This report summarizes the latest scientific knowledge on the links between exposure to air pollution and adverse health effects in children. It is intended to inform and motivate individual and collective action by health care professionals to prevent damage to children’s health from exposure to ...air pollution.
Air pollution is a major environmental health threat. Exposure to fine particles in both the ambient environment and in the household causes about seven million premature deaths each year. Ambient air pollution alone imposes enormous costs on the global economy, amounting to more than US$ 5 trillion in total welfare losses in 2013.
This public health crisis is receiving more attention, but one critical aspect is often overlooked: how air pollution affects children in uniquely damaging ways. Recent data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that air pollution has a vast and terrible impact on child health and survival. Globally, 93% of all children live in environments with air pollution levels above the WHO guidelines (see the full report, Air pollution and child health: prescribing clean air. More than one in every four deaths of children under 5 years of age is directly or indirectly related to environmental risks. Both ambient air pollution and household air pollution contribute to respiratory tract infections that resulted in 543 000 deaths in children under the age of 5 years in 2016.
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In response to the urgent need for trained health professionals to assist in the efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Médecins Sans Frontières has been running training sessions in Brussels for international aid workers before they depart for the field. Below are videos used to ac...company the training sessions, helping to demonstrate infection control measures.
All videos are without sound to avoid language barriers. All videos are intended to be viewed in training sessions with an experienced Médecins Sans Frontières trainer
A free registration at vimeo is requested
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Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is endemic in 21 countries of the Americas, where control is largely focused on elimination of the domestic insect vectors (Triatominae) coupled with measures to extend and improve the screening of blood donors in order to avoid tranfusional transmission. Th...rough national programmes and multinational initiatives coordinated by WHO-PAHO, much has been accomplished in these domains in terms of reducing transmission. Attention now turns to consolidating the successes in interrupting transmission, and improved treatment for those already infected and those who may become affected in the future. This article, based on technical discussions at the "Epidemiological and Sociological Determinants of Chagas Disease, Basic Information to Establish a Surveillance and Control Policy " meeting in Rio de Janeiro, is designed to open the debate on appropriate strategies for continuation of the successful initiatives against Chagas disease.
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Certes, au Sénégal la révision périodique tous les deux ans de la Liste Nationale des Médicaments et Produits Essentiels (LNMPE) est une tradition depuis 1990. La présente liste de Médicaments et Produits Essentiels par niveaux de soins est la septième édition.
Cette sélection soigneuse... d’une gamme limitée de médicaments essentiels améliore la qualité des soins, la gestion des médicaments et le rapport cout/efficacité. En résume elle participe a l'utilisation rationnelle des ressources sanitaires.
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User's guide for teachers and community educators Indigenous Early Childhood .
MaterialLa presente guía es un instrumento para la implementación de los materiales para docentes y educadoras comunitarias y el cuadernillo para niños y niñas del Nivel Inicial, dicho cuadernillo está pensado para... niños y niñas de 3 y 4 años específicamente, y el material para docentes correspondiente podrá ser utilizado hasta el preescolar.
La guía surge de la necesidad de contar con orientaciones sencillas y claras a fin de facilitar al docente y a la educadora comunitaria la aplicación de los contenidos de manera flexible para que en cada pueblo indígena pueda ser adecuado y contextualizado a su realidad cultural y lingüística.
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This curriculum was designed to train newly recruited health care workers (HCW) in the basic knowledge and skills needed to improve different HIV services within the health facility including identification, linkage, retention and support. In addition to HIV basics, the training has supplementary un...its focused on PMTCT, psychosocial support, opportunistic infections, tuberculosis and HIV, nutrition and family planning in order to give a more well-rounded and comprehensive training of related topics.
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This checklist is the first step in identifying and prioritizing areas of action for improving the protection of health and safety of health workers in line with WHO–ILO Global Framework for National Occupational Health Programmes for Health Workers.
It is designed to be filled out in discussio...n with management, responsible officers for occupational health, environmental health, infection prevention and control, human resources and representatives of workers in the health facility. This participatory approach will provide a variety of perspectives and a more comprehensive basis for identifying the existing preventive measures, possible problems and solutions for continuous improvement.
