As the Americas undergo profound demographic change and there are more persons aged 65 years or older than children younger than 5 years, it is crucial to recognize that national immunization programs must be redesigned to ensure comprehensive protection for individuals across the lifespan. By adopt...ing a life course approach (LCA) to immunization, vaccination programs can be tailored to close immunity gaps at different stages of life. The life course approach foresees the establishment of multiple strategies to reduce missed opportunities for vaccination according to age group. This technical document explains the key concepts of the LCA with a focus on immunization by vaccination, as well as the underlying biological mechanisms that require the application different vaccines at different life stages according to changes to the immune system and in the epidemiological situation of a community.
more
Background
Equity and inclusion are important principles in policy development and implementation. The aim of this study is to explore the extent to which equity and inclusion were considered in the development of Malawi’s National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Met...hods
We applied an analytical methodology to review the Malawi’s National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan using the EquIPP (Equity and Inclusion in Policy Processes) tool. The EquIPP tool assesses 17 Key Actions to explore the extent of equity and inclusion.
Results
The development of the Malawi National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan was informed by a desire to promote the rights, opportunities and wellbeing of persons with disability in Malawi. The majority (58%) of the Key Actions received a rating of three, indicating evidence of clear, but incomplete or only partial engagement of persons with disabilities in the policy process. Three (18%) of the Key Actions received a rating of four indicating that all reasonable steps to engage in the policy development process were observed. Four (23%) of the Key Actions received a score five indicating a reference to Key Action in the core documents in the policy development process.
Conclusions
The development of disability policies and associated implementation strategies requires equitable and inclusive processes that consider input from all stakeholders especially those whose wellbeing depend on such policies. It is pivotal for government and organisations in the process of policy or strategy development and implementation, to involve stakeholders in a virtuous process of co-production – co-implementation – co-evaluation, which may strengthen both the sense of inclusion and the effectiveness of the policy life-cycle.
more
This report is one of the first major products of the newly established Precision Public Health Metrics unit of the UCN cluster of the WHO Regional Office for Africa. The report presents national trends in communicable and non-communicable disease burden and control in the WHO African region. It tra...cks progress made with respect to disease burden reduction, elimination and eradication. It also highlights major emerging threats, opportunities and priorities in the fight against commu- nicable and non-communicable diseases in the region. It covers the period 2000-2022, but for some indicators, information is available only up to 2021.
The report shows the number of reported cases for malaria and vaccine preventable diseases (meningitis, measles, yellow fever, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, and polio); disease incidence due to HIV, tuberculosis and four major noncommunicable diseases (cardiovas- cular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respira- tory diseases).
more
What does the future hold for the world’s children?
In many ways, the future is now. Today’s actions and decisions will determine the future children inherit.
Unfortunately, today's children live in a world fraught with crises, poverty and discrimination. Where far too many are deprived of... opportunities to meet their full potential.
We can and must do better.
The future of childhood hangs in the balance.
This year’s State of the World’s Children Report examines the forces and trends shaping our world today and reflects on how they might shape the future.
The report explores three megatrends that will profoundly impact children’s lives between now and 2050: demographics shifts, the climate and environmental crises and frontier technologies.
It also presents three future scenarios – possible outcomes, not predictions – for how children could experience the world of 2050.
As we consider what we can do today, our responsibility is clear: now is the time to shape a better future for every child.
more
La Surveillance épidémiologique est un processus continu de collecte, d'analyse et de diffusion d'informations pour la prise d'actions de riposte. Les activités de surveillance épidémiologique sont mises en oeuvre au Sénégal selon la stratégie SIMR (Surveillance Intégrée de la Maladie et R...iposte) et suivant le RSI (Version 2005). Cependant, très souvent les données de surveillance des maladies, surtout aux niveau communautaire, ne sont pas toujours bien enregistrées, notifiées et analysées.
Aujourd'hui, les maladies transmissibles emergentes et ré-émergentes comme la maldie à Virus Ebola (MVE), constituent une menace importante pour la santé et le bien-êtres de nos communautés. Fort heureusement, les interventions de lutte et de prévention sont bien connues pour certaines.
