This guidance is targeted to primary health care policy-makers and only addresses issues relevant for primary health care providers. It has been pr...epared on the basis of a systematic review of the best available evidence and emergent country practices in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the WHO European Region. It will be updated on a regular basis as new information becomes available.
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This document offers public health guidance for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in recept...ion centres, and other temporary accommodation facilities, in the context of the mass influx of Ukrainian people into the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Republic of Moldova.
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The health and socioeconomic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the countries of ...Latin America hard and laid bare the profound inequities about which numerous international, regional and national reports have sounded warnings in recent decades. In this context, the historical political and economic exclusion and marginalization of the more than 800 indigenous peoples in the region has been accentuated as a result of insufficient State responses to the crisis, which have not adequately considered the collective rights of these peoples and have had little cultural relevance.
This document provides an overview of the situation of indigenous peoples in the region in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyses both the State’s and indigenous peoples’ own responses to the crisis, as well as offering a set of recommendations to rectify the neglect of these peoples in the management of the pandemic, centring on their collective rights.
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Supply of essential medicines and health technologies (6 April 2020)
This paper is one of a set of technical guidance papers developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe to provide practical i...nformation and resources for decision-makers on measures to strengthen the health system response to COVID-19.
The purpose of this paper is to provide WHO Regional Office for Europe Country Offices and Member States with guidance on how to maintain supplies of medicines and health technologies, including devices, diagnostics and blood products, during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Protecting Migrants or Reversing Migration? COVID-19 and the risks of a protracted crisis in Latin America
COVID-19 disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable. Community health workers are poised... to play a pivotal role in fighting the pandemic, especially in countries with less resilient health systems. Drawing from practitioner expertise across four WHO regions, this article outlines the targeted actions needed at different stages of the pandemic to achieve the following goals: (1) PROTECT healthcare workers, (2) INTERRUPT the virus, (3) MAINTAIN existing healthcare services while surging their capacity, and (4) SHIELD the most vulnerable from socioeconomic shocks. While decisive action must be taken now to blunt the impact of the pandemic in countries likely to be hit the hardest, many of the investments in the supply chain, compensation, dedicated supervision, continuous training and performance management necessary for rapid community response in a pandemic are the same as those required to achieve universal healthcare and prevent the next epidemic.
BMJ Global Health2020;5:e002550. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002550
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The main objective of this guidance is to provide scientific advice on public health principles and considerations for infection and prevention con...trol of COVID-19 in migrant and refugee reception and detention centres in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK).
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The COVID-19 pandemic has put significant pressure on health systems all around the world. The drastic measures established to contain its spread a...re creating serious impediments to economic activity (including agrifood systems) and, consequently, to livelihoods and food security and nutrition.
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The coronavirus outbreak that began in 2019 (COVID-19) threatens to reverse years of hard-won gains in preventing and treating HIV. Fragile ...lass="attribute-to-highlight medbox">health systems are further stressed as health workers navigate an increased client load and demands at work while also being concerned for their own health and that of their families. Health facilities have been redesigned to care for patients with COVID-19, posing challenges to other services. Governments and civil society organizations have redirected scarce resources and shifted programming priorities to respond to the pandemic. Several countries have reported intermittent declines in HIV testing and diagnosis, antenatal care visits, collection of antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) by people living with HIV, and attendance at clinic appointments. Community-based education and support programmes have had to rapidly adapt to restrictions on movement and public gatherings. Children, adolescents, and women have experienced multiple deprivations due to the adverse impact of the pandemic.
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People experiencing social disadvantage and marginalization are known to be disproportionately impacted by ill-health. In the context of the COVID-...19 pandemic, persons with disabilities may have increased risk for exposure, complications, and death
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This brochure presents a summary of the situation of health systems and services in the Americas as they progress toward the achievement of universal access to ...dbox">health and universal health coverage (universal health). The information provided presents an overview of the situation before the COVID-19 pandemic, how the pandemic has impacted health systems, and recommendations to address current and future challenges for building resilient health systems to advance toward universal health in the Americas.
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Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted operations and required a different approach to communication with communities.
UNHCR communicatio...n channels have been rapidly enhanced and enlarged to ensure the continued provision of vital health and protection information.
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This guidance covers diagnosis and care of patients with long-term effects of COVID-19. It makes recommendations for the care of adults ...="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and children who have new or ongoing symptoms 4 weeks or more after the start of acute COVID-19. It is meant for health and care practitioners. This interim document has been developed by the Africa Taskforce on Coronavirus Case Management Technical Working Group and will be continuously reviewed and updated in response to emerging evidence
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Policy Brief 2 June 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the foo...d security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Hundreds of millions of people were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition before the virus hit and, unless immediate action is taken, we could see a global food emergency. In the longer term, the combined effects of COVID-19 itself, as well as corresponding mitigation measures and the emerging global recession could, without large-scale coordinated action, disrupt the functioning of food systems. Such disruption can result in consequences for health and nutrition of a severity and scale unseen for more than half a century.
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In response to COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented several public health and s...ocial measures (PHSM), such as movement restrictions, closure of schools and businesses, and international travel restrictions.1 As the local epidemiology of the disease changes, countries will adjust (i.e. loosen or reinstate) these measures according to the intensity of transmission.
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The results of a WHO survey conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on up to 25 essential health services in countries show disrupt...ions of essential health services in nearly all countries, and more so in lower-income than higher-income countries. The great majority of service disruptions were partial, which was defined as a change of 5–50% in service provision or use.
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While the full effects of COVID-19 remain unknown, the pandemic continues to profoundly impact regional migration and mobility dynamics, with deep ...health, social and economic consequences for the most vulnerable, including migrants, displaced populations and their host communities, and returnees.
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COVID-19 has resulted in an unprecedented global crisis. As the pandemic spreads and countries around the world continue to struggle to contain its... health and socio-economic consequences, UNRWA is issuing a new humanitarian appeal from August through December 2020 to address the worst impacts of the pandemic on Palestine refugees across the Agency’s five fields of operation. Through this appeal the Agency seeks US$ 94.6 million. The funds requested in this appeal are additional to the previous UNRWA COVID-19 appeal for March to July.
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