The COVID-19 pandemic has brought social and economic crisis that is rapidly exacerbating an ongoing nutrition insecurity in Nigeria.
To contain the spread of the pandemic in Nigeria, the governm...ent has put in place a number of measures, one of which is the lockdown in the three states of Lagos, Ogun, FCT and lately Kano, which have high COVID-19 confirmed cases. Similarly, several other states have adopted measures, such as movement restriction, in order to curb the spread of the pandemic.
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16 Dec. 2021
This document is a prioritization toolkit providing a set of action steps to follow in the event of an impending surge in cases of COVID-19 in health-care facilities. The document provides a framework for action steps ...ibute-to-highlight medbox">to be followed within 2-4 weeks of identification of a surge or resurgence of cases, and is accompanied by references to existing WHO resources to assist with managing each step. This document is intended for emergency operations centre focal persons for health facilities, incident managers, health-care managers and administrators, and infection prevention and control focal persons.
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Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease (CD), considered one of the most important parasitic infections in Latin America. Between 25 and 90 million humans are at infection risk via at least one of multiple infection mechanisms. ...Under natural conditions, the principal transmission modes are transplacental or via one of more than 140 hematophagous triatomine bugs (Reduviidae: Triatominae). Triatomines acquire the parasite from mammal reservoirs due to their obligate blood-feeding (albeit triatomines can also feed on non-reservoir vertebrates such as birds and reptiles). The disease burden for CD in the Latin America and Caribbean region, based on disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), is at least five times greater than that of malaria, and is approximately one-fifth that of HIV/AIDS. In recent decades, CD has extended to other continents outside natural reservoir or vector distributions due to human migration, with a minimum estimated 10 million individuals infected worldwide.
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27 September 2022
These WHO interim recommendations for use of the Novavax NVX-CoV2373 vaccine were developed on the basis of advice issued by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) ...">and the evidence summary included in the background document and annexes referenced below.
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Accessed: 02.05.2020
These interim IPC recommendations for health settings have been developed through the contributions of many individuals and institutions, such as the Centers for Disease Control-Kenya; ITECH; US Agency for International Develop...ment (USAID) Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program; and WHO that are committed to ensuring that the transmission of COVID-19 to HCWs and the public within the health care setting is limited. The Ministry of Health (MOH) through the Directorate of Health Standards Quality Assurance and Regulations wishes to thank all the contributing authors led by the sub-committee on case management and IPC for the COVID-19 response for their expertise and time given to writing these guidelines.
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23 Dec 2020. The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, ba...sed on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous report from ECDC on this topic, which was published on August 6, 2020
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Access to medical personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for routine healthcare delivery, and a critical tool for containing outbreaks, as well as preventing ...light medbox">and responding to pandemics. It is one of our most effective tools against COVID-19, and an undervalued tool more generally in infection control.
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The guidance notes describe key actions that policy-makers at national and subnational levels can take in relation to: diagnostic testing for COVID-19, clinical management of COVID-19, meeting targe...ts for vaccination against COVID-19, maintaining infection control measures for COVID-19 in health-care settings, building confidence through risk communication and community involvement, and ensuring that all health-care workers are aware of the risks of COVID-19.
This guidance note focuses on the following areas: COVID-19 diagnostic testing, clinical management of COVID-19, achieving COVID-19 vaccination targets, maintaining COVID-19 infection control measures in health-care settings, building confidence through risk communication and community engagement, and managing COVID-19 infodemia. This guidance note focuses on risk communication and community engagement in the context of COVID-19.
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Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is an essential part of any disease outbreak response. Risk communication in the context of an Ebola outbreak refers to real time exchange of infor...mation, opinion and advice between frontline responders and people who are faced with the threat of Ebola to their survival, health, economic or social wellbeing. Community engagement refers to mutual partnership between Ebola response teams and individuals or communities in affected areas, whereby community stakeholders have ownership in controlling the spread of the outbreak.
It is intended to be used to guide RCCE work which is central to stopping the outbreak and preventing its further amplification. Unlike other areas of response, RCCE draws heavily on volunteers, frontline personnel and on people without prior training in this area. As such, the document provides basic background information, scopes the socio-economic and cultural aspects (that are known at the time of publication), and provides the latest evidence-based advice and approaches
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The Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a living guideline consolidates technical guidance developed and published during the COVID-19 pandemic in...to evidence-informed recommendations for infection prevention and control (IPC). This living guideline is available both online and PDF.
**This version of the living guideline (version 5.0) **includes the following seven revised statements for the prevention, identification and management of SARS-CoV-2 infections among health and care workers:
a good practice statement on national and subnational testing strategies;
a good practice statement on passive syndromic surveillance of health and care workers;
a good practice statement on prioritizing health and care workers for SARS-CoV-2 testing;
a good practice statement on protocols for reporting and managing health and care worker exposures;
a good practice statement to limit in-person work of health and care workers with active SARS-CoV-2 infections;
a statement on high-risk exposures and quarantine; and,
a conditional recommendation on the duration of isolation for health and care workers.