Il en résulte que des opportunités pour prendre et mettre en place des mesures de riposte appropriées de santé publique pour sauver des vies existens et doivent être clairement indentifiées. Pour cela, il s'avère nécessaire de former de manière adéquate les acteurs communautaires et de mettre en place un système perfomant de surveillance intégrée des maladies aux niveau communautaire soutenu par une communication appropriée avec les populations aussi bien en milieu urbain que rural.
more
La Surveillance épidémiologique est un processus continu de collecte, d'analyse et de diffusion d'informations pour la prise d'actions de riposte. Les activités de surveillance épidémiologique sont mises en oeuvre au Sénégal selon la stratégie SIMR (Surveillance Intégrée de la Maladie et R...iposte) et suivant le RSI (Version 2005). Cependant, très souvent les données de surveillance des maladies, surtout aux niveau communautaire, ne sont pas toujours bien enregistrées, notifiées et analysées.
Aujourd'hui, les maladies transmissibles emergentes et ré-émergentes comme la maldie à Virus Ebola (MVE), constituent une menace importante pour la santé et le bien-êtres de nos communautés. Fort heureusement, les interventions de lutte et de prévention sont bien connues pour certaines.
Il en résulte que des opportunités pour prendre et mettre en place des mesures de riposte appropriées de santé publique pour sauver des vies existens et doivent être clairement indentifiées. Pour cela, il s'avère nécessaire de former de manière adéquate les acteurs communautaires et de mettre en place un système perfomant de surveillance intégrée des maladies aux niveau communautaire soutenu par une communication appropriée avec les populations aussi bien en milieu urbain que rural.
more
Vaincre le Sida par Tous, une Riposte pour Tous
Le Plan Stratégique National de Lutte contre le Sida (PSN) 2018-2022 sera le cadre unique pour tous les acteurs de la lutte contre le sida au Sénégal. Il constitue la référence pour la programmation des activités aux niveaux national et régio...nal, et sera l’outil indispensable pour l’harmonisation et l’alignement des partenaires. Ce plan traduit la vision et les engagements du Gouvernement du Sénégal à maintenir les acquis et à orienter la riposte vers l’élimination du sida en utilisant toutes les opportunités et ressources, aussi bien domestiques qu’internationales.
more
Les progrès substantiels et soutenus du Sénégal dans la lutte contre le paludisme constituent une réussite exemplaire en matière de santé publique et une source d’enseignements potentiels pour d’autres pays sur la voie de l’élimination. Ce document décrit trois facteurs principaux de s...uccès :(1) un leadership exceptionnel et un fort engagement des partenaires, (2) l’atteinte et le maintien de niveaux élevés de couverture des interventions, et (3) la promotion d’une culture d’utilisation des données; et explore plusieurs nouvelles opportunités prometteuses pour consolider et amplifier les succès des deux dernières décennies.
more
Cette évaluation est axée en premier lieu sur la planification familiale et en second lieu sur la santé maternelle, néonatale et de l’enfant (SMNE), le VIH/sida, le paludisme et la nutrition. L’évaluation avait les objectifs suivants :
1. Produire un aperçu des parties prenantes du secte...ur privé de la santé et de leurs rôles respectifs
2. Évaluer le niveau du dialogue politique entre les secteurs public et privé de la santé 3. Décrire les contributions du secteur privé aux principaux marchés et domaines de la santé, y compris le financement de la santé
4. Évaluer les marchés spécifiques pour les principaux produits et services de santé, et décrire la dynamique de l’offre et de la demande
5. Identifier les opportunités actuelles et potentielles pour des partenariats public-privé dans le secteur de la santé
6. Fournir des recommandations sur les meilleures façons de rendre les partenariats public-privé (PPP) opérationnels dans le secteur de la santé
more
Le Burkina Faso est l’un des pays les plus pauvres du monde avec peu de donateurs institutionnels œuvrant directement à la satisfaction des besoins des personnes en situation de handicap. En tant que pays prioritaire de LIGHT FOR THE WORLD ainsi que de la Coopération Autrichienne au Développem...ent, le Burkina Faso offre de réelles opportunités pour un travail en synergie. Afin de soutenir le programme au Burkina Faso, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD a décidé d’y ouvrir un bureau pays en 2009. Ce bureau jouera un rôle crucial dans l’appui des partenaires locaux et contribuera à une transition dans le travail de LIGHT FOR THE WORLD au Burkina Faso, passant d’une série de projets indépendants à un programme complet visant à promouvoir le développement inclusif et la création d’une société inclusive. Il permet à LIGHT FOR THE WORLD d’apporter une réelle plus-value aux efforts pour la création d’une société inclusive. Cette stratégie d’intervention a été élaborée suivant un processus exhaustif: sur base d’une analyse situationnelle et d’une large consultation des acteurs principaux entre avril 2010 et mai 2011 au Burkina Faso et en Europe.
more
This operational guidance on MHPSS provides a practical orientation and tools for UNHCR country operations. It covers specific points of good practice to consider when developing MHPSS programming and offers advice on priority issues and practical difficulties, while also providing some background i...nformation and definitions. Since MHPSS is a cross cutting concept this operational guidance is relevant for programming in various sectors, including health, community based protection, education, shelter, nutrition, food security and livelihoods.
