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Review Challenges in Chagas Disease Drug Development

Francisco, A.; Jayawardhana, S.; Olmo, F. et al. Molecules MDPI (2020) CC

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, an important public health problem throughout Latin America. Current therapeutic options are characterised by limited efficacy, long treatment regimens and frequent toxic side-effects. Advances in this area have been compromised by gaps... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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National spending on health by source for 184 countries between 2013 and 2040

Dieleman, J.; Templin, T.; Sadat, N. et al. (2016) CC

A general consensus exists that as a country develops economically, health spending per capita rises and the share of that spending that is prepaid through government or private mechanisms also rises. However, the speed and magnitude of these changes vary substantially across countries, even at simi...lar levels of development. In this study, we use past trends and relationships to estimate future health spending, disaggregated by the source of those funds, to identify the financing trajectories that are likely to occur if current policies and trajectories evolve as expected. Methods We extracted data from WHO's Health Spending Observatory and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Financing Global Health 2015 report. We converted these data to a common purchasing power-adjusted and inflation-adjusted currency. We used a series of ensemble models and observed empirical norms to estimate future government out-of-pocket private prepaid health spending and development assistance for health. We aggregated each country's estimates to generate total health spending from 2013 to 2040 for 184 countries. We compared these estimates with each other and internationally recognised benchmarks. Findings Global spending on health is expected to increase from US$7·83 trillion in 2013 to $18·28 (uncertainty interval 14·42–22·24) trillion in 2040 (in 2010 purchasing power parity-adjusted dollars). We expect per-capita health spending to increase annually by 2·7% (1·9–3·4) in high-income countries, 3·4% (2·4–4·2) in upper-middle-income countries, 3·0% (2·3–3·6) in lower-middle-income countries, and 2·4% (1·6–3·1) in low-income countries. Given the gaps in current health spending, these rates provide no evidence of increasing parity in health spending. In 1995 and 2015, low-income countries spent $0·03 for every dollar spent in high-income countries, even after adjusting for purchasing power, and the same is projected for 2040. Most importantly, health spending in many low-income countries is expected to remain low. Estimates suggest that, by 2040, only one (3%) of 34 low-income countries and 36 (37%) of 98 middle-income countries will reach the Chatham House goal of 5% of gross domestic product consisting of government health spending. Interpretation Despite remarkable health gains, past health financing trends and relationships suggest that many low-income and lower-middle-income countries will not meet internationally set health spending targets and that spending gaps between low-income and high-income countries are unlikely to narrow unless substantive policy interventions occur. Although gains in health system efficiency can be used to make progress, current trends suggest that meaningful increases in health system resources will require concerted action. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. more

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Panic disorder: When fear overwhelmes

National Institute of Mental Health NIH NIMH (2016) C1

Do you sometimes have sudden attacks of anxiety and overwhelming fear that last for several minutes? Maybe your heart pounds, you sweat, and you feel like you can’t breathe or think. Do these attacks occur at unpredictable times with no obvious trigger, causing you to worry about the possibi... more

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Global AIDS Monitoring 2018

Joint United Nations Programme on HIVAIDS (UNAIDS) (2018) C1

Indicators for monitoring the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS
UNAIDS supports countries to collect information on their national HIV responses through the Global AIDS Monitoring (GAM) framework—an annual collection of 72 indicators on the response to HIV in a country.... more

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Global report on health data systems and capacity, 2020
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

31 Janaury 2021 SCORE for health data technical package. The first global assessment on the status and capacity of health information systems in 133 countries, covering 87% of the global population. It identifies gaps and provides guidance for investment in areas that can have the greatest impact ... more

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Why are the sustainable development goals relevant for Botswana?

UNICEF (2015)

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The human face of tuberculosis in Sudan

World Health Organization, Eastern Mediterranean; Stop TB Partnership (2010) C_WHO

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Joint Submission on Universal Periodic Review for Uganda

National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) (2011) C1

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Assist - The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)

R. Humeniuk, S. Henry-Edwards, R. Ali; et al. World Health Organization WHO (2010) C_WHO

Manual for use in primary care. There is substantial evidence for the benefits of screening and brief intervention in primary health care for alcohol problems. However, there is a need for screening and brief interventions with cross-cultural relevance for substances other than alcohol or tobacco,... more

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Global Economic Prospects

World Bank Group (2024) CC

Amid a barrage of shocks during the past four years, the global economy has proved to be surprisingly resilient. Major economies are emerging mostly unscathed after the fastest rise in interest rates in 40 years—without the usual scars of steep unemployment rates or financial crashes. Global infla... more

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UNAIDS Data 2020
recommended

UNAIDS (2020) C_WHO

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Rwanda: Summary report of the 2017/18 Forward Looking Joint Sector Review meeting

Ministry of Health, Rwanda (2017) C2

Minutes and power point slides from meeting.

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Working for Health 2022-2030 Action Plan: protection and performance

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

This thematic brief accompanies the Working for Health 2022–2030 Action Plan, serving as a rationale to the related actions of the Working for Health progression model (see Annex). The brief aims to inform Member States, non-state actors and other users of the Action Plan to guide action on inves... more

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Community-Based Rehabilitation Services in Low and Middle-Income Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region: Successes and Challenges in the Implementation of the CBR Matrix

Adela Cayetano, R.D.; and J. Elkins Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development Journal (DCIDJ) (2016) CC

Conclusion: CBR has improved the quality of life, access to medical services, functional independence, autonomy, community inclusion, and empowerment of people with disabilities in LMICs in the Asia-Pacific region. However, challenges in the implementation of CBR remain. These include lack of awaren... more

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Mapping of Indian Civil Society Organizations for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases

World Health Organization WHO; India (2017) C_WHO

This mapping aimed at understanding the profile, activities, needs and priorities of civil society organizations of relevance to NCDs and their risk factors, and exploring their scope to improve their response to the issue.

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Serology-based tests for COVID-19
recommended

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2020) CC

This page serves to provide up to date information on serology tests that are in development or available for use. Importantly, many of these tests have been approved for research use only, which indicates that they are not yet approved for use as a public health diagnostic tool or for at-home diagn... more

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Liste Nationale des Médicaments et autres produits de Santé Essentiels 2022 du Tchad

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

Les médicaments ont été classés à la fois par classe pharmaco-thérapeutique et par ordre alphabétique. La présence d’une marque astérisque renvoie à davantage de précision pour le (les) médicament(s) concerné(s).

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India Country Profile 2015

WHO, UNICEF, Countdown to 2015 (2016) C_WHO

Countdown to 2015

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Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases
recommended

Uniting Combat Negleceted Tropical Diseases (2022) CC

The Kigali Declaration on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is a high-level, political declaration which aims to mobilise political will and secure commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) target on NTDs and to deliver the targets set out in the World Health Organization’s... more

Global report on health data systems and capacity, 2020 recommended

UNAIDS Data 2020 recommended

Serology-based tests for COVID-19 recommended

Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases recommended

Global report on health data systems and capacity, 2020
recommended

UNAIDS Data 2020
recommended

Serology-based tests for COVID-19
recommended

Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases
recommended