Little is known about asthma control in the rising number of African children who suffer from this condition. The Achieving Control of Asthma in Children in Africa (ACACIA) study is an observational
...
study collecting evidence about paediatric asthma in urban areas of Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The primary objectives are: (1) to identify 3000 children aged between 12 years and 14 years with asthma symptoms; and (2) to assess their asthma control, current treatment, knowledge of and attitudes to asthma and barriers to achieving good control. Secondary objective is to develop interventions addressing identified barriers to good symptom control.
Each centre will undertake screening to identify 500 school children with asthma symptoms using questions from the Global Asthma Network’s questionnaire. Children identified to have asthma symptoms will fill in a digital survey, including: Asthma Control Test, questions on medication usage and adherence, medical care, the Brief-Illness Perception questionnaire and environmental factors. Exhaled nitric oxide testing and prebronchodilator and postbronchodilator spirometry will be performed. A subgroup of children will participate in focus group discussions. Results will be analysed using descriptive statistics and comparative analysis. Informed by these results, we will assess the feasibility of potential interventions, including the adaption of a UK-based theatre performance about asthma attitudes and digital solutions to improve asthma management.
more
Climate change is one of the biggest crises of our time. Climate threats range from higher temperatures, heavy rainfalls and floods, erratic precipitation, droughts, desertification, and land degradation. This has negative implications on
...
the quality and quantity of natural resources, such as land and water, agricultural productivity, rural livelihood options, food prices, and nutrition security, particularly when there is a lack of adaptation capacities and preparedness measures (Pacillo, 2024). Farmers are at the forefront of the climate crisis where their livelihoods are being jeopardized, and they are faced with many challenges to secure water, energy, and agriculture inputs, and maintain agriculture productivity. This heightens the risk of competition over natural resources and aggravates grievances and structural inequalities related to land rights and ownership as well as land access, management, and governance. In Africa, land-related issues are among the triggers of many violent disputes (Medina et al, 2024). For instance, communal violence in Nigeria and Sudan is tied to competition over scarce fertile land and poor resource governance (Bruce and Bourdeaux, 2013).
more
Fact sheet on Zika virus containing recommendations for pregnant women and information for the treatment, prevention and control of the disease.
This factsheet is also available in Spanish, Portug
...
uese and French!
more
Adaptation and roll-out of Epidemic Control for Volunteers’ (ECV) Toolkit and Training Manual in Myanmar
The ECV Toolkit ensures that volunteers have the proper training and essential communi
...
cation tools (among other materials) before they are engaged in outbreak and epidemic response in their communities. It is known that in the middle of an outbreak or epidemic, volunteers have limited time to remember everything they have learned during trainings, or to develop effective response – the ECV Toolkit is therefore designed as a set of practical, easy-to-follow tools to be easily picked up and followed.
more
Handbook on pregnancy, childbirth, childhood illnesses, child development and the care of children. The handbook, Facts for Life, provides vital messages and information for mothers, fathers, other
...
family members and caregivers and communities to use in changing behaviours and practices that can save and protect the lives of children and help them grow and develop to their full potential.
This version of Facts for Life builds on the three previous editions, which have been helping families and communities around the world since 1989. Newborn Health has been added to the Safe Motherhood chapter, giving attention to child survival from the first stage of life. A new chapter, Child Protection, has been included, focusing attention on the actions needed to ensure children grow up in protective environments.
more
An approach to emergency situations. Relief workers face rapidly changing and complex environments, new disease patterns, enormous humanitarian needs and relatively limited resources. The authors of this book use their experience in
...
the area to produce an operational manual of the issues involved in refugee health programs. This book is aimed at professionals involved in public health assistance to refugees and displaced persons. It deals with a variety of specific refugee health issues at the decisional level, and discusses the priorities of intervention during the different phases of a refugee crisis, from emergency to repatriation.
more
28 Sept. 2021
The focus of this fact sheet is on the four main causes of acute bacterial meningitis:
Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus)
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)
...