The focus of this operational guidance is on refugees and asylum seekers, but it may apply to other persons of concern within UNHCR operations such as stateless persons, internally displaced persons and returnees. The guidance is meant for operations in both camp and non-camp settings, and in both rural and urban settings in low and middle-income countries with a UNHCR presence.
The guidance should be adapted according to different contexts. A standardized format for programme implementation cannot be offered because this depends to a large extent on existing national capacities and local opportunities.
more
The WHO End TB Strategy aims to end the global TB epidemic by 2030, in alignment with Goal 3 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN committed to ending the TB epidemic through adoption of WHO’s End TB Strateg...y and the UN SDGs in 2014 and 2015, respectivel
Almost half of the deaths worldwide caused by TB in 2019 occurred in the WHO South-East Asia Region, home to around a quarter of the global population. Maintaining robust progress in this Region is therefore essential if the global goal of ending the TB epidemic is to be realized. Despite substantial gains made in the Region, the threat to
health worldwide posed by the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to reverse these gains and eclipse the focus on the global TB emergency.
While continuing to tackle COVID-19-related challenges, countries will need to rapidly and urgently deploy supplementary measures to address the large numbers of missed cases, poor treatment outcomes and, potentially, a higher TB burden.
The Regional Strategic Plan towards Ending TB in the Region 2021–2025 clearly articulates priority interventions, analyses the challenges, bottlenecks and opportunities, and focuses on implementation considerations in the Region.
more
ajtmh.20-1538 Volume 104, 6. Mapping is a prerequisite for effective implementation of interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Before the accelerated World Health Organization (WHO)/Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) NTD Mapping Project was initiated in 2014, mapping efforts in man...y countries were frequently carried out in an ad hoc and nonstandardized fashion. In 2013, there were at least 2,200 different districts (of the 4,851 districts in the WHO African region) that still required mapping, and in many of these districts, more than one disease needed to be mapped. During its 3-year duration from January 2014 through the end of 2016, the project carried out mapping surveysfor one ormore NTDs in at least 2,500 districts in 37 African countries. At the end of 2016, most (90%) of the 4,851 districts had completed the WHO-required mapping surveys for the five targeted Preventive Chemotherapy (PC)-NTDs, and the impact of this accelerated WHO/AFRO NTD Mapping Project proved to be much greater than just the detailed mapping results themselves. Indeed, the AFRO Mapping
Project dramatically energized and empowered national NTD programs, attracted donor support for expanding these programs, and developed both a robust NTD mapping database and data portal. By clarifying the prevalence and burden
of NTDs, the project provided not only the metrics and technical framework for guiding and tracking program implementation and success but also the research opportunities for developing improved diagnostic and epidemiologic sampling tools for all 5 PC-NTDs—lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and trachoma.
more
The chapter Fostering Health Systems’ Monitoring to Better Serve Older Populations is part of the publication series entitled Decade of Healthy Aging: Situation and Challenges. The publications are designed to favor the prioritization of effective actions at the local level as well as the monitori...ng of data and public health policies, and providing evidence-based information. Along with the objective of presenting the available updated knowledge about the situation of health and aging at the beginning of the Decade of Healthy Aging in the Americas, this publication gives information about health systems’ monitoring to better serve the needs of older adults and emphasizes the need for societies and health systems to better adapt to an aging population. It introduces the 360-tool as a guide to adapt health systems through monitoring tracers/indicators and highlighting the data and information that is readily available, disaggregated by age. This information can aid in decision-making and resource allocation to support older adults’ needs. Concerning the 360-tool development, a consensus has been reached on seven tracer indicators with high relevance to informing policy, and case studies in selected countries have assessed the feasibility of this approach. The list of indicators and the process related to the development of the tool are presented in this publication. The Decade of Healthy Aging 2021-2030 is a period to guide action towards the transformation of societies by fostering the inclusion of older people in every decision. This publication intends to contribute to this strategy and highlight the upcoming challenges and opportunities on healthy aging.
