Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has significantly helped in early diagnosis and commencement of specific interventions for diseases control. It also plays a critical role in understanding the disease epidemiology and unraveling the transmission dynamics of the disease. This manual intends to p...rovide primary guidelines to assist health lab personnel in developing countries to establish a PCR diagnostic facility for efficient support to patient care as well as public health actions.
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The primary audience for this guideline includes health-care professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health-care protocols and policies, as well as managers of maternal and child health programmes and policy-makers in all settings. The guideline will also be useful to tho...se directly providing care to pregnant women and preterm infants, such as obstetricians, paediatricians, midwives, nurses and general practitioners. The information in this guideline will be useful for developing job aids and tools for pre- and in-service training of health workers to enhance their delivery of maternal and neonatal care relating to preterm birth.
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Consensus -based guidelines for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of tuberculosis in children and adolescents
Рекомендации, представленные в документе, в значительной степени
базируются на материалах по диагностике, профилактике и лечению COVID19, опубликованных специалист...ми ВОЗ, китайского, американского
и европейского центров по контролю за заболеваемостью, анализе
отечественных и зарубежных научных публикаций, нормативно-правовых
документах Минздрава России и Роспотребнадзора.
Методические рекомендации предназначены для руководителей
медицинских организаций и их структурных подразделений, врачейтерапевтов, врачей общей практики, врачей-инфекционистов, врачейпедиатров, врачей-акушеров-гинекологов, врачей-реаниматологов отделений
интенсивной терапии инфекционных стационаров, врачей
скорой медицинской помощи, а также иных специалистов, работающих
в сфере организации оказания медицинской помощи пациентам с COVID-19.
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Los pueblos indígenas presentan tasas más altas de morbilidad y mortalidad por tuberculosis (tb) que los demás grupos étnicos. El acceso limitado a servicios de salud debido a la ubicación geográfica y a problemas del conflicto armado los mantiene aislados. En este estudio se pr...esenta un análisis de la situación epidemiológica de la tb en pueblos indígenas, y se identifican factores socioculturales que pueden ayudar a mejorar el control de la enfermedad.
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Journal of Clinical TB and other Mycobacterial Diseases
uberculosis (TB) in the gastrointestinal tract or peritoneum is an uncommon condition in clinical practice. Its rarity, combined with its nonspecific presentations, makes this kind of extrapulmonary tuberculosis difficult to diagnose as it can... mimic other inflammatory or malignant conditions. Delays in treatment and frequent misdiagnosis can lead to hazardous complications. In countries like Ecuador where the disease is endemic, TB should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patients who present with nonspecific abdominal symptoms. In these scenarios, laparoscopy can be an invaluable tool when used with sufficiently high clinical awareness and adequate training.
Case presentation
We present the case of a 37-year-old female patient from Ecuador with a 1-year history of abdominal pain, nausea, intermittent vomits, night sweats, and weight loss. After clinical evaluation and a laparoscopic intervention, abdominal TB was detected and promptly treated. Antituberculosis chemotherapy was initiated, and the patient successfully reco
High clinical awareness is imperative when approaching abdominal TB due to its wide spectrum of clinical symptoms and its rarity. Early detection and prompt treatment are critical to minimize the possibility of hazardous complications.
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Background
Asthma education, a key component of long-term asthma management, is challenging in resource-limited settings with shortages of clinical staff. Task-shifting educational roles to lay (non-clinical) staff is a potential solution. We conducted a randomised controlled trial of an enhanced a...sthma care intervention for children in Malawi, which included reallocation of asthma education tasks to lay-educators. In this qualitative sub-study, we explored the experiences of asthmatic children, their families and lay-educators, to assess the acceptability, facilitators and barriers, and perceived value of the task-shifting asthma education intervention.
Methods
We conducted six focus group discussions, including 15 children and 28 carers, and individual interviews with four lay-educators and a senior nurse. Translated transcripts were coded independently by three researchers and key themes identified.
Results
Prior to the intervention, participants reported challenges in asthma care including the busy and sometimes hostile clinical environment, lack of access to information and the erratic supply of medication. The education sessions were well received: participants reported greater understanding of asthma and their treatment and confidence to manage symptoms. The lay-educators appreciated pre-intervention training, written guidelines, and access to clinical support. Low education levels among carers presented challenges, requiring an open, non-critical and individualised approach.
Discussion
Asthma education can be successfully delivered by lay-educators with adequate training, supervision and support, with benefits to the patients, their families and the community. Wider implementation could help address human resource shortages and support progress towards Universal Health Coverage.
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The article from the African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care Medicine provides updated guidelines on endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) for treating advanced emphysema, a severe form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is prevalent in South Africa and other low- and mid...dle-income countries. The guidelines focus on identifying suitable patients based on specific criteria, such as age, lung function, and the presence of hyperinflation, while ruling out contraindications like pulmonary hypertension and recent smoking.
ELVR aims to reduce lung volume in the most damaged areas, improving breathing mechanics and quality of life. Various devices, including endobronchial valves, intrabronchial valves, and coils, are reviewed with evidence from clinical trials supporting their use. The guidelines emphasize careful patient selection and recommend only performing ELVR in specialized centers due to its high cost and risk of complications, such as pneumothorax.
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Emergency medical teams (EMT) are first response health care providers – doctors, nurses, paramedics, and others – during outbreaks and emergencies or disasters, working with governments, charities such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), armies, and international organizations such as the ...International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. They comply with the classification and minimum standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners and bring to an emergency their training and self-sufficiency so as not to burden the national health system. EMT initiatives strengthen national surge capacities and facilitate the deployment of internationally classified teams of health- care professionals to countries and territories during emergencies, particularly during disease outbreaks and natural disasters, providing immediate assistance when national health systems are overwhelmed . Considering that they aim to support the provision of quality clinical care services to populations affected by public health emergencies, the expectation is that financial resources and equipment will be available to enable the performance of the requested task.
