health institutions in Africa to prevent, detect, and respond ...to disease threats, based on science, policy, and data-driven interventions and programmes, as envisaged by the Abuja Declaration. The inaugural strategic plan was focused on building health systems for emergency preparedness and response. However, from its inception, the organisation recognised the concomitant need to comprehensively strengthen systems to prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries, and to face the neglected issue of mental health disorders. The division dedicated to these issues was conceptualised, but operationalisation was deferred to a future date.
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ي الغرض من إطار عمل إجراءات المراقبة القائمة عىل األحداث هو أن به
ن
تستعي السلطات والوكاالت المسؤولة عن المراقبة
ُ واالستجابة. كما
تيب إرشال تعىل سبيل المثال؛ هذ...ه الوثيقة ألصحاب المصلحة
ي
ُ
ُعد بمثابة ك
ا عاما ي
إطار استخدام
ي
الذين يرغبون ف ن
نهج "صحة واحدة" متعدد القطاعات لتنفيذ المراقبة القائمة عىل األحداث . و للقيام بذلك، تشتمل الوثيقة عىل فصول وملحق
ن مرتبطة ويمكن
للمستخدمي تغييها وتحديثها
بناء عىل احتياجاتهم الخاصة.
ُعد هذه
الت ي وت نسخة منقحة من النسخة األصلية "إطار عمل المراقبة القائمة عىل األحداث"
عام
ي
ن صدرت
ف 2018 .و ال ينسخ إطار
العمل هذا أو يحل محل أي مواد أخرى متاحة حاليا في ما يتعلق بمج ال المراقبة القائمة عىل األحداث أن
ن ؛ وبدال من ذلك، ينبعي
يستند إطار العمل إل الوثائق الموجودة سابقا ذات الصلة أو مرتبطة وأن يكون تيب
ُ
ك ا إرشاديا عملي ا لتنفيذ المراقبة القائمة عىل
األحداث أفريقيا.
ي
ن
ف ويتوافق إطار العمل ك لمنظمة الصحة العالمية
المشي
ي
هذا مع الطبعة الثالثة من التقييم الخارج فيما يتعلق
ر بالمؤشات التالية: تعزيز
ي عىل كشف األحداث ذات األهمية للصحة العامة واألمن الصح أنظمة المراقبة و اإلنذار المبكر القادر ة
ر المؤش )
حسنة والتعاون عي القطاعات وبين 1.D2)؛ مستويات استجابة الصحة العمومية الوطنية والمتوسطة
ُ
وقنوات االتصال الم
العامة واألمن الصح والمحلية فيما يتعلق بمراقبة األحداث ذات األهمية للصحة
ي
ر )المؤش
ن 2.D2)؛ القدرة عىل
وتحسي تحليل
ن البيانات عىل المستوى المتوسط والوطت ي
ر )المؤش
رش 3.D2 .)باإلضافة إل وع
الدول تنفيذ و
ي
ن
ف عرض مهام ووظائف المراقبة
القائمة عىل األحداث إذ ، اللوائح الصحية
ي
درجات التقييم المشي ك وإحراز تقدم نحو تلبية المتطلبات المبينة ف ن
ي
ستضمن زيادة ف ن
الدولية
.
تحسين أيضا، تنفيذ المراقبة المتكاملة لألمراض واالستجابة لها، وذلك بالنسبة
ي
ن
تعد هذه الوثيقة مكملة ويمكن أن تساعد ف ل لدول
ا
ي
االتحاد األفريق
ي
ن
اعتمدت االسي األعضاء ف اتيجية المتكاملة لمراقبة األمراض واالستجابة لها،
لت عىل وجه الخصوص ي
بالنسبة
للطبعة الثالثة ) 2019 تتضمن أجزاء حول
( الت المراقبة القائمة عىل األحداث ي
.
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