more
Since the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978, community health volunteers (CHVs) have been at the forefront, providing health services, especially to underserved communities, in low-income countries. However, consolidation of CHVs position within formal health systems has proved to be complex and continue...s to challenge countries, as they devise strategies to strengthen primary healthcare. Malawi’s community health strategy, launched in 2017, is a novel attempt to harmonise the multiple health
service structures at the community level and strengthen service delivery through a team-based approach. The core community health team (CHT) consists of health surveillance assistants (HSAs), clinicians, environmental health officers and CHVs. This paper reviews Malawi’s strategy, with particular focus on the interface between HSAs, volunteers in community-based programmes and
the community health team. Our analysis identified key challenges that may impede the strategy’s implementation:
(1) inadequate training, imbalance of skill sets within CHTs and unclear job descriptions for CHVs; (2) proposed community-level interventions require expansion of pre-existing roles for most CHT members; and (3) district authorities may face challenges meeting financial obligations and filling community-level positions. For effective implementation, attention and further deliberation is needed on the appropriate forms of CHV support, CHT composition with possibilities of co-opting trained CHVs
from existing volunteer programmes into CHTs, review of CHT competencies and workload, strengthening coordination and communication across all community actors, and financing mechanisms. Policy support through the development of an addendum to the strategy, outlining opportunities for task-shifting between CHT members, CHVs’ expected duties and interactions with paid CHT personnel is recommended.
more
For thousands of years, humans have been using wildlife for commercial and subsistence purposes. Wildlife trade takes place at local, national and international levels, with different forms of wildlife, such as live animals, partly processed products and finished products. Wildlife is a vital source... of safe and nutritious food, clothing, medicine, and other products, in addition to having religious and cultural value. Wildlife trade also contributes to livelihoods, income generation and overall economic development.
However, wildlife trade can have detrimental effects on species conservation, depleting natural resources, impoverishing biodiversity and degrading ecosystems (Morton et al., 2021). Wildlife trade, whether legal or illegal, regulated or unregulated, can pose threats to animal health and welfare. It also presents opportunities for zoonotic pathogens to spill over between wildlife and domestic animals, and for diseases to emerge with serious consequences for public or animal health and profound economic impacts (IPBES, 2020; Swift et al., 2007; Smith et al., 2009; Gortazar et al., 2014; Stephen, 2021; Stephen et al., 2022; FAO, 2020). The risk of pathogen spillover and disease emergence is amplified with increased interaction between humans, wildlife and domestic animals. The risk of pathogen spillover has also been exacerbated by climate change, intensified agriculture and livestock production, deforestation, and other land-use changes. Wildlife trade is also a risk to ecosystem biodiversity via the introduction of invasive species (Wikramanayake et al., 2021). Therefore, increased effort must be put into understanding the potential consequences of the wildlife trade, mapping and analysing the adjacent risks, and implementing strategies to manage those risks. Reducing wildlife-trade risks not only helps to limit disease but also minimises the negative effects of invasive species. Between 1960 and 2021, invasive alien species caused estimated cumulative damage of around 116 billion euros across 39 countries in the European Union alone, despite strict import regulations (Haubrock et al., 2021). The effect of invasive species is extremely apparent.
more
A report submitted to the International Labour Organization, Geneva
An Economist Intelligence Unit briefing paper | The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) undertook a study aimed at assessing the degree of commitment of 15 countries within the AsiaPacific region to integrating those with mental illness into their communities. The research was commissioned and funded... by Janssen Asia Pacific, a division of Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. This report focuses on the results of this benchmarking study, called the Asia-Pacific Mental Health Integration Index. Drawing on lessons from the EIU’s 2014 European Mental Health Integration Index, this edition index compares the level of effort in each of the countries on indicators associated with integrating individuals suffering from mental illness into society. Data for the Index was collected between March and May 2016. The set of 18 indicators were grouped into four categories.
more
Worldwide, more people are on the move now than ever before, yet many refugees and migrants face poorer health outcomes than the host populations. Addressing their health needs is, therefore, a global health priority and integral to the principle of the right to health for all. The key is to strengt...hen and maintain health systems by ensuring that they are refugee- and migrant-sensitive and inclusive.
more