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The aim of the Annual Inspection Report is to present findings of public sector health establishments inspected by the OHSC to monitor compliance with the National Core Standards (NCS) during the 2016/2017 financial year in South Africa.
The NCS define fundamentals for quality of care based on six ...dimensions of quality: Acceptability,Safety, Reliability, Equity, Accessibility, and Efficiency.
The NCS structured assessment tools were used to collect data during inspections across the seven domains namely: Patient Rights; Patient Safety, Clinical Governance and Clinical Care; Clinical Support Services; Public Health; Leadership and Governance; Operational Management and Facilities and Infrastructure. A total of 851 routine inspections were conducted with 201 of these facilities re-inspected. Inspection data was captured on District Health Information System (DHIS) data entry forms and exported for analysis to Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.4.
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Senegal has adopted the World Health Organization–Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS recommended 90-90-90 targets.5 The adoption of this strategy means that the country is expected, by 2020, to have 90% of its population living with HIV diagnosed, 90% of all those diagnosed receiving susta...ined HIV treatment, and 90% of those receiving antiretroviral therapy having suppressed viral load measures.5 To achieve these outcomes, having good clinical laboratory services for diagnosis and follow-up will be critical.6 More specifically, investments will be needed to improve laboratory infrastructure, and to facilitate the access and availability of routine viral load and early infant diagnosis (EID) measures through the implementation of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platforms along with an efficient and sustainable quality assurance programme.
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n this study, low-dose azithromycin did not meet the prespecified non-inferiority margin compared with standard-dose azithromycin in achieving clinical and serological cure in PCR-confirmed active yaws. Only a single participant (with presumed latent yaws) had definitive serological failure. This wo...rk suggests that 20 mg/kg of azithromycin is probably effective against yaws, but further data are needed.
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J Bras Pneumol. 2022;48(2):e20220082
The spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to progress, causing damage in several countries of the world due to its rapid transmissibility and significant mortality rates, despite government measures to contain its tra...nsmission, such as movement control, the closing of schools, bans on travel and public gatherings, the mandatory use
of masks, and hand hygiene. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has clinical manifestations that are similar to those found in other infections also transmitted through the airways, such as pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) Although TB is a global health problem, it is a curable disease, with affordable treatment and prevention. Nonetheless, it remains one of the leading
causes of death from a single infectious agent worldwide, a situation threatened by COVID-19.
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Introdução: A pandemia pela COVID-19 é menos incidente na população pediátrica quando comparada à adulta, sendo apenas 2% dos casos abaixo dos 20 anos. Recentemente, a infecção pelo SARS-CoV-2 em crianças e adolescentes está sendo associada a Síndrome Inflamatória Multissistêmica Pedi...trica (SIM-P), doença de Kawasaki-like. Objetivo: Relatar a ocorrência de uma das apresentações clínicas da COVID-19 na infância, a SIM-P, ressaltando suas manifestações clínicas, laboratoriais e manejo clínico.
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MEDICINA (Buenos Aires) 2020; Vol. 80 (Supl. VI): 100-10;
La tuberculosis es una enfermedad infecciosa crónica endémica en la República Argentina causada por Mycobacterium tuberculosis, cuya localización más frecuente es la pulmonar. Suele afectar grupos poblacionales carenciados y tiene gran... repercusión sobre la salud pública. COVID-19 es una infección viral aguda caus 101-ada por SARS-CoV-2 que tiene típico compromiso respiratorio y, en ocasiones, puede presentar similitudes clínicas y radiológicas con la tuberculosis pulmonar. Ambas entidades pueden tener desenlace fatal si no son diagnosticadas y tratadas a tiempo. Presentamos una serie de casos en los que se diagnosticó tuberculosis pulmonar y COVID-19 en forma simultánea.
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Medicina (B. Aires) vol.80 supl.6 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires dic. 2020
La tuberculosis es una enfermedad infecciosa crónica endémica en la República Argentina causada
por Mycobacterium tuberculosis, cuya localización más frecuente es la pulmonar. Suele afectar
grupos poblacionales car...enciados y tiene gran repercusión sobre la salud pública. COVID-19 es una infección
viral aguda caus 101-ada por SARS-CoV-2 que tiene típico compromiso respiratorio y, en ocasiones, puede pre-
sentar similitudes clínicas y radiológicas con la tuberculosis pulmonar. Ambas entidades pueden tener desenlace
fatal si no son diagnosticadas y tratadas a tiempo.
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As pandemias virais costumam representar sérias ameaças ao equilíbrio dos sistemas de saúde, ao impor-lhes demandas extraor-dinárias e sustentadas, que podem ultrapassar a capacidade de atendimento, no que diz respeito tanto aos insumos e às tecnologias disponíveis, quanto aos recurs...os humanos/profissionais capacitados. Trazem o enorme desafio de equilibrar igualdade entre as pessoas e equidade na distribuição de riscos e benefícios entre elas.
Diante desse cenário de casos cada vez mais frequentes de COVID-19 na
população, surge a premente necessidade de se avaliarem as melhores práticas para a otimização da utilização dos meios e recursos disponíveis. Dessa forma, considerando o iminente risco de indisponibilidade de leitos de terapia intensiva e respiradores para todos os indivíduos, acometidos ou não pela doença, torna-se fundamental estabelecer critérios clínicos, técnicos e éticos, para a melhor utilização dos mesmos, para se conseguir otimizar resultado e gerar o maior benefício possível.
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