Birth defect has been an emerging major cause of child mortality in the region. Scarcity of the birth defects information hampers policy decisions and
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control measures at national level. In order to create evidence for action for birth defects prevention in the region, WHO-SEARO in collaboration with CDC, USA has developed and launched a regional electronic database on birth defects. This surveillance database allows data collection on newborn health, birth defects and stillbirths cases and provides real time information at hospitals and national level.
Training of the hospital health staffs and data managers in the birth defects surveillance network; at regional, national and at hospital levels is recognized as essential for expansion of this database and to assure quality of data. A two days training module for hospital based birth defects surveillance was developed using a guide for operation and facilitator guide.
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The objectives of the meeting were:
1. To step up the commitment of national authorities and technical
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and financial partners toWHO’s elimination objective for g-HAT.
2. To share achievements, challenges and views on the elimination goal among countries and implementing partners.
3. To assess the status of critical technical aspects to be solved in research and development of drugs and diagnostic tools, epidemiology, vector control and animal reservoirs.
4. To define the mechanisms for strengthening and organizing collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.
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Best Practices Report.PART 1 Primary Protection: Enhancing Health Care Resilience for a Changing Climatei Primary Protection: EnhancingU.S. Department of
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Health and Human Services
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The frequency of infectious disease epidemics is increasing, and the role of the health sector i
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n the management of epidemics is crucial in terms of response. In the context of infectious disease epidemics, the use of climate-informed early warning systems (EWS) has the potential to increase the effectiveness of disease control by intervening before or at the beginning of the epidemic curve, instead of during the downward slope.
Currently, the initiation of interventions is heavily reliant on routine disease surveillance systems – data that often arrive too late for preventative response. However, forecasting of disease outbreaks using surveillance and weather information shows promising potential – there also remains further scope to examine seasonal climate forecasts. By combining these elements in new EWS based on computational models, it will be possible to improve both the timeliness and impact of disease control. The World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening existing surveillance systems for infectious diseases to enable the development of more robust and timely EWS, which has resulted in the rapid development and innovation of EWS for disease outbreaks.
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Yaya et al. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2018) 18:194
Ensuring equitable access to maternal health care including antenatal, delivery, postnatal services
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and fertility control methods, is one of the most critical challenges for public health sector. There are significant
disparities in maternal health care indicators across many geographical locations, maternal, economic, sociodemographic
factors in many countries in sub-Sahara Africa. In this study, we comparatively explored the utilization
level of maternal health care, and examined disparities in the determinants of major maternal health outcomes
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This document is a guide defining requirements for quality and safety for malaria rapid diagnostic testing services to safeguard the quality of the results, the safety
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of the operators and patients and that of the environment for use by national malaria control programmes, regulators, implementers and rapid diagnostic providers.
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The objectives of the meeting were:
1. To update the current status of the disease transmission, country capacities and plans for tackling the di
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sease.
2. To understand the epidemiology including disease distribution and risk, the models
for estimating under-detection, the geographical variations of in clinical presentation,
the roles of domestic and wild animal reservoirs and the subsequent different
transmission patterns and control approaches, including vector control.
3. To update current research and development efforts for improving diagnostic and
treatment tools.
4. To define the goals for achieving the control of r-HAT, the need for a multisectoral
approach and to discuss the strategy for controlling r-HAT and the coordination
mechanisms.
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interim Guidance 1 December 2020. Updated version
This document provides updated guidance on mask use in health care and community settings, and d
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uring home care for COVID-19 cases. It is intended for policy makers, public health and infection prevention and control professionals, health care managers and health workers.
The Annex provides advice on how to manufacture non-medical masks. It is intended for those making non-medical masks at home and for mask manufacturers
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Volume 1 covers emergency triage assessment and treatment, and acute care for a severely ill or acutely injured patient for approximately the first 24 hours
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of care. It describes the clinical procedures commonly used in emergency and acute care, and gives a summary of the medicines used and the steps necessary for infection control.
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WHO, in partnership with the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has published global standards for prosthe
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tics and orthotics. Its aim is to ensure that prosthetics and orthotics services are people-centred and responsive to every individual’s personal and environmental needs. The standards advocate for the integration of prosthetics and orthotics services into health services, under universal health coverage. Implementation of these standards will support countries to fulfil their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and towards the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
The standards provide guidance on the development of national policies, plans and programmes for prosthetics and orthotics services of the highest standard. The standards are divided into two documents: the standards and an implementation manual. Both documents cover four areas of the health system:
policy (governance, financing and information);
products (prostheses and orthoses);
personnel (workforce);
and provision of services.
The Standards have been developed through consultation with experts from around the globe via a steering group, development group and external review group.
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Medicines and Allied Substances [No. 3 of 2013 47 | An Act to continue the existence of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority
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and re-name it as the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority; provide for the functions and powers of the Authority; provide for the registration and regulation of pharmacies, health shops and agro-veterinary shops; provide for the registration and regulation of medicines and allied substances; provide for the regulation of the manufacture, importation, exportation, possession, storage, distribution, supply, promotion, advertising, sale and use of medicines and allied substances; provide for the regulation and control of clinical trials; repeal and replace the Pharmaceutical Act, 2004; and provide for matters connected with, or incidental to, the foregoing.
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2nd edition. The interagency field handbook on malaria control was developed to set out effective malaria control responses in humanitarian emergencies, particularly during the acute phase when reli
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ance on international humanitarian assistance is greatest. This second edition represents a thorough updating and revision of the first edition. The structure remains similar, but includes an additional chapter on humanitarian coordination. All chapters have been revised to reflect changes in best practices, improvements in technologies, availability of new tools, and changes in WHO recommendations.
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This interim guidance is aimed at healthcare workers who may receive patients
exposed to chemical weapons at their healthcare facilities.
It provides questions to guide the identification of contaminated patients,
recommendations on
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personal protection, procedures for decontamination,
guidance for triage and identification of categories of exposure, and treatment
regimens for individual chemicals.
Arabic version available: http://www.who.int/environmental_health_emergencies/deliberate_events/interim_guidance_ar.pdf
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Poor quality health services are holding back progress on improving health in countries at all income levels.
Today, inaccurate diagnosis, medication errors, inappropriate or unnecessary treatm
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ent, inadequate or unsafe clinical facilities or practices, or providers who lack adequate training and expertise prevail in all countries.
The situation is worst in low and middle-income countries where 10 percent of hospitalized patients can expect to acquire an infection during their stay, as compared to seven percent in high income countries. This is despite hospital acquired infections being easily avoided through better hygiene, improved infection control practices and appropriate use of antimicrobials.. At the same time, one in ten patients is harmed during medical treatment in high income countries.
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Quick guide on chemical terrorism incl a short overview on chemical terrorism agents and biological toxins
The emergence of multifrug-resistant malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has been identified as an emergency issue that may have catastrophic consequences on the future of malaria el
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imination in the GMS as well as globally. In recognition of the need for a cohesive regional response, GMS countries have committed to a shared goal of eliminating malaria from the GMS by 2030 working within the framework of the Strategy for Malaria Elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion 2015-2030. Population mobility has been identified as a key concern in the context of multidrug-resistant malaria; and in a region of highly porous borders where the majority of intra-Mekong migration occurs through informal channels, addressing the health needs of migrant populations has never been more critical.
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An Update will be published in late 2018