This report documents different approaches to conservation of medicinal plants and traditional knowledge in Bolipara union of Thanchi upazila of Bandarban hill district. This initiative involved the collection of baseline data on medicinal plants and their uses, motivating people towards the uses an...d practices, identification and knowledge sharing with the traditional healers, establishment of an electronic database and carrying out specific conservation measures and awareness activities. This document also provides a number of recommendations to ensure sustainability of such initiatives for safeguarding medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge associated with them. We sincerely hope that this account will be useful to the people interested in medicinal plants, especially in developing countries.
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FANTA provided technical support to Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population for the development of national guidelines and an accompanying flipchart, which provide practical solutions to nutrition problems for people living with HIV, as well as guidance on nutritionally managing the sympt...oms of HIV, the side effects of antiretroviral drugs, and opportunistic infections. The guidelines provide recommendations for well-balanced diets for people living with HIV, along with instructions for quality nutrition counseling of adolescents and adults living with HIV, HIV-positive pregnant and lactating women, and caregivers of children exposed to HIV. The guidelines also address food insecurity in HIV-affected households.
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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (DCHA/OFDA) requested Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II Project (FANTA-2) assistance to review Community-Based Management of ...Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in four West African countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger—to help identify DCHA/OFDA 2010 and 2011 program priorities, including where DCHA/OFDA investment should be directed to support CMAM. The goal was to review CMAM program implementation and its integration into national health systems to provide DCHA/OFDA a status report for each country; draw lessons learned; and make recommendations on challenges, promising practices, gaps, and priority areas for DCHA/OFDA support during 2010 and 2011. The review was intended for DCHA/OFDA program planning purposes and also potentially as an advocacy tool to guide other donors in planning CMAM support in the region. After all four countries have been reviewed, FANTA-2 will develop a synthesis report. The current document presents a summary report on CMAM in Burkina Faso only.
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The goal of this assessment is to determine how far USAID/Senegal’s HIV/AIDS and TB programs have achieved their specific objectives with regard to identifying potential leads for improvement that are likely to make it easier to reach the planned results. After responding to the issues developed i...n various themes of the assessment, the results are placed in context and specific conclusions to each component are provided. The assessment also identifies the lessons learned from USAID/Senegal’s HIV/AIDS and TB programs and provides recommendations for future intervention.
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In this guideline, natural ventilation is considered
among one the effective measures to control infections in health care. This guideline provides
a design and operation guide for hospital planners, engineers, architects and infection control
personnel. The recommendations in this guidelin...e followed a systematic
review of the literature on the association of ventilation and disease transmission, as well
as effective natural ventilation solutions for infection control.
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This manual provides guidance on the design and building of barrier-free emergency shelters that are used by all people within a community following a natural disaster, such as a flood or landslide. It provides information with examples of the essential aspects to consider when designing and buildin...g barrier-free emergency shelters, such as ramps, toilets, cooking areas, waterpumps and shelters. Recommendations are also highlighted to ensure accessible environments for people with specific disabilities
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Fistula Services Facilitative Supervision and Medical Monitoring for Training Sites and Training Follow- up
This checklist facilitates the supervision and monitoring of training activities. Forms include: Facility Information; Training Follow Up for Fistula Surgery and Peri-operative Care; Training... Follow Up for Fistula Counselors; Additional Supervision/Monitoring for a Fistula Training Site; and Summary Notes and Recommendations from the Supervision and Monitoring Visit
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An output of a series of workshops on psychosocial support held in 2004-2005 by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS. Authors Linda Richter, Geoff Foster and Lorraine Sherr discuss the issues surrounding psychosocial care and support for children made vulner...able by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and make recommendations for future priorities and programming directions. Includes the ""Call To Action"" for Toronto 2006.
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This field action guide focuses on the first psychosocial assessment to be conducted just after a calamity strikes or just after a major event in an ongoing armed conflict. While it is necessary to update that initial assessment as the emergency situation evolves through the different phases of reco...very (briefly outlined in the “phase chart”), this mini book is meant to guide the formation of a team to assess the psychosocial as well as physical needs of children, their families and the communities and then the recommendations the team makes for ensuing support.
