Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) is advancing the global fight against acute malnutrition in children under 5 with the launch of its new guideline on the prevention and management of wasting and nutritional oedema (acute malnutrition). This milestone is a crucial response to the persistent... global issue of acute malnutrition, which affects millions of children worldwide.
In 2015, the world committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the ambitious target of eliminating malnutrition in all of its forms by 2030. However, despite these commitments, the proportion of children with acute malnutrition has persisted at a worrying level, affecting an estimated 45 million children under five worldwide in 2022.
In 2022, approximately 7.3 million children received treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Although treatment coverage has increased, children with SAM in many of the worst affected countries are still unable to access the full necessary care for them to recover.
The Global Action Plan (GAP) on child wasting recognized the need for updated normative guidance to support governments in the prevention and management of acute malnutrition. WHO answered this call to action and developed a comprehensive guideline that provides evidence-based recommendations and good practice statements and will be followed by guidance and tools for implementation.
more
Medication errors are a leading cause of patient harm globally. WHO launched the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, with the objective of preventing severe medication related patient harm globally. This publication is one of the documents in the WHO Technical Series on “Medi...cation Safety Solutions” that the WHO is publishing, to address important aspects pertaining to medication safety.
more
The importance of community and civil society engagement to end TB has been highlighted in various strategies and global commitments. The WHO End TB Strategy, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizes the role of communities and civil society in ending the TB epidemic... by 2030. Furthermore, the political declaration of the 2023 United Nations High-level Meeting on TB highlights the need to ensure people-centred health services, with meaningful engagement of communities in the full spectrum of TB response.
more
The importance of robust mortality surveillance systems cannot be overstated in an era marked by increasing global health challenges where health threats loom large and population dynamics continue to evolve. Accurate and timely mortality data is essential for identifying trends and detecting emergi...ng health threats, evaluating the impact of interventions, and guiding evidence-based policy decisions.
This framework outlines a holistic approach to strengthening routine mortality surveillance systems, considering the unique contextual factors and challenges faced by African countries. It emphasizes the importance of establishing efficient data collection mechanisms, enhancing data quality and completeness, and promoting data sharing and collaboration among stakeholders.
Moreover, the framework recognizes the pivotal role of technology in the integration of data from fragmented mortality data sources. It highlights the potential of innovative data capture methods, advanced analytics, and real-time reporting systems to enhance mortality data’s accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness.
The continental framework for mortality surveillance aligns with Africa CDC’s mission and strategic goal by serving as a fundamental component in strengthening public health systems, enhancing disease surveillance capacities and capabilities, informing evidence-based policies and interventions, and promoting collaboration and coordination among African countries to address health challenges and improve health outcomes on the continent.
The successful implementation of this framework requires collective commitment and concerted efforts from governments, health institutions, and the international community. We hope this document will serve as a catalyst for transformative change, enabling countries to build resilient mortality surveillance systems that protect public health, save lives, and contribute to evidence-based decision-making.
more
The Pandemic Influenza Pandemic (PIP) Framework's Partnership Contribution (PC) High-Level Implementation Plan III (HLIP III) outlines the strategy for strengthening global pandemic influenza preparedness from 2024 to 2030. HLIP III takes into consideration the lessons learned from the response to t...he COVID-19 pandemic, the gains made over time, including from previous HLIPs, and the broader programmatic and policy context in order to address gaps in pandemic influenza preparedness. Implementation of HLIP III will strengthen global, regional, and country-level pandemic influenza preparedness.
more
The world’s climate is changing. There is scientific consensus that since 1980 global temperatures have increased by almost 1°C. Most people experience climate change through extreme weather events, new and re-emerging infectious disease, and the long term effects of sea level rise, impoverishmen...t and armed conflict. This 30 minute film describes the range of morbidity and mortality of climate change related phenomena in six countries around the world.
The film describes the ways in which climate change will have – is already having – significant effects on human health. These effects are unequally distributed in terms of geographic location, social status, access to power or resources, and benefit from energy.
more
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a serious public health threat was globally acknowledged by WHO in 2015, through the launch of the Global Action Plan (GAP). With a limited number of new antibiotics in the developmental pipeline, many countries are in the process of establishing strategies for anti...microbial stewardship (AMS). Within each country, different healthcare challenges have
contributed to AMR. This has also shaped individual AMS strategies and policies. In South Africa (SA), there is a high burden of infectious diseases, mainly of bacterial origin. In addition, SA also has the highest number of people living with
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) globally. According to the 2019 statistics, there are approximately 7.97 million people living with HIV in SA. Together with this, SA has the fourth largest tuberculosis population globally.
Other important challenges include poverty, malnutrition, a high burden of non-communicable diseases, and a dire shortage of trained healthcare professionals (e.g. clinicians, pharmacists, and nurses).
more
Verstädterung, Flächennutzung, globaler Handel und Industrialisierung haben auf der ganzen Welt tiefgreifende negative Folgen für Natur, Biodiversität und Ökosysteme. Der fortwährende Abbau natürlicher Ressourcen wirkt sich nicht nur auf den Zustand der Umwelt aus, sondern hat auch enorme Aus...wirkungen für Wohlergehen und Sicherheit der Gesellschaften. Dieser Bericht bietet eine Übersicht der vielfältigen Einwirkung der natürlichen Umwelt auf die menschliche Gesundheit. Er legt dar, wie Natur und Ökosysteme Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden unterstützen und schützen können und wie zugleich die Zerstörung der Natur und der Verlust an Biodiversität die menschliche Gesundheit bedrohen. Er ist an ein Publikum gerichtet, das nicht über umfassende Erfahrung mit den Verbindungen zwischen Natur und Gesundheit verfügt. Diese Übersicht richtet sich in erster Linie an Personen, die sich beruflich oder politisch mit Umwelt und Gesundheit beschäftigen, kann aber auch für andere Bereiche relevant sein, die mit dem Schutz, der Handhabung und der Nutzung von Natur und Biodiversität befasst sind.
more
This strategy defines the World Health Organization (WHO) vision and framework for supporting Member States to accelerate the development, implementation and monitoring of their National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) from 2022 to 2026. The National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) ...are critical to ensure national capacities in health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery are planned, built, strengthened and sustained in order to achieve national, regional and global health security and therefore keep the world safe, serve the vulnerable and promote health.
