the aid library

National guidelines for recognition and management of viral haemorraghic fevers

Ministry of Health, South Africa (2014) C1

Pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: An African perspective

Allwood, B.; Calligaro, G. South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) (2015) CC2

The article discusses the significant impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a global health issue, with cigarette smoking as the main risk factor. However, in developing countries, the causes of COPD are often multifactorial, involving environmental tobacco smoke, biomass fuel sm ... more

“No Control, No Choice”

Human Rights Watch (2017) C1

Lack of Access to Reproductive Healthcare in Sudan’s Rebel-Held Southern Kordofan

The impact of myopia and high myopia

World Health Organization (WHO) (2017) C_WHO

Report of the Joint World Health Organization–Brien Holden Vision Institute Global Scientific Meeting on Myopia | University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 16–18 March 2015

WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis
recommended

World Health Organization World Health Organization WHO (2022) CC

Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America. It is one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) - a group of diseases and conditions that affect particularly low-in ... more

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A global concern

UN Children's Fund UNICEF (2016) C_UNICEF

This brochure draws on data from more than 90 nationally representative surveys making it the most up-to-date compilation of statistics on FGM/C. Available data show that the practice of FGM/C is highly concentrated in a swath of countries from the Atlantic coast to the Horn of Africa, in areas of t ... more

Climate–Poverty Connections: Opportunities for synergistic solutions at the intersection of planetary and human well-being

Project Drawdown (2022) CC

Project Drawdown (2022) provides evidence of how climate solutions can also be win-win opportunities for meeting development and human well-being needs while boosting prosperity for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The report ... more

Buruli ulcer in Africa: Geographical distribution, ecology, risk factors, diagnosis, and indigenous plant treatment options - A comprehensive review

Osei-Owusu J.; Fordjour Aidoo O.; Eshu F. et al. Heliyon (2023) C2

Buruli ulcer (BU), a neglected tropical disease (NTD), is an infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The disease has been documented in many South American, Asian, and Western Pacific countries and is widesp ... more

COVID-19 in Africa

The Center For Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (2020) CC

The purpose of this work is to estimate potential COVID-19 case burdens in each African nation considering various social distancing interventions. Given current trends in case burden, the model estimates the potential resource needs that would be needed under different scenarios. The model is for p ... more

Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, October 2022: conclusions and recommendations

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization held a meeting on 3-6 October 2022. This report summarizes the discussions, conclusions and recommendations. It covers the following items: Global Reports Immunization Agenda 2030 and Regional reports Monkeypox RSV COVID-19 vacci ... more

The 2019 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) (2019) C1

This year’s MPI results show that more than two-thirds of the multidimensionally poor—886 millionpeople—live in middle-income countries. A further 440 million live in low-income countries. In both groups, data show, simple national averagescan hide enormous inequality inpatterns of povertywith ... more

The Ignored Pandemic: The Dual Crisis of Gender-Based Violence and COVID-19

Oxfam (2021) CC

24 Nov. 2021 Action against gender-based violence being pushed to the outlying margins of the global COVID-19 response A new Oxfam report shows an undeniable increase in gender-based violence (GBV) during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world to which too many governments and donors are not doi ... more

Interregional meeting on leishmaniasis among neighbouring endemic countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, African and European regions

World Health Organization World Health Organization WHO (2019) C_WHO

An interregional meeting on leishmaniasis among neighbouring endemic countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, African and European regions was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Amman, Jordan, from 23 to 25 September 2018. The meeting w ... more

Modelling the effects of global climate change on Chikungunya transmission in the 21st century

Tjaden, N.B.; J.E. Suk, D. Fischer et al. Nature Scientific Reports (2017) CC

The arrival and rapid spread of the mosquito-borne viral disease Chikungunya across the Americas is one of the most significant public health developments of recent years, preceding and mirroring the subsequent spread of Zika. Globalization in trade and travel can lead to the importation of these vi ... more

Integrating neglected tropical diseases in global health and development: fourth WHO report on neglected tropical diseases

World Health Organization (WHO) (2017) C_WHO

Advances have been made through expanded interventions delivered through five public health approaches: innovative and intensified disease management; preventive chemotherapy; vector ecology and management; veterinary public health services; and the provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene. I ... more

Antimicrobial resistance in Africa: a systematic review

Tilahun Tadesse, B., E. A. Ashley, S. Ongarello et al. BMC Infectious Diseases (2017) C2

Internationally, there is a growing concern over antimicro-bial resistance (AMR) which is currently estimated to ac-count for more than 700,000 deaths per year worldwide. If no appropriate measures are taken to halt its pro-gress, AMR will cost approximately 10 million lives andabout US$100 trillion ... more

Guidance note for practitioners leveraging climate-smart agriculture for peace: Insights from a bundle of interventions in Ghana

Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT; CGIAR (2024) CC

Climate change is one of the biggest crises of our time. Climate threats range from higher temperatures, heavy rainfalls and floods, erratic precipitation, droughts, desertification, and land degradation. This has negative implications on the quality and quantity of natural resources, such as land a ... more

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