Trustworthy, evidence-based health guidelines form the basis of national policies affecting both patients and health-care workers. Emphasizing the link between robust evidence and people’s trust in their health systems, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe said at the launch ev...ent, “Trust and transformation are key words for us, especially when we talk about improving and strengthening our health systems. Transformation should first and foremost serve the interests of patients and health-care workers”.
While it is not always easy to demonstrate the immediate effect of guidelines on people’s health, there is no viable alternative to utilizing guidelines based on the best available evidence.
Yet, developing robust guidelines remains a challenge for most countries. “Guidelines need to be both simple to use and timely, they need to address people’s real needs, especially at the local level, and should ultimately reflect the resources available,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director, Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO/Europe. “This means that any successful guideline needs to be adjusted and adapted to local contexts and realities.”
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COVID-19 has altered health sector capacity in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cost data to inform evidence-based priority setting are urgently needed. Consequently, in this paper, we calculate the full economic health sector costs of COVID-19 clinical management in 79 LMICs under di...fferent epidemiological scenarios.
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Annual and medium-term budget preparation processes are the platforms through which specific plans are transformed into actual resource allocation decisions. The aim of this Process Guide is to support key stakeholders involved in these processes (such as the Cabinet, Ministries of Finance and Healt...h, the Parliament, citizens, media, and civil society organizations) to reorient budgetary arrangements in order to facilitate the ability of national governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering, therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccine services to their populations. Reorienting budgetary arrangements positions governments to sustain the capacity to mitigate and respond to COVID-19 while concurrently delivering other essential health services and working towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The reorientation process is an opportunity to better align budgetary arrangements to sustain systemic capacity to prevent emerging health threats over the short, medium, and long terms.
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Public health emergencies, including pandemics, highlight the need for health systems and services that are prepared, resilient and ready to respond to health security threats. Endorsed by Member States in 2023, the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (APHSAF) is designed to engage m...ultisectoral actors in health security, and to reflect the complex nature of current and future public health emergencies. The Framework presents six interconnected, multisectoral domains of work that together form a comprehensive, multi-hazard health security system — emphasizing the One Health approach. The Framework also supports progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage while meeting the responsibilities and obligations of the International Health Regulations (2005).
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All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has been a signatory to the Climate and Environment Charter since 2021 and has worked extensively in advancing the commitments to the Charter through its programs and operations, as well as an advocacy partner within India and regionally.
Eine Schwangerschaft ist eine Zeit im Leben, die mit vielen grundlegenden Veränderungsprozes-
sen und Herausforderungen einhergeht. Bürokratische Hürden und ein wenig übersichtliches
Hilfesystem erschweren Menschen mit Fluchterfahrung den Zugang zu relevanten Informationen
und medizinischen V...ersorgungsleistungen, die allen (werdenden) Eltern und Kindern in Deutsch-
land zugänglich sein sollten.
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A erradicação da varíola humana (mpox em inglês) foi certificada em 1980. A varíola símia (mpox em inglês) é endêmica nos países da África Central e Ocidental desde a sua primeira detecção, em 1958. Trata-se de uma zoonose cujos casos geralmente ocorrem perto de florestas tropicais, ond...e diversos animais são portadores do ortopoxvírus causador da doença. A maioria das infecções em seres humanos pelo vírus da varíola símia em países onde a doença é endêmica é resultado de transmissão primária de animais para humanos. A transmissão de pessoa a pessoa pode ocorrer por meio de contato próximo com secreções respiratórias ou lesões cutâneas de uma pessoa infectada ou com objetos recém-contaminados. A transmissão também pode ocorrer através da placenta da mãe para o feto ou por contato direto durante ou após o parto. Até 21 de maio de 2022, 12 países onde não há varíola símia endêmica, em 2 regiões da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), haviam notificado 92 casos confirmados da doença. Até 26 de agosto de 2022, 96 países sem endemicidade, de todas as 6 regiões da OMS, haviam notificado 45.198 casos confirmados de varíola símia, incluindo 6 óbitos. No mesmo período, os países onde a doença é endêmica notificaram 350 casos confirmados e 6 óbitos. Na Região das Américas, 29 países e territórios notificaram 23.479 (48%) casos confirmados e 3 óbitos. Diversos estudos observacionais sobre as vacinas de primeira geração demonstraram que a eficácia da vacinação contra a varíola humana na prevenção da varíola símia é de aproximadamente 85%. Atualmente, as vacinas originais (de primeira geração) contra a varíola humana não estão mais disponíveis.