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There are three sections in this e-learning module on radiation emergencies: Section One is an introduction about the basics of radiation. For instance, the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and the different ways to measure radiation. Section Two is about the health effects of ...acute exposure to radiation. For instance, the mechanisms by which ionizing radiation damages our cells and the clinical manifestations of acute exposure are introduced. Section Three discusses the measures in response to a radiation emergency. For instance, the principles of emergency department preparedness, the use of personal protective equipment and the procedures to decontamination are presented. Although this module is primarily for first responders to prepare for radiation emergencies, it is also suitable for the general public who are interested in knowing more about this topic. Healthcare professionals may also find this module useful in case they want to refresh their knowledge on radiation.
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It is too early to know the full impact of COVID-19 on Africa. To date the experience has been varied. There are causes for concern, but also reasons for hope. Early estimates were pessimistic regarding the pandemic’s impact on the continent. But the relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases report...ed thus far have raised hopes that African countries may be spared the worst of the pandemic. While the virus is present in all African countries, most countries have recorded fewer than 1,000 cases. The African Union acted swiftly, endorsing a joint continental strategy in February, and complementing efforts by Member States and Regional Economic Communities by providing a public health platform.
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The Policy Guidelines and Service Standards for National Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme document outlines the steps on how to offer and deliver services. Improving quality of care is critical to improving clients' health status as well as increasing access to, and utilization of Sexual and... Reproductive Health services. Service Standards and Guidelines are intended to be used by programme managers, implementers, trainers, surpervisors, and service providers as a tool for delivering quality care measures.
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It is estimated that as many as 300 million people of all ages, and all ethnic backgrounds, suffer from asthma and the burden of this disease to governments, health care systems, families, and patients is increasing worldwide. In 1989 the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) program was initiated in ...an effort to raise awareness among public health and government officials, health care workers, and the general public that asthma was on the increase. The GINA program recommends a management program based on the best available scientific evidence to provide effective medical care for asthma tailored to local health care systems and resources.
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Timor-Leste’s vulnerability to natural hazards means if particular care is not taken in the development of the country’s infrastructure, it will remain at risk to disruption.
Timor-Leste developed the 2008 National Disaster Risk Management Policy, which lays out the government’s vison of ...its disaster management process from the national to the village level. Additionally, through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), they have conducted national hazards, vulnerability and risk assessments. Through Plan International they have initiated the integration of disaster management education into public schools. Although the Government of Timor-Leste considers DRM as a priority and supports the dissemination of DRM policy to the district levels, the current Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 of Timor-Leste has not explicitly reflected nor integrated DRM as one of its development priorities. Disaster Management is included in the Strategic Plan Document of MSS 2009-2012.
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As of September 2022, just over one million forced
migrants from Ukraine have entered Germany, making Germany the third largest recipient of migrants
(Ukraine Refugee Situation, 2022).
As early as March 2022, several news outlets reported that accommodation centers were at or near
capacity in ma...ny German states and lacked the resources to quickly register new arrivals (Süddeutsche
Zeitung, 2022; Herz, 2022). Consequently, some states asked for the use of the Königstein Key —
an algorithm used to redistribute forced migrants to different states based on each state’s capacity.5
Depending on which state forced migrants arrive in or where they relocate to, their first stop is typically
a reception facility where they are able to register, begin the asylum application procedure, and access
support services
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This half-day training module introduces participants to basic skills in psychological first aid (PFA). It is suitable for all Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers working in any sector. It aims to enable participants to:
know what psychological first aid is and what it is not
... understand the three action principles of ‘Look, Listen and Link’
practise providing PFA to someone in distress
be aware of the importance of self-care when helping others.
This training module is one of four on psychological first aid, which accompany a set of materials on PFA. This include an introductory booklet called A Guide to Psychological First Aid for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and a small booklet, A Short Introduction to Psychological First Aid for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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Avec la Covid-19, nous ne plus vivons plus comme avant, nous sommes séparés de ceux que nous aimons. Pour beaucoup d’entre nous, c’est difficile. Ne plus avoir d'argent qui rentre, être confinés à plusieurs dans un logement trop petit, ressentir plus intensément certaines émotions – agr...essivité, peur, inquiétude face à l’avenir, gérer une dépression ou d'autres troubles mentaux chroniques, tout cela rend les choses encore plus pénibles. Étant donné que nous aurons à vivre longtemps dans ces conditions, il est très important de trouver des moyens de les surmonter au mieux.
