The objective of the BREATHE study was to estimate the regional prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms within the general population in the Middle East/North Africa (MEN
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A) region and to document risk factors, disease characteristics and management using a standardised methodology.
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The article examines the epidemiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. It provides an overview of COPD prevalence, associated risk factor
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s, and challenges in diagnosis and treatment across these regions. The study highlights smoking and environmental exposures, such as dust and pollution, as significant contributors to COPD. It also points out the gaps in awareness, healthcare infrastructure, and the availability of diagnostic tools, which hinder effective management of the disease. The authors emphasize the need for comprehensive public health strategies, education, and improved access to healthcare to address the COPD burden in these areas.
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Supportive supervision is considered critical to community health worker programme performance, but there is relatively little understanding of how it can be sustainably done at scale. Supportive supervision is a holistic concept that encompasses three key functions: management (ensuring performance
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), education (promoting development) and support (responding to needs and problems). Drawing on the experiences of the ward-based outreach team (WBOT) strategy, South Africa’s national community health worker (CHW) programme, this paper explores and describes approaches to supportive supervision in policy and programme guidelines and how these are implemented in supervision practices in the North West Province, an early adopter of the WBOT strategy. Outreach teams typically consist of six CHWs plus a nurse outreach team leader (OTL).
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The global pandemic has highlighted fragility in international supply chains and the dependency of many African countries on imported personal protective equipment (PPE). Market pressures have also increased prices for imported supplies and put additional pressure on areas with limited resources for
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procurement. There is an urgent operational need to develop the domestic capacity to supply PPE from within the African continent. There is huge variation in Member
States industrial manufacturing capacity and the regulatory and testing capacity of government agencies at present. Growing number of companies, including micro- and small-medium enterprises, have responded by repurposing, albeit temporarily, to manufacture an assortment of PPEs. This workshop aims to bring together government representatives, industry, and subject matter experts on material testing and standards to promote the development of domestic production of safe and effective PPE made in Africa.
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Bronchial asthma is the most frequent chronic respiratory disease in both adults and children. The prevalence and burden of asthma vary considerably between different regions of the world. Information on asthma in Africa is fragmentary and relativel
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y old.
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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
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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
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August 2020, The Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 is underpinned by the need to limit transmission, prevent deaths and reduce associated harms. Participation by African nations in clinical trials is an essential step to ensure that suf
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ficient data is generated on the safety and efficacy of the most promising vaccine candidates among the region’s populations.
While current COVID-19 clinical trial activity on the continent is limited, Africa has substantial experience and capabilities to conduct clinical trials for preventative vaccines across a range of diseases, and many organizations on the continent are working tirelessly to help prepare additional trials on potential COVID-19 vaccines. As the number of candidate vaccines in the development pipeline continues to increase, it will be important for organizations responsible for managing clinical trials in the region to partner with vaccine developers to identify potential and appropriate trial locations, provide support to remove any critical obstacles impeding commencement and progress of trials, and to provide oversight ensuring that trials are conducted safely and ethically.
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This guidance document addresses how physical distancing (referred to in previous guidance documents as ‘social distancing’) can help slow down transmission.
Presented at the 21st international AIDS conference - Durban, South Africa
Accessed: 17.11.2019
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are significant differences in the burden of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors, across high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries. Cardiac imaging by echocardiography, cardia
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c computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging are well-established non-invasive tests that aid in the diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of various cardiac diseases. However, there are significant inequalities in availability and access to imaging modalities in low- and middle-income countries attributed to financial constraints, disparities in healthcare and technical infrastructure. In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, these disparities are exaggerated by the continued technological advancements driving innovations in the field of cardiovascular (CV) imaging in high-income countries, while there is an urgent need to provide sustainable access to diagnostic imaging for patients in economically strained healthcare systems in regions like Africa. This review aims to highlight the inequalities in the burden of cardiac disease, associated risk factors, and access to diagnostic CV imaging tests, while also exploring the need for sustainable solutions to implementing CV imaging all over the world.
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Sexual violence is a major problem in South Africa, with studies showing that up to one in four women have been raped in their lifetime.
Global Hear, March 2014, Vol. 9 no.1
The purpose of this work is to estimate potential COVID-19 case burdens in each African nation considering various social distancing interventions. Given current trends in case burden, the model estimates the potential resource needs that would be needed under different scenarios. The model is for p
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lanning purposes and is based on current understanding and the most up-to-date assumptions. Results reported here are not forecasts but scenarios that may unfold given the assumptions about social-distancing and population health.
You can download scenarios for North Africa; Middle Africa; West Africa, East Africa and South Africa
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The article "The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its attributable risk factors in the Middle East and North Africa region, 1990–2019" provides an analysis of the prevalence, mo
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rtality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to COPD in the MENA region from 1990 to 2019. The study uses data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 and shows that while age-standardized death and DALY rates have decreased over 30 years, COPD remains a significant health issue, especially among older populations. The main risk factors identified are smoking, ambient particulate pollution, and occupational exposure. The research underscores the impact of socioeconomic factors and recommends targeted public health initiatives to reduce the burden.
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In an effort to limit transmission and achieve pandemic control on the continent, Africa CDC is proposing the following measures to be taken by all Member States:
Remain vigilant
Countries should adapt or adopt best practices, strategies, guidel
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ines and recommendations proposed by the Africa CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), aimed at limiting transmission. Measures taken should strike a balance between saving lives and minimizing the impact of the pandemic on the economy and social wellbeing of citizens.
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17 February 2021
During the second joint meeting of African ministers responsible for health, ICT and transport on the rollout of the Africa Against COVID-19: Saving Lives, Economies and Livelihoods campaign, a call was made to African countries to
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work together towards harmonizing travel entry and exit requirements, and to increase mutual recognition and cross-border information exchange for enhanced surveillance
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Africa is experiencing an increasing burden of cardiac arrhythmias. Unfortunately, the expanding need for appropriate care remains largely unmet because of inadequate funding, shortage of essential medical expertise, and the high cost of diagnostic
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equipment and treatment modalities. Thus, patients receive suboptimal care. A total of 5 of 34 countries (15%) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lack a single trained cardiologist to provide basic cardiac care. One-third of the SSA countries do not have a single pacemaker center, and more than one-half do not have a coronary catheterization laboratory. Only South Africa and several North African countries provide complete services for cardiac arrhythmias, leaving more than hundreds of millions of people in SSA without access to arrhythmia care considered standard in other parts of the world. Key strategies to improve arrhythmia care in Africa include greater government health care funding, increased emphasis on personnel training through fellowship programs, and greater focus on preventive care.
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4th edition. A manual for clinics, community health centers and district hospitals