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El 23 de julio del 2022, el Director General de la OMS declaró el brote de viruela símica una emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional. A raíz de esa declaración, se puso en marcha un dispositivo de respuesta coordinada con el objeto de interrumpir la transmisión y proteger a l...os grupos en situación de vulnerabilidad. En estas orientaciones se tratan diferentes aspectos relativos al uso de vacunas para respaldar las intervenciones primarias de salud púbica en la respuesta para detener la trasmisión de persona a persona. Tienen como propósito brindar información útil y accesible acerca de las vacunas contra la viruela símica a fin de facilitar el despliegue de estrategias de prevención adaptadas a la situación epidemiológica, con base en las recomendaciones de la VIII Reunión ad hoc del Grupo Técnico Asesor de la OPS sobre Enfermedades Prevenibles por Vacunación.
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Smallpox eradication was certified in 1980. Mpox has been endemic in Central and West African countries since it was first detected in 1958 . It is a zoonosis; cases are often found close to tropical rainforests where various animals carry the orthopoxvirus that causes the disease. In endemic countr...ies, most mpox infections in humans result from a primary animal-to-human transmission. Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person, or recently contaminated objects. Transmission can also occur via the placenta from mother to fetus or through close contact during and after birth.
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Since 2016, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has been promoting the implementation of the HEARTS Initiative in the Americas as a regional adaptation of the World Health Organization's Global HEARTS Initiative. During this time, 33 countries in the Region of the Americas have committed to ...implementing HEARTS, and PAHO has developed many technical resources to support them. Most of these resources are clinical tools for primary healthcare teams and focus on quality improvement. This compendium aims to group all these clinical tools in a single document under a simple format that facilitates their practical implementation in daily clinical practice. The reader will notice that each tool is summarized on a single page and presented in a modular format. Therefore, each tool can be used together or separately as needed. In addition, at the bottom of each tool, the reader will find the references and hyperlinks to access full texts in case deeper knowledge is required.
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Desde el 2016, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) ha promovido la implementación de la Iniciativa HEARTS en las Américas, una adaptación regional de la estrategia Global HEARTS de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Durante este tiempo, 33 países de la Región de las Améric...as se han comprometido a implementar HEARTS y la OPS ha desarrollado una amplia variedad de herramientas clínicas para asistir a los equipos de salud en su trabajo cotidiano e impulsarlos a buscar la mejora continua de la calidad. Este compendio pretende presentar en un solo documento, y de manera simple y didáctica, todos los recursos técnicos desarrollados por la Iniciativa HEARTS en las Américas para facilitar su implementación en la práctica diaria del ámbito clínico. El lector notará que cada herramienta se detalla en una sola página y se presenta en un formato modular. Por lo tanto, cada herramienta se puede utilizar en conjunto o por separado según sea necesario. Además, en la parte inferior de cada herramienta, el lector encontrará las referencias y los enlaces para acceder a los textos completos en caso de que los usuarios deseen profundizar más su conocimiento respecto a cada tema.
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Produced by UNICEF and IRC, with the support of the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ) and the generous funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse (CCS) Resource Package (Second Editi...on, 2023) is a revision of the original CCS Guidelines and associated Training (First Edition, 2012). The Second Edition offers an up-to-date global technical guidance on providing a model of quality care for children and families affected by sexual abuse in humanitarian settings. The new resources include both revised and content additions based on practitioner feedback, the most recent evidence and learning. In particular, the Guidelines aim to bring a stronger focus on gender inequality, intersectionality, as well as the connections between the best interests of the child and a survivor-centered approach.
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Produced by UNICEF and IRC, with the support of the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ) and the generous funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse (CCS) Resource Package (Second Editi...on, 2023) is a revision of the original CCS Guidelines and associated Training (First Edition, 2012). The Second Edition offers an up-to-date global technical guidance on providing a model of quality care for children and families affected by sexual abuse in humanitarian settings. The new resources include both revised and content additions based on practitioner feedback, the most recent evidence and learning. In particular, the Guidelines aim to bring a stronger focus on gender inequality, intersectionality, as well as the connections between the best interests of the child and a survivor-centered approach.
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Produced by UNICEF and IRC, with the support of the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ) and the generous funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse (CCS) Resource Package (Second Editi...on, 2023) is a revision of the original CCS Guidelines and associated Training (First Edition, 2012). The Second Edition offers an up-to-date global technical guidance on providing a model of quality care for children and families affected by sexual abuse in humanitarian settings. The new resources include both revised and content additions based on practitioner feedback, the most recent evidence and learning. In particular, the Guidelines aim to bring a stronger focus on gender inequality, intersectionality, as well as the connections between the best interests of the child and a survivor-centered approach.
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One of the main aims of the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and the CureAll Americas framework is to strengthen centers of excellence and promote the training of the health workforce, especially pediatric oncology nurses, specialized in nursing care for children and adolescents with cance...r and their families. These health personnel provide compassionate, non traumatic, complex, continuous, ethical, conscious patient- and family-centered care in order to meet the physical, emotional, psychosocial, and cultural needs of the people involved. This publication is aimed at health administration teams, hospital management teams, and professional pediatric oncology nursing groups. Its objective is to identify, systematize, and consolidate available evidence on the scope of pediatric oncology nursing practice in Latin America and the Caribbean based on core competencies, in order to incorporate them into clinical practice, teaching, and research. The preparation process included a systematic review aimed at finding the best evidence on this subject. Patient- and family centered care and the conceptual model of competencies for teenagers and young adults with cancer, developed by the Teenage Cancer Trust with the support of the Royal College of Nursing, were the theoretical foundations supporting the systematization of recommendations.