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March - June 2018
Myanmar introduced Child Death Surveillance and Response (CDSR) in 2015 as an initiative to reduce child (under-5) mortality, an initiative that will contribute to the country’s efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Technical Guidelines for CDSR were devel...oped in 2015 followed by the development of Training Package in 2016. An Implementation Plan was made in 2016; and this led to all townships implementing CDSR in early 2017. After one year of implementation an assessment was carried out in early 2018.
The assessment was conducted in 3 region/states – Ayeyarwaddy, Magway, Shan South, with information gathered from the state/region, district, township and basic health unit levels. In addition a caretaker interview was conducted to see health-seeking behavior. In addition to these three regions/states, information was also gathered from three other regions/states but only at the region/state level – Mandalay, Yangon, Kachin.
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COVID-19 has heavily emphasized how contact tracing is crucial for managing outbreaks, and as part of the strategy for adjusting, and eventually lifting, lockdowns and other stringent public health and social measures. As the pandemic develops further, it will be a core measure to manage further wav...es of infection. In early June 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened an online global consultation on contact tracing in the context of COVID-19, looking at the lessons of the pandemic to date; known and emerging best practices; and the measures necessary for urgent implementation, scale-up, maintenance and enhancement of contact tracing activities.
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This inventory has been compiled by WHO/Europe to help facilitate monitoring and reporting of national policies for the prevention of violence and injuries, in close collaboration with national focal persons officially nominated by ministries of health and with support from the European Commission (...EC).
The documents in the inventory reflect policy initiatives undertaken at national level in countries across the Region by different sectors involved in the prevention of violence and injuries, such as health, justice, interior, social affairs, transport.
Information can be viewed and searched on a country basis or in a summary table, listing all countries, by clicking one of the tabs above. This facilitates the sharing of information by Member States and comparisons across the WHO European Region.
This inventory is one of the products of a joint WHO/EC project on preventing injury and promoting safety in Europe.
More information about prevention of violence and injuries can be found in the WHO/Europe website on violence and injury prevention.
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Small drinking-water supplies commonly experience operational, managerial, technical and resourcing challenges that impact their ability to deliver safe and reliable services. The needs and opportunities associated with these supplies therefore warrant explicit consideration in policies and regulati...ons.
These Guidelines, specifically tailored to small water supplies, build on over 60 years of guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO) on drinking-water quality and safety. They focus on establishing drinking-water quality regulations and standards that are health based and context appropriate; on proactively managing risks through water safety planning and sanitary inspections; and on carrying out independent surveillance. The guidance is intended primarily for decision-makers at national and subnational levels with responsibility for developing regulatory frameworks and support programmes related to these activities. Other stakeholders involved in water service provision will also benefit from the guidance in this document.
Designed to be practical and accessible, these Guidelines offer clear guidance that is rooted in the principle of progressive improvement. State-of-the-art recommendations and implementation guidance are provided, drawn from a comprehensive evidence review and established good practices. Additionally, case examples are provided from countries and areas around the world to demonstrate how the guidance in this publication has been implemented in practice in a wide variety of contexts.
Together with WHO’s 2024 Sanitary inspection packages – a supporting tool for the Guidelines for drinking-water quality: small water supplies, these Guidelines update and supersede WHO’s 1997 Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Volume 3: surveillance and control of community supplies. Key changes to this updated publication include a greater focus on preventive risk management and a broader range of small water supplies covered, including those managed by households, communities and professional entities.
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Human health and well-being are intimately linked to the state of the environment. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate change, air pollution and exposure to hazardous chemicals are major causes of environment-related burden of disease across the world. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, al...most a quarter of all deaths are attributable to the health impacts of environmental hazards. Air pollution is the leading cause of deaths from environmental risks and is a leading contributor to the NCD epidemic.
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