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Responding to communicable and noncommunicable diseases: progress report 2020-2022

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

Significant progress has been made in the eradication of three priority diseases in the African Region, as a result of extensive collaboration between the Regional Office, WHO country offices and countries. For example, in August 2020, the region was certified free of wild poliovirus. In the area of... more

Guidance for country validation of viral hepatitis elimination and path to elimination

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

Building on the 2021 Interim guidance, this second version and update, incorporates the lessons and feedback from the hepatitis pilots that successfully demonstrated the feasibility of measuring hepatitis B and C impact targets to demonstrate elimination, whilst highlighting challenges caused by hig... more

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Therapeutics and COVID-19 (Living Guideline, 10 November 2023)

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

WHO has updated its guidelines for COVID-19 therapeutics, with revised recommendations for patients with non-severe COVID-19. This is the 13th update to these guidelines. Updated risk rates for hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19 The guidance includes updated risk rates for... hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19. The current COVID-19 virus variants tend to cause less severe disease while immunity levels are higher due to vaccination, leading to lower risks of severe illness and death for most patients. This update includes new baseline risk estimates for hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19. The new ‘moderate risk’ category now includes people previously considered to be high risk including older people and/or those with chronic conditions, disabilities, and comorbidities of chronic disease. The updated risk estimates will assist healthcare professionals to identify individuals at high, moderate or low risk of hospital admission, and to tailor treatment according to WHO guidelines: **High: **People who are immunosuppressed remain at higher risk if they contract COVID-19, with an estimated hospitalization rate of 6%. **Moderate: **People over 65 years old, those with conditions like obesity, diabetes and/or chronic conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney or liver disease, cancer, people with disabilities and those with comorbidities of chronic disease are at moderate risk, with an estimated hospitalization rate of 3%. Low: Those who are not in the high or moderate risk categories are at low risk of hospitalization (0.5%). Most people are low risk. Review of COVID-19 treatments for people with non-severe COVID-19 WHO continues to strongly recommend nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (also known by its brand name ‘Paxlovid’) for people at high-risk and moderate risk of hospitalization. The recommendations state that nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is considered the best choice for most eligible patients, given its therapeutic benefits, ease of administration and fewer concerns about potential harms. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir was first recommended by WHO in April 2022. If nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is not available to patients at high-risk of hospitalization, WHO suggests the use of molnupiravir or remdesivir instead. WHO suggests against the use of molnupiravir and remdesivir for patients at moderate risk, judging the potential harms to outweigh the limited benefits in patients at moderate risk of hospital admission. For people at low risk of hospitalization, WHO does not recommend any antiviral therapy. Symptoms like fever and pain can continue to be managed with analgesics like paracetamol. WHO also recommends against use of a new antiviral (VV116) for patients, except in clinical trials. The update also includes a strong recommendation against the use of ivermectin for patients with non-severe COVID-19. WHO continues to advise that in patients with severe or critical COVID-19, ivermectin should only be used in clinical trials. more

WHO guideline on the prevention and management of wasting and nutritional oedema (acute malnutrition) in infants and children under 5 years

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) is advancing the global fight against acute malnutrition in children under 5 with the launch of its new guideline on the prevention and management of wasting and nutritional oedema (acute malnutrition). This milestone is a crucial response to the persistent... more

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An economic investment case & financing requirements

ACT-Accelerator: An economic investment case & financing requirements (2021) C_WHO

This document lays out economic arguments for investing in the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator). Framed within an overall context that recognizes the broader human health and societal impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, ACT-Accelerator's Economic Investment Case argues that investm... more

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Resource Effective Strategies to Prevent and Treat Cardiovascular Disease

Schwalm, J.; McKee, M.; Huffman, M. et al. Circulation (2016) CC

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global deaths, with the majority occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The primary and secondary prevention of CVD is suboptimal throughout the world, but the evidence-practice gaps are much more pronounced in LMIC. Barriers at the... more

CVD Advocacy Toolkit: The Road to 2018

Markbreiter, J.; Buckley, P. World Heart Federation (2016) CC

The World Heart Federation (WHF) has been advocating globally for stronger legislation and policy regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) for many years. Now, as focus shifts from global to national progress, we call on members and colleagues to advocate for greater action on CVD in your local setti... more

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A Roadmap on the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Among People Living With Diabetes

Mitchell, S.; Malanda, B.; Damasceno, A. et al. World Heart Federation (2019) CC

In 2014, the World Heart Federation (WHF) launched an initiative to develop a series of Roadmaps [1e6]. Their aim is to identify potential roadblocks on the pathway to effective prevention, detection, and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD), along with evidence-based solutions to overcome... more

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Preventing the next Pandemic: the Case for Investing in Circulatory Health

Global Coalition for Circulatory Health (2024) CC

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a continuous and robust impact on world health. The resulting COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating physical, mental and fiscal impact on the millions of people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), as they have a higher risk of severe illness... more