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La presente edición de “La práctica de la enfermería oncológica pediátrica en América Latina y el Caribe” fue redactada por Regina Aparecida García de Lima (enfermera titulada, enfermera pediátrica certificada, Doctora en Enfermería), Profesora Titular
del Departamento de Enfermería M...aternoinfantil y Salud Pública de la Escuela de Enfermería de Ribeirão Preto de la Universidad de São Paulo (Centro Colaborador de la Organización Mundial de la Salud/Organización Panamericana de la Salud para
el Desarrollo de la Investigación en Enfermería), con la colaboración de Luís Carlos Lopes-Júnior (enfermero titulado, enfermero oncológico certificado, Doctor en Ciencias), Profesor Adjunto del Departamento de Enfermería del Centro de Ciencias
de la Salud de la Universidad Federal de Espírito Santo, y Edmara Bazoni Soares Maia (enfermera titulada, enfermera pediátrica certificada, Doctora en Enfermería),Profesora Afiliada del Departamento de Enfermería Pediátrica de la Escuela Paulista
de Enfermería de la Universidad Federal de São Paulo. La doctora Regina Aparecida García de Lima también estuvo a cargo de la sistematización de las sugerencias aportadas al documento.
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Ahead of World Malaria Day, the WHO Global Malaria Programme published a new operational strategy outlining its priorities and key activities up to 2030 to help change the trajectory of malaria trends, with a view to achieving the global malaria targets. The strategy outlines 4 strategic objectives ...where WHO will focus its efforts, including developing norms and standards, introducing new tools and innovation, promoting strategic information for impact, and providing technical leadership of the global malaria response.
In recent years, progress towards critical targets of the WHO Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030 has stalled, particularly in countries that carry a high burden of the disease. In 2022 there were an estimated 608 000 malaria-related deaths and 249 million new malaria cases globally, with young children in Africa bearing the brunt of the disease.
Millions of people continue to miss out on the services they need to prevent, detect, and treat malaria. Additionally, progress in global malaria control has been hampered by resource constraints, humanitarian crises, climate change and biological threats such as drug and insecticide resistance.
“A shift in the global malaria response is urgently needed across the entire malaria ecosystem to prevent avoidable deaths and achieve the targets of the WHO global malaria strategy,” notes Dr Daniel Ngamije, Director of the Global Malaria Programme. “This shift should seek to address the root causes of the disease and be centred around accessibility, efficiency, sustainability, equity and integration.”
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Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, whilst the impact of heatwaves became more severe, according to a new report from the World Meteorolog...ical Organization (WMO).
The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.
In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the north-west Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heatwave.
Asia is warming faster than the global average. The warming trend has nearly doubled since the 1961–1990 period.
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Terminology used to describe the transmission of pathogens through the air varies across scientific disciplines, organizations and the general public. While this has been the case for decades, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the terms ‘airborne’, ‘airborne transmission’ a...nd ‘aerosol transmission’ were used in different ways by stakeholders in different scientific disciplines, which may have contributed to misleading information and confusion about how pathogens are transmitted in human populations.
This global technical consultation report brings together viewpoints from experts spanning a range of disciplines with the key objective of seeking consensus regarding the terminology used to describe the transmission of pathogens through the air that can potentially cause infection in humans.
This consultation aimed to identify terminology that could be understood and accepted by different technical disciplines. The agreed process was to develop a consensus document that could be endorsed by global agencies and entities. Despite the complex discussions and challenges, significant progress was made during the consultation process, particularly the consensus on a set of descriptors to describe how pathogens are transmitted through the air and the related modes of transmission. WHO recognizes the important areas where consensus was not achieved and will continue to address these areas in follow-up consultations.
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Developed as part of the UN Women–WHO Global Joint Programme on Violence Against Women Data, this briefing note focuses on the measurement of violence against women with disability and is one in a series of methodological briefing notes for strengthening the measurement and data collection of viol...ence against particular groups of women or specific aspects of violence against women.
The briefing note is meant for researchers, national statistics offices, and others involved in data collection on violence against women. It provides an overview of the challenges in the availability, measurement, and collection of data on violence against women with disability and outlines recommendations for good practice in measurement, with the aim of strengthening ongoing and future data collection efforts and increasing the availability of such data.
The inclusion of women with disability and the issue of disability within population-based surveys and research on violence against women is necessary for an improved understanding of populations of women at specific risk of violence. This knowledge would also allow more tailored prevention strategies and response/services and programmes to be designed in a way that addresses the specific needs of women with disability.
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