Haemophilus influenzae
Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus)
more
A manual intended for medical and other personnel responsible for humanitarian activities in armed conflicts. It covers the following topics: setting up a health-care system that meets the essential
...
needs of war victims, particularly of displaced persons; public health tools most frequently used for evaluation, establishment of priorities, analysis of possible activities and their follow-up; protecting war victims and aspects of humanitarian law related to health; and lastly, ethical problems
more
This guidance note is intended primarily for health actors working in emergency and disaster risk management (hereafter 'emergency risk management') at the local, national or international level, and in governmental or nongovernm
...
ental agencies. People with disabilities, those working in the disability sector and those working in other sectors that contribute to improved health outcomes related to emergency risk management, may also find this guidance note useful.
more
This document is an evidence-based policy for the implementation of sound tuberculosis (TB) infection control by all stake- holders. It recommends a combination of measures aimed at reducing the ris
...
k of TB transmission within populations. The emphasis is on early and rapid diagnosis, and proper management of TB patients.
more
This package, developed jointly by The ACQUIRE Project and Promundo, a Brazilian nongovernmental organization, can be used by individuals, organizations, and donors to carry out needs assessments to identify gaps in male engagement programming relat
...
ed to HIV and AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and support.
more
With this World Health Day, WHO is drawing attention to a group of diseases that are spread by insects and other vectors, the heavy health and economic burdens they impose, and what needs to be done to reduce these burdens. Many of these diseases ha
...
ve been historically confined to distinct geographical areas, but this situation has become more fluid due to a host of ills, including climate change, intensive farming, dams, irrigation, deforestation, population movements, rapid unplanned urbanization, and phenomenal increases in international travel and trade. The control of vector-borne diseases can make a major contribution to poverty reduction, as it precisely targets the poor
more
Fistula Care's implementing partner in Ethiopia, IntraHealth, has developed materials to train health workers on obstetric fistula prevention, identification, and pre-repair care. The course contains a participant handbook (PDF, 604 KB), a facilitat
...
or manual (PDF, 1.3 MB), ten modules, a variety of visual aids, and supplementary handouts
more
A Training Curriculum for Multidisciplinary Healthcare Teams. This innovative training package aims to empower multidisciplinary health workers to have the confidence and skills to provide comprehensive, youth-friendly HIV services that support adol
...
escents’ healthy development, psychosocial well being, retention, adherence, sexual and reproductive health, and eventual transition to adult HIV services.
more
Updated September 2021.
Provision of water and sanitation and good hygiene practices play an essential role in protecting human health during all disease outbreaks, including during Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks. This question and answer document provides practical, evidence-based recommend
...
ations on minimum requirements and best practices for water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH). It was originally developed in 2014 during the West Africa Ebola Outbreak and has been updated in 2021 to reflect lessons learned and new operational research data. The key recommendations on WASH remain the same.
more
25 Nov 2022
The WHO Guidelines for malaria bring together the Organization’s most up-to-date recommendations for malaria in one user-friendly and easy-to-navigate online platform.
The WHO Gui
...
delines for malaria supersedes 2 previous WHO publications: the Guidelines for the treatment of malaria, third edition and the Guidelines for malaria vector control. Recommendations on malaria will continue to be reviewed and, where appropriate, updated based on the latest available evidence. Any updated recommendations will always display the date of the most recent revision in the MAGICapp platform. With each update, a new PDF version of the consolidated guidelines will also be available for download on the WHO website.
This version of the Guidelines includes updates to the case management of malaria, specifically the addition of new molecules for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria and optimization of the dosage regimen for anti-relapse treatment, along with updates on the use of antimalarial medicines in special risk populations including pregnant women.
more
A training manual for identifying, assessing, preventing and controlling the risks of pandemics in the workplace. This training manual has been developed for both medical and non-medical personnel
...
who may be called upon to lead emergency response, (eg epidemic outbreak, etc), ensure effective containment whiles work continues and essential goods and services continue to be supplied.
The manual provides insight into some of the local epidemics experienced in Ghana such as Cholera, Cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) and Influenza(s), the causes, signs and symptoms and preventive measures with a view to increasing knowledge among management, staff and their families as well as immediate communities within which they work.
more
This document should be used in conjunction with the WHO checklist for influenza preparedness planning published by the World Health Organization in 2005. Available in English; Chinese; French
This guidance highlights tangible, evidence-based priority actions in health and WASH programs to achieve the Global Targets for nutrition. Throughout the guidance
...
the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration within and outside the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement to holistically address nutrition is emphasised.
more
An integrated approach to health and human rights lies at the heart of ensuring the dignity and well-being of women living with HIV.