There has been no systematic comparison of how the policy response to past infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics was funded. This study aims t
...
o collate and analyse funding for the Ebola epidemic and Zika outbreak between 2014 and 2019 in order to understand the shortcomings in funding reporting and suggest improvements. Methods: Data were collected via a literature review and analysis of financial reporting databases, including both amounts donated and received. Funding information from three financial databases was analysed: Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Development Assistance for Health database, the Georgetown Infectious Disease Atlas and the United Nations Financial Tracking Service. A systematic literature search strategy was devised and applied to seven databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, HMIC, Global Health, Scopus, Web of Science and EconLit. Funding information was extracted from articles meeting the eligibility criteria and measures were taken to avoid double counting. Funding was collated, then amounts and purposes were compared within, and between, data sources.
more
The WHO Regional Office for Europe, the WHO Collaborating Centre on Culture and Health at the Un
...
iversity of Exeter (United Kingdom) and the National Institute of Mental Health (Czechia) convened a workshop on culture and reform of mental health care in central and eastern Europe on 2–3 October 2017 in Klecany, Czechia. The aim of this workshop was to improve understanding of the key cultural aspects that impact and drive mental health-care reform in the central and eastern European region. This report outlines the key points and recommendations made by participants in relation to this objective.
more
Guidelines
June 2017
HIV strategic information for impact
This document focuses on the management of patients affected by gambiense HAT and
constitutes an update to the WHO therapeutic guidance issued in 2013. The main changes in recommendations concern t
...
he criteria and methods for deciding the treatment among the new set of therapeutic options and the particular conditions that apply to treatment with fexinidazole, as outlined below. Because HAT is a serious, life-threatening disease and because the efficacy of fexinidazole depends on swallowing the medicine after an appropriate intake of food as well as on completing the full 10-day
treatment schedule, the recommendations regarding fexinidazole administration are considered key elements that must be carefully followed. When the conditions listed in these guidelines are not met for any individual patient, the alternative available treatments should be prescribed.
more
Guidelines for national programmes and other stakeholders, for annexes see http://www.who.int/tb/publications/2012/tb_hiv_
...
policy_9789241503006/en/
more
National emergency medical teams are the best option for providing immediate and appropriate surge response
...
for emergencies directly affecting populations, while international teams may help relieve overwhelmed health systems. The efficiency and effectiveness of countries and local authorities in mobilizing existing resources is only as good as the quality of care they are able to provide. This publication serves as a practical guide for teams and aims to compliment emergency response systems, fostering seamless collaboration with all emergency response actors and networks
more
Guidelines for national programmes and other stakeholders
Annexes for webposting and CD-Rom dis
...
tribution with the policy guidelines
more
People affected by impairments and disabilities associated with TB are even more likely to belong to marginalized segments of society and are more likely to have their
...
human rights unprotected. The challenges faced by people affected by TB include the consequences of impairment and disability associated with the disease, its treatment as well as with the stigma and discrimination applied to people affected by TB. There is now compelling evidence that the disease and its treatment affect quality of life and life expectancy even after successful treatment.
The WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme has produced the first policy brief on TB-associated disability, building on the increasing evidence in recent years on the unaddressed needs of people with TB who experience impairment and disability while on TB treatment and after completing TB treatment.
more
February 2021.
Improving our response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Africa requires regularly updated information, constant innovation, and considerable support towards research
...
and development (R&D) for priorities that respond to the African realities. Shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation, and dissemination of valuable knowledge is one of the core functions of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), African Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC), and WHO-AFRO. We need answers to a list of critical research questions that respond to the current realities on the African continent to guide the COVID-19 outbreak control efforts
more
This document accompanies the interim guidance on “Strengthening Preparedness for COVID-19 in cities and urban settings”. It provides local aut
...
horities, leaders and policy-makers in cities with a checklist tool to ensure that key areas have been covered. An excel version that local authorities may wish to adapt to meet their needs is also available. It allows filtering by steps of action; suggested domains and responsible teams within local governments for each action; and phase(s) of the emergency management cycle.
more
A study conducted by the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact
...
on older persons both globally and in the African region. Although overall the region’s population is younger relative to many other world regions, the WHO AFRO region has a population just over 62 million older people and is ageing rapidly, with the number of older people expected to triple in the next three decades (Aboderin et al., 2020).
more
Monitoring of implementation of collaborative TB/HIV activities and evaluation of impact is critically important. This requires efficient monitoring and
...