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These guidelines are intended to help diverse actors, including donors and program implementers, develop and fund the programs to help landmine victims heal, recover and resume their roles as productive and contributing members of their societies. Intended to address the care and rehabilitation of t...hose victims who have suffered physical injury from landmines, many of the recommendations apply as well to support for other persons with disabilities
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Our goal at Voices for Georgia’s Children is to help decision-makers craft and implement policies that ensure Georgia’s children grow up to be healthy, educated and productive citizens. To that end, we have developed a comprehensive policy agenda focused on early childhood, child health and disc...onnected youth, which, if followed, can effectively prevent and offset some of the damaging experiences faced by our children. Many of our recommendations are aligned with those included in this policy brief.
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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to transform our world. They are a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity. It is critical that no one is left behind. In 2015, all the countries in the United... Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It sets out 17 Goals, which include 169 targets. These wide-ranging and ambitious Goals interconnect. SDG 3 is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. It has 13 targets measured through 26 indicators. However, a person’s health and well-being are affected not only by disease and treatment, but also by social and economic factors such as housing, poverty and education. Health targets can therefore also be found across the other SDGs. This fact sheet shows how alcohol consumption undermines commitments to achieve 13 of the 17 SDGs, impacting on a range of health-related indicators, such as child health, infectious diseases and road injuries as well as much broader range of indicators related to economic and social development, environment and equality. The inclusion of a specific target on harmful use of alcohol (SDG 3.5: strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol) into the SDGs demonstrates the key role of alcohol within the global development agenda. The factsheet highlights positive examples of Member States’ experiences. It provides a short overview of the most cost-effective and feasible policy recommendations to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-attributable burden in the WHO European Region, in line with the European Action Plan to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. It also suggests some important resources for Member States. This factsheet was launched as part of the European Awareness Week on Alcohol Related Harm 2020.
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Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) with its manifestations of coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke, as well as aortic and peripheral artery diseases. In addition, diabetes is a major risk factor f...or developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), which in itself is associated with developing CVD. The combination of diabetes with these cardio-renal comorbidities enhances the risk not only for cardiovascular (CV) events but also for CV and all-cause mortality. The current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes are designed to guide prevention and management of the manifestations of CVD in patients with diabetes based on data published until end of January 2023. Over the last decade, the results of various large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) in patients with diabetes at high CV risk with novel glucose- lowering agents, such as sodium–glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs), but also novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), such as finerenone have substantially expanded available therapeutic op-
tions, leading to numerous evidence-based recommendations for the management of this patient population.
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Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of disability and premature death throughout the world, and contributes substantially to the escalating costs of health care. The underlying pathology is atherosclerosis, which develops over many years and is usually advanced by the time symptoms occur, genera...lly in middle age. Acute coronary and cerebrovascular events frequently occur suddenly, and are often fatal before medical care can be given. Modification of risk factors has been shown to reduce mortality and morbidity in people with diagnosed or undiagnosed cardiovascular disease.
This publication provides guidance on reducing disability and premature deaths from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease in people at high risk, who have not yet experienced a cardiovascular event. People with established cardiovascular disease are at very high risk of recurrent events and are not the subject of these guidelines. They have been addressed in previous WHO guidelines.
Several forms of therapy can prevent coronary, cerebral and peripheral vascular events. Decisions about whether to initiate specific preventive action, and with what degree of intensity, should be guided by estimation of the risk of any such vascular event. The risk prediction charts that accompany these guidelinesb allow treatment to be targeted accord-
ing to simple predictions of absolute cardiovascular risk.
Recommendations are made for management of major cardiovascular risk factors through changes in lifestyle and prophylactic drug therapies. The guidelines provide a framework for the development of national guidance on prevention of cardiovascular disease that takes into account the particular political, economic, social and medical circumstances.