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World Heart Federation Roadmap for Heart Failure

Ferreira, J.P.; Kraus, S.; Mitchell, S. et al. Global Heart (2019) CC

In 2012, all Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed a historical target to reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCD). This commitment was echoed in 2015 by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which included a target to reduce premature morta... more

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World Heart Federation Roadmap for Hypertension – A 2021 Update

Jemoon, P.; Séverin, T.; Amodeo, C. et al. Global Heart (2021) CC

The World Heart Federation (WHF) Roadmap series covers a large range of cardiovascular conditions. These Roadmaps identify potential roadblocks and their solutions to improve the prevention, detection and management of cardiovascular diseases and provide a generic global framework available for loca... more

Engaging the private sector in delivering quality maternal, newborn and child health services

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

The purpose of this workbook is to assist ministries of health, health managers and practitioners in engaging with the private sector on delivery of quality maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in lower- and middle-income countries. Private health care is one of the fastest growing seg... more

Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Module 1: Planning for respiratory pathogen pandemics

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Through technical consultations with countries and partners, WHO has led the development of Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Module 1: Planning for respiratory pathogen pandemics. Version 1.0. The Module, currently available as an advanced draft, builds on previous pandemic lessons a... more

Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines 3rd Edition 2023

Government of the Republic of Namibia (2024) CC

The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidelines aim to support healthcare workers improve quality and safety health care. The Guidelines further aim to promote and facilitate the overall goal of IPC by providing evidence-based recommendations on the critical aspects of IPC, focusing on the fun... more

Psychological interventions implementation manual: Integrating evidence-based psychological interventions into existing services

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Evidence-based psychological interventions are an important part of health, social, protection and education services and can help increase access to effective mental health treatments and progression towards universal health coverage. This manual provides managers and others responsible for plan... more

Improving the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents: guidance on scheduled child and adolescent well-care visits

UN Children's Fund UNICEF; World Health Organization WHO (2024) CC

To survive and thrive, children and adolescents need good health, adequate nutrition, security, safety and a supportive clean environment, opportunities for early learning and education, responsive relationships and connectedness, and opportunities for personal autonomy and self-realization. To prom... more

Diabetes prevention, screening and management

International Pharmaceutical Federation (2021) CC2

Diabetes is a significant public health issue that affects approximately one in 10 adults globally, with type 2 diabetes accounting for 90–95% of cases. This chronic condition causes considerable morbidity and mortality and is growing in impact, with cases projected to rise from 537 million in 202... more

Diabetes prevention, screening and management - A handbook for pharmacists

International Pharmaceutical Federation (2021) CC2

Qualitative assessment of community health workers’ perspective on their motivation in community-based primary health care in rural Malawi

Ndambo, M.K.; Munyaneza, F.; Aron, M.B. et al. BMC Health Services Research (2022) CC

Background: Community Health Workers (CHWs) have a positive impact on the provision of community-based primary health care through screening, treatment, referral, psychosocial support, and accompaniment. With a broad scope of work, CHW programs must balance the breadth and depth of tasks to mainta...in CHW motivation for high-quality care delivery. Few studies have described the CHW perspective on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to enhance their programmatic activities. Methods: We utilized an exploratory qualitative study design with CHWs employed in the household model in Neno District, Malawi, to explore their perspectives on intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and dissatisfiers in their work. Data was collected in 8 focus group discussions with 90 CHWs in October 2018 and March–April 2019 in seven purposively selected catchment areas. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using Dedoose. Results: Themes of complex intrinsic and extrinsic factors were generated from the perspectives of the CHWs in the focus group discussions. Study results indicate that enabling factors are primarily intrinsic factors such as positive patient outcomes, community respect, and recognition by the formal health care system but can lead to the chal- lenge of increased scope and workload. Extrinsic factors can provide challenges, including an increased scope and workload from original expectations, lack of resources to utilize in their work, and rugged geography. However, a posi- tive work environment through supportive relationships between CHWs and supervisors enables the CHWs. Conclusion: This study demonstrated enabling factors and challenges for CHW performance from their perspec- tive within the dual-factor theory. We can mitigate challenges through focused efforts to limit geographical distance, manage workload, and strengthen CHW support to reinforce their recognition and trust. Such programmatic empha- sis can focus on enhancing motivational factors found in this study to improve the CHWs’ experience in their role. The engagement of CHWs, the communities, and the formal health care system is critical to improving the care provided to the patients and communities, along with building supportive systems to recognize the work done by CHWs for the primary health care systems. more

Access to health care for people with disabilities in rural Malawi: what are the barriers?

Harrison, J.A.K.; Thomson, R.; Banda, H.T. et al. BMC Public Health (2020) CC

People with disabilities experience significant health inequalities. In Malawi, where most individuals live in low-income rural settings, many of these inequalities are exacerbated by restricted access to health care services. This qualitative study explores the barriers to health care access experi... more