The strategy promotes, where existing, the use of existing national action plans for health security and not necessary the creation of an additional unique plan. This will avoid duplication and ensure maximum efficiency in domestic resourcing and operationalization efficiency while harnessing external buy-in to support national health priorities.
more
Countries, partners, and donors are committed to
the global elimination of blinding trachoma by 2020.
Achieving this public health milestone requires more
than funding; it requires health personnel with the
right mix of skills, and well supported and managed
health systems. Mass drug administra...tion (MDA)
with Zithromax®, the Pfizer, Inc. donated antibiotic,
is a key component of the SAFE strategy, endorsed
by the World Health Organization. There is growing
recognition that improving all aspects of MDA, from
planning to training, recording to reporting, and
receipt of drug to distribution (the supply chain), will
be necessary if MDA programmes are going to reduce
the community burden of Chlamydia trachomatis, and
eliminate trachoma as a cause of blindness by 2020.
more
This document outlines the FAO Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021–2025 which serves as a roadmap for focusing global efforts to address AMR in the food and agriculture sectors. The aim of this plan is to help accelerate progress in developing and implementing multi-sectoral National Acti...on Plans to tackle AMR by calling attention to strategic priorities and areas of expertise for FAO support.
Available in English, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, Chinese
more
In the kingdom of Bahrain, the national antibiotic committee will set the framework for the national response to AMR, especially bacterial resistance to antibiotics. It will be aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, and with standards and... guidelines from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
more
We are pleased to provide an editorial to introduce this series of articles on the achievements of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) over the last 2 decades. We
are delighted that so many of the major players in this journey have agreed to contribute to this supplement,... which tracks the successes and identifies the challenges faced over 2 decades of
work as well as also looking towards the coming years.
more
To provide a foundation for the strategic policy and programme development needed to ensure the sustainable implementation of effective interventions for reducing the global burden of PPH
An overview of validation structures and responsibilities at national, regional and global levels.
This governance document supplements the global guidance document. Validation of elimination requires rigorous assessment at the national, regional and global levels of the impact and process indicato...rs and the fulfilment of the four foundational requirements for (1) data quality, (2) strong programmes, (3) laboratory quality and (4) human rights, gender equality and community engagement.
more
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Georgetown University, and the United Nations University have today launched new guidelines to provide the first-ever global policy framework that will help protect, include, and empower children on the ...move in the context of climate change.
The Guiding Principles for Children on the Move in the Context of Climate Change provides a set of 9 principles that address the unique and layered vulnerabilities of children on the move both internally and across borders as a result of the adverse impacts of climate change. Currently, most child-related migration policies do not consider climate and environmental factors, while most climate change policies overlook the unique needs of children.
The guidelines note that climate change is intersecting with existing environmental, social, political, economic, and demographic conditions contributing to people’s decisions to move. In 2020 alone, nearly 10 million children were displaced in the aftermath of weather-related shocks. With around one billion children – nearly half of the world’s 2.2 billion children – living in 33 countries at high risk of the impacts of climate change, millions more children could be on the move in the coming years.
Developed in collaboration with young climate and migration activists, academics, experts, policymakers, practitioners, and UN agencies, the guiding principles are based on the globally ratified Convention on the Rights of the Child and are further informed by existing operational guidelines and frameworks.
Recommendations for safeguarding the rights and well-being of children regardless of their location or migration status.
The guiding principles provide national and local governments, international organizations and civil society groups with a foundation to build policies that protect children’s rights. The organizations and institutions are calling on governments, local and regional actors, international organizations, and civil society groups to embrace the guiding principles to help protect, include, and empower children on the move in the context of climate change.
more
WHO invites Member States, health facilities and other entities to participate in the global effort to collect anonymized clinical data relating to suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox and contribute data to the WHO Global Clinical Platform.
WHO has developed a clinical characterization case ...report forms (CRF) to standardize data collection of clinical features of monkeypox among outpatient and hospitalized cases.
For onboarding to the WHO Global Clinical Platform for monkeypox, please contact: monkeypox_clinicaldataplatform@who.int
more
As the world recovers from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects on lessons learnt from failure of global public health systems to contain the global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, new infectious disease threats, caused by movement of people globally, remain omnipresent, and repeated calls for mo...re proactive action go unheeded. This is aptly shown by the unprecedented and unexpected outbreaks of human monkeypox cases and clusters since May 7, 2022, across Europe, the Americas, and Australia,
which yet again, have taken global public authorities by surprise.
more
The Lancet Planetary Health Volume 6, ISSUE 4, e342-e349, April 01, 2022. Human impacts on earth-system processes are overshooting several planetary boundaries, driving a crisis of ecological breakdown. This crisis is being caused in large part by global resource extraction, which has increased dra...matically over the past half century. We propose a novel method for quantifying national responsibility for ecological breakdown by assessing nations’ cumulative material use in excess of equitable and sustainable boundaries.
more
Grand Challenges - Planetary Health- This guide highlights a range of resources to explore solutions to the challenges of rising global temperature, and increased industrial effluences damaging the environment and impacting human health.