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Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the second common cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounting for about 35% of all deaths, after a composite of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases. Despite prior perception of low NCDs mortality rates, current evidence suggests t...hat SSA is now at the dawn of the epidemiological transition with contemporary double burden of disease from NCDs and communicable diseases. In SSA, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most frequent causes of NCDs deaths, responsible for approximately 13% of all deaths and 37% of all NCDs deaths. Although ischemic heart disease (IHD) has been identified as the leading cause of CVDs mortality in SSA followed by stroke and hypertensive heart disease from statistical models, real field data suggest IHD rates are still relatively low. The neglected endemic CVDs of SSA such as endomyocardial fibrosis and rheumatic heart disease as well as congenital heart diseases remain unconquered. While the underlying aetiology of heart failure among adults in high-income countries (HIC) is IHD, in SSA the leading causes are hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart diseases. Of concern is the tendency of CVDs to occur at younger ages in SSA populations, approximately two decades earlier compared to HIC. Obstacles hampering primary and secondary prevention of CVDs in SSA include insufficient health care systems and infrastructure, scarcity of cardiac professionals, skewed budget allocation and disproportionate prioritization away from NCDs, high cost of cardiac treatments and interventions coupled with rarity of health insurance systems. This review gives an overview of the descriptive epidemiology of CVDs in SSA, while contrasting with the HIC and highlighting impediments to their management and making recommendations.
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Diabetic foot ulcers are a complication affecting approximately 15% of the total population with diabetes mellitus. There are three and half million diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia alone. Aim: to determine capacity building for nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding prevention of diabetic foot... complications. Research Questions: 1. Does the nurse’s knowledge prevent diabetic foot ulcer and other foot complications? 2. Does the high practice of the nurses during foot screening can prevent diabetic foot ulcer in primary health care centers in Saudi Arabia? Design: Descriptive, research designs have been utilized. Setting: Chronic disease clinic in primary health care centers in Jeddah city. Subjects: a purposive sample of 30 nurses and convenience sample of 30 patients. Tools: A. Diabetic foot ulcer Structured interview questionnaire to assess nurse’s knowledge regarding diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot. B. Health status assessment questionnaire to assess health history status of diabetic client. C. An observational checklist to assess the nurse practice once during diabetic foot screening. Results: Significant increase in nurse's knowledge had been observed, while the majority of them had poor practice in relation to foot screening. Whereas complicated diabetic patients represent 35.7% of diabetic patients have neuropathy. Moreover, only 7.1% have neuropathy and diabetic ketoacidosis. Also there was a significant moderate positive correlation between the overall score of nurse’s knowledge and the overall score of the practice regarding diabetic foot complications. Conclusions: Proper foot care, early recognition and management of risk factors prevent foot ulcer. Recommendations: Developing a structured training educational program for nurses dealing patients with diabetic foot disorders.
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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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It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t...he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency.
Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls.
An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is:
A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes).
An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions.
Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward.
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Infectious diseases are constantly in transition. New diseases develop, known dis-eases become widespread or reemerge, and occasionally a disease is eradicated.Infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cholera are significant causes ofillness and death in many parts of the world. Health car...e personnel are on thefront lines, helping to protect their clients from infectious diseases and treatingthem when infections occur. During the course of their work, health care person-nel perform clinical procedures or other activities that can expose both them andtheir clients to potentially infectious microorganisms. Many of their clients aresick and thus may be more susceptible to infections or may have infections thatcan be transmitted to others. Fortunately, all staff working at health care facilities can perform simple proce-dures to minimize risk—to themselves and clients—and reduce the spread ofinfections. These practices can be integrated at minimal cost into the routineworkday at clinics and hospitals around the world. This reference booklet isspecifically designed for use at all levels of the health care system, from thelargest hospitals to the smallest dispensaries or health posts, in settings whereresources are scarce. This booklet, which was first published in 1999, has now been updated. Whilemost practices remain the same, there have been a few important changes—forexample, in recommendations related to hand hygiene and standard precautions.Nonetheless, this booklet continues to present practical recommendations forsimple and relatively low-cost procedures that can be implemented anywhere,with basic supplies and little to no high-technology equipment.
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This module is part of the WHO series The Immunological Basis for Immunization, which was initially developed in 1993 as a set of eight modules, comprising one module on general immunology and seven modules each devoted to one of the vaccines recommended for the Expanded Programme on Immunization, i....e. vaccines against diphtheria, measles, pertussis, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Since then, this series has been updated and extended to include other vaccines of international importance. The main purpose of the modules is to provide national immunization managers and vaccination professionals with an overview of the scientific basis of vaccination against a range of important infectious diseases. The modules developed since 1993 continue to be vaccine-specific, reflecting the biological differences in immune responses to the individual pathogens and the differing strategies employed to create the best possible level of protection that can be provided by vaccination. The modules also serve as a record of the immunological basis for the WHO recommendations on vaccine use, published in the WHO vaccine position papers.*
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