evaluation system so as to establish accountability mechanisms between programmes, the population they serve, and donors. The Guide to monitoring and evaluation for collaborative TB/HIV activities will facilitate this process. The first version of the guide was developed in 2004 placing collaborative TB/HIV activities as integral part of national TB/HIV response. It was revised in 2009 to harmonize the approaches and indicators for monitoring and evaluation across key stakeholders. The current revision builds upon remarkable progress in implementation of collaborative TB/HIV activities and aims to strengthen the implementation further through improved quality of data.
more
These guidelines provide a recommendation on iodine thyroid blocking (ITB), via oral administration of stable iodine, as an urgent protective action in responding to a nuclear accident. This recommendation aims to support emergency planners,
...
policy makers, public health specialists, clinicians and other relevant stakeholders, in order to strengthen public health preparedness for radiation emergencies in WHO Member States as required by the International Health Regulations (IHR) and in line with the international safety standards (GSR Part 7). The scope of the guidelines is confined to public health aspects of planning and implementation of ITB before and during a radiation emergency, such as dosage and timing of ITB administration, adverse effects of stable iodine, its packaging, storage, and distribution.
These guidelines supersede the 1999 WHO Guidelines for Iodine Prophylaxis following Nuclear Accidents.
more
The "Global NCD action plan" provides a road map and a menu of policy options for countries to take in order to attain the 9 voluntary global targe
...
ts, including that of a 25% relative reduction in premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 2025. The main focus of this action plan is on 4 types of NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes) which make the largest contribution to morbidity and mortality due to NCDs, and on 4 shared behavioural risk factors (tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol).
more
An external team evaluated PAHO’s response to COVID-19 to provide an independent assessment of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau’s (PASB) performance regarding preparedness for
...
and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluations’ final report culminates with eight recommendations for actions to future response to health emergencies. The final report of EPRC culminates with eight evidence-based recommendations of actions to strengthen future pandemic responses, while building a resilient recovery in the Region. The recommendations by the external team focus on PAHO’s governance and management, on specialized regional mechanisms, diversified funding models, and use of new technologies, among others.
more
Testing and diagnosis of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection is the gateway for access to both prevention
...
and treatment services, and is a crucial component of an effective response to the hepatitis epidemic. Early identification of persons with chronic HBV or HCV infection enables them to receive the necessary care and treatment to prevent or delay progression of liver disease. Testing also provides an opportunity to link people to interventions to reduce transmission, through counselling on risk behaviours and provision of prevention commodities (such as sterile needles and syringes) and hepatitis B vaccination.
more
This field workbook supports the implementation of the interagency (FAO, UNICEF, WHO) “Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI): A toolkit for
...
behavioural and social communication in outbreak response”. It is a handheld guide and notebook for applying the WHO COMBI methodology in 7-steps, during an outbreak. It is primarily intended for risk communication, developmental communication and health promotion/education personnel working in multidisciplinary teams to investigate and respond to disease outbreaks. It contains essential tools, checklists, and information needed to design effective behavioural and communication interventions in support of outbreak prevention and control objectives - to limit loss of life and minimize disruption to families, communities and societies
more
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar’s National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS 2016–2020 is the strategic guide for the country’s response to HIV
...
at national, state/regional and local levels. The framework describes the current dynamics of the HIV epidemic and articulates a strategy to optimize investments through a fast track approach with the vision of ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. Myanmar’s third National Strategic Plan (HIV NSP III) issues a call to all partners to front-load investments to close the testing gap and reach the 90–90–90 prevention and treatment targets to protect health for all.
more
This document is to support local authorities, leaders and policy-makers in cities and other urban settlements in identifying effective approaches
...
and implementing recommended actions that enhance the prevention, preparedness and readiness for COVID-19 in urban settings, to ensure a robust response and eventual recovery. It covers factors unique to cities and urban settings, considerations in urban preparedness, key areas of focus and preparing for future emergencies.
more
4 April 2020
This interim guidance on oxygen sources and distribution strategies for COVID-19 treatment has been adapted from WHO
...
and UNICEF’s technical specifications and guidance for oxygen therapy devices, which is part of the WHO medical device technical series. This guidance is intended for health facility administrators, clinical decision-makers, procurement officers, planning officers, biomedical engineers, infrastructure engineers and policy-makers. It describes how to quantify oxygen demand, identify oxygen sources that are available, and select appropriate surge sources to best respond to COVID-19 patients’ needs, especially in low-and-middle income countries.
more