Understanding the updated section
Prevention of infections in the health care setting includes a multi-pronged and multi-factorial approach that includes IPC and occupational health and safety measures and adherence to Public Health and Social Measures in the community by the health workforce. The underlying infection prevention and control strategy of this section is the notion that early identification of symptomatic cases, testing and quarantining/isolating health and care workers decreases the risk of nosocomial infection to patients and to other health and care workers.
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The roundtable provided a forum that allowed communicators across a number of Federal agencies to share information, strategies, and challenges in developing ...highlight medbox">and providing communication messages and materials to the public in preparation for, and in response to, a radiation emergency. Throughout the discussion , several “big picture” qestions were brought up that may be addressed in future interagency efforts.
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It estimates that there have been 228,000 additional deaths of children under five in these six countries [Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka] due to crucial services, ran...ging from nutrition benefits to immunisation, being halted.
It says the number of children being treated for severe malnutrition fell by more than 80% in Bangladesh and Nepal, and immunisation among children dropped by 35% and 65% in India and Pakistan respectively...
It also estimates that there have been some 3.5 million additional unwanted pregnancies, including 400,000 among teenagers, due to poor or no access to contraception...
The interruption to health services also affected those suffering from other diseases - the report predicts an additional 5,943 deaths across the region among adolescents who couldn't get treated for tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid and HIV/Aids.
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Interim Guidance 7 March 2020
This document provides technical guidance for government authorities, health workers, and other key stakeholders to guide response ...medbox">to community spread. It will be updated as new information or technical guidance become available. For countries that are already preparing or responding, this document can also serve as a checklist to identify any remaining gaps.
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This guidance document includes background information on Ebola virus disease, Ebola emergency committee recommendations, risks for different groups, and information for travellers from and ...ass="attribute-to-highlight medbox">to affected countries.
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27 May 2021
All countries should increase their level of preparedness, alert and response to identify, manage and care for new cases of COVID-19. ...Countries should prepare to respond to different public health scenarios, recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing cases and outbreaks of COVID-19. Each country should assess its risk and rapidly implement the necessary measures at the appropriate scale to reduce both COVID-19 transmission and economic, public and social impacts.
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Patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can infect others at any time, including during transfer and transport. COVID-19 is a new infectious disease that requires contact and dro...plet precautions; lapses in infection prevention and control (IPC) can easily happen at vulnerable moments such as during transfer. This guide aims to identify key steps to prepare the community and health system response to ensure IPC is maintained during transfer and transport. This guide is intended for personnel involved in coordinating and performing transfer and transport of patients with suspected COVID-19 requiring hospital care.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV‑2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached pandemic levels;
Patients with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and established cardiovascular disease (CVD) represent a vulnerab...le population when suffering from COVID-19;
Patients with cardiac injury in the context of COVID-19 have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality
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This interim guidance is for LTCF managers and corresponding infection prevention and control (IPC) focal persons in LTCF and updates the guidance ...published in March 2020. The objective of this document is to provide guidance on IPC in LTCFs in the context of COVID-19 to 1) prevent COVID-19-virus from entering the facility and spreading within the facility, and 2) to support safe conditions for visiting through the rigorous application of IPC procedures for the residents’ well-being. WHO will update these recommendations as new information becomes available.
Availabel in English, French, Russian and Spanish
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Policy brief, 24 July 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected older people disproportionately, especially those living in long-term care facilities. In many countries, evidence shows that more than 40% of COVID-19 related deaths have been linked to... long-term care facilities, with figures being as high as 80% in some high-income countries. Concerted action is needed to mitigate the impact across all aspects of long-term care, including home- and community-based care, given that most users and providers of care are those who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19.
This policy brief provides 11 policy objectives and key action points to prevent and manage COVID-19 across long-term care. Its intended audience is policy makers and authorities (national, subnational and local) involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief builds on currently available evidence on the measures taken to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic across long-term care services including care providers
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The WHO Toolkit for the care and support of people affected by complications associated with Zika virus has been developed to serve as a model guide, with the goal of enhancing country preparedness... for Zika virus outbreaks. The toolkit is intended to provide a systems approach involving public health planners and managers so that the necessary infrastructure and resources can be identified and incorporated as needed, as well as technical and practical guidance for health care professionals and community workers.
The toolkit includes three manuals to provide countries with tools to effectively recognize people affected by Zika virus and deliver comprehensive care and support:
Manual for public health planners and managers
Manual for health care professionals
Manual for community workers
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