Urban poor communities including the homeless, residents of informal settlements, residents at risk of being evicted, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), undocumented persons, low-income renters, as well as homeowners are perhaps at greatest risk from both COVID-19 and the response interventions to... it.
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The guidance provides critical considerations and practical checklists to keep schools safe. It also advises national and local authorities on how to adapt and implement emergency plans for educational facilities.
In the event of school closures, the guidance includes recommendations to mitigate... against the possible negative impacts on children’s learning and wellbeing. This means having solid plans in place to ensure the continuity of learning, including remote learning options such as online education strategies and radio broadcasts of academic content, and access to essential services for all children. These plans should also include necessary steps for the eventual safe reopening of schools.
Where schools remain open, and to make sure that children and their families remain protected and informed.
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The strategic framework gives guidance to public and private health facilities and health workers on compliance with standards relating to IPC practices. To further assist health facilities to implement the IPC strategic framework, this practical implementation manual has been developed in parallel ...to accompany the document.
These implementation strategies should be read in conjunction with the National Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Strategic Framework (2020) to support an IPC programme at health facility level towards reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This manual is aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) Core Component IPC programme recommendations and highlights the essentials for developing and improving IPC at health facility level in a systematic, stepwise manner for South Africa. It supports the Framework for the Prevention and Containment of AMR in South African Hospitals (2018).
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How to respond to Covid19 pandemic in West and Central Africa
Infection prevention and control practices need to be implemented to guarantee the safety of healthcare workers and patients in healthcare settings, it is fundamental to prevent cross contamination and containment of spread of COVID 19. As of the day of this publication, the following precautions ar...e recommended for the care of patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19: - For any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19: standard + contact + droplet precautions. -For any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and Aerosol Generated Procedure: standard + contact + airborne precautions. - The results of the application of this evaluation tool, in addition to other tools, will provide an overview regarding compliance with the activities of prevention and control of infections associated with provision of care in acute healthcare services in a health setting, without making judgments about the individual risk of patients, nor on particular cases. By its nature, this tool is only an external diagnostic to support IPC professionals and managers to assess the gaps and take corrective measures. To provide a tool for assessment of infection prevention and control practices in isolation areas in acute healthcare settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). These recommendations are preliminary and subject to review as new evidence becomes available.
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The 'asks' have been prepared for private businesses to take concrete actions in the COVID19 pandemic.
Current evidence indicates that the COVID-19 virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets or contact. Contact transmission occurs when contaminated hands touch the mucosa of the mouth, nose, or eyes; the virus can also be transferred from one surface to another by contaminated hands, which fac...ilitates indirect contact transmission. Consequently, hand hygiene is extremely important to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It also interrupts transmission of other viruses and bacteria causing common colds, flu and pneumonia, thus reducing the general burden of disease.
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According to WHO, infection prevention and control (IPC) is a scientific approach and practical solution designed to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and health workers. It is grounded in infectious diseases, epidemiology, social science and health system strengthening. IPC occupies a un...ique position in the field of patient safety and quality universal health coverage since it is relevant to health workers and patients at every single health-care encounter. Poor WASH and IPC lead to health acquired infections, transmission of diseases from health facilities to communities and increased use of antibiotics and exacerbate outbreak and spread of infections- in this case- COVID- 19. On the contrary, effective IPC reduces hospital-acquired infections by at least 30% (WHO 2016).
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Cette note d'orientation développée par l'UNICEF est destinée à aider le personnel WASH dans sa préparation et sa réponse à la pandémie actuelle de COVID-19. Elle donne un aperçu de la prévention et du contrôle des infections (IPC) et de son intersection avec l'eau, l'assainissement et l'...hygiène (WASH), et explique comment le personnel peut contribuer à prévenir l'infection et sa propagation dans les écoles, que ce soit par contact entre humains ou avec des surfaces contaminées par le virus. Les services WASH, y compris la gestion des déchets et le nettoyage de l'environnement, sont tous importants pour la CIP. Ce dossier est disponible en anglais, espagnol et français ici.
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Esta nota de orientación elaborada por el UNICEF tiene por objeto ayudar al personal de agua, saneamiento e higiene en su preparación y respuesta a la actual pandemia de COVID-19. Proporciona una visión general de la prevención y el control de las infecciones (IPC) y su intersección con el agua..., el saneamiento y la higiene (WASH), y cómo el personal puede ayudar a prevenir la infección y su propagación en las escuelas, ya sea a través de la relación entre personas o tocando superficies contaminadas con el virus. Los servicios de WASH, incluyendo la gestión de residuos y la limpieza del medio ambiente, son todos importantes para el CPI. Este informe está disponible en inglés, español y francés aquí.
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This guidance note developed by UNICEF explains how the WASH sector can implement infection prevention and control measures in households and community settings. It focuses on reducing the exposure to the disease in vulnerable community settings and public spaces, and the transmission of the disease... in home and community settings hosting patients and contacts. This brief is available in English, Spanish, and French here.
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Cette note d'orientation élaborée par l'UNICEF explique comment le secteur WASH peut mettre en œuvre des mesures de prévention et de contrôle des infections dans les ménages et les communautés. Elle met l'accent sur la réduction de l'exposition à la maladie dans les milieux communautaires e...t les espaces publics vulnérables, ainsi que sur la transmission de la maladie dans les foyers et les milieux communautaires accueillant des patients et des contacts. Ce dossier est disponible en anglais, espagnol et français ici.
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Esta nota de orientación elaborada por el UNICEF explica cómo el sector del agua, el saneamiento y la higiene puede aplicar medidas de prevención y control de las infecciones en los hogares y las comunidades. Se centra en la reducción de la exposición a las enfermedades en entornos comunitarios... y espacios públicos vulnerables, así como en la transmisión de enfermedades en los hogares y entornos comunitarios con pacientes y contactos. Este dossier está disponible en inglés, español y francés aquí.
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The following Emergency Response Plan for the COVID-19 pandemic seeks to set out activities that will be undertaken by humanitarian actors in Ukraine over the course of 2020 to respond to the public health impact of the epidemic – as well as the indirect, socio-economic impact on people’s well-b...eing, which will span across many areas. Given the extensive public exposure of the COVID-19 threat, the response will cover the whole of Ukraine, while providing a distinct focus on Donetska and Luhanska oblasts that have been ravaged by an armed conflict for the last six consecutive years. The planned COVID-19 response in the two conflict-affected oblasts will be treated as an annex to the current Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine
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Préparation et riposteà l’épidémie de COVID-19
Preparación y respuesta a la emergencia del COVID-19
30 January 2020
This document outlines the standard operating procedures for detection and response to case/s of suspected novel coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV) in South Africa. The content of this document should inform provincial preparedness plans.
This document is a guide for national authorities who are responsible for managing public health responses to COVID-19
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on how quarantine and isolation can be achieved if there is a suspected or confirmed case in an overcrowded setting. It will focus on informal settlements and collective shelters, but the guidance can be applied in non-refugee settings as well, suc...h as detention centres and crowded neighborhoods. This guidance aims to support a coordinated and efficient response. It supports detailed planning at the regional level and is meant to be adapted to the local context. Households residing outside of these shelter types will be expected to follow the self-isolation circular provided by the MoPH. It is preferable, whenever feasible, that people are supported to remain in their homes. This guidance note will be continuously adapted as needed from the National level.
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