Annex. This document is an update of a guidance published on 12 July 2021, after the review of new scientific evidence on transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). It contains updated recommendations on the use of masks and respirators ...for health workers providing care to suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
more
This collection of posters are intended for health care workers, biomedical engineers and staff of health facilities in charge of caring, cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing respiratory medical equipment in hospitals and health facilities. The...y include checklists to ensure the optimal infection prevention and control during their use and between patients.
They describe the procedures to follow (Checklists) to clean, decontaminate and sterilize different respiratory devices:
Oxygen concentrators,
Non-invasive mechanical ventilation equipment: High flow nasal cannula, BiPAP/CPAP,
Mechanical ventilators,
Pulse oximeters and monitors.
more
All health workers require knowledge and skills to care for patients safely and protect themselves from undue harm. This course was developed due to the enormous emphasis placed on need for safe provision of oxygen to patients with COVID-19, but can be used for conditions beyond COVID-19. This cours...e teaches how to choose the right equipment for your facility, how to set up new respiratory equipment, how to clinically use respiratory equipment, how to maintain equipment, including troubleshooting, repairs and infection prevention and control, and how to decommission equipment.
more
Interim guidance, 6 October 2021
Direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins (antigens) in nasal swabs and other respiratory secretions using lateral flow immunoassays (also known as rapid diagnostic tests, RDTs) offers a faster and less expensiv...e method to test for SARS-CoV-2 than the reference method, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). This interim guidance offers recommendations on the priority uses of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) in specific populations and settings, including (i) for primary case detection in symptomatic individuals suspected to be infected and asymptomatic individuals at high risk of COVID-19, (ii) for contact tracing, (iii) during outbreak investigations and (iv) to monitor trends of disease incidence in communities. Ag-RDTs meeting minimum performance requirements can be used outside of clinical and laboratory settings, including in communities, by trained operators in accordance with instructions. The guidance additionally provides recommendations on implementation, product selection and storage.
more
This collection of posters are intended for health care workers, biomedical engineers and staff of health facilities in charge of caring, cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing respiratory medical equipment in hospitals and health facilities. The...y include checklists to ensure the optimal infection prevention and control during their use and between patients.
more
There is increasing interest in understanding the role of air pollution as one of the greatest threats to human health worldwide. Nine of 10 individuals breathe air with polluted compounds that have a great impact on lung tissue. The nature of the relationship is complex, and new or updated data are... constantly being reported in the literature. The goal of our review was to summarize the most important air pollutants and their impact on the main respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory infections, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis) to reduce both short- and the long-term exposure consequences. We considered the most important air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ozone, particulate matter and biomass smoke, and observed their impact on pulmonary pathologies. We focused on respiratory pathologies, because air pollution potentiates the increase in respiratory diseases, and the evidence that air pollutants have a detrimental effect is growing. It is imperative to constantly improve policy initiatives on air quality in both high- and low-income countries.
more
The following protocol has been designed to investigate the extent of infection, as determined by seropositivity in the general population, in any country in which COVID-19 virus infection has been ...reported. Each country may need to tailor some aspects of this protocol to align with public health, laboratory and clinical systems, according to capacity, availability of resources and cultural appropriateness. However, using a standardized protocol such as this one below, epidemiological exposure data and biological samples can be systematically collected and shared rapidly in a format that can be easily aggregated, tabulated and analyzed across many different settings globally for timely estimates of COVID-19 virus infection severity and attack rates, as well as to inform public health responses and policy decisions. This is particularly important in the context of a novel respiratory pathogen, such as COVID-19 virus
more
EID Journal , Volume 27, no.12 , Dec. 2021. Early Release
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections may be underestimated because of limited access to testing. We meas...ured SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in South Africa every 2 months during July 2020–March 2021 in randomly selected household cohorts in 2 communities. We compared seroprevalence to reported laboratory-confirmed infections, hospitalizations, and deaths to calculate infection–case, infection–hospitalization, and infection–fatality ratios in 2 waves of infection. Post–second wave seroprevalence ranged from 18% in the rural community children <5 years of age, to 59% in urban community adults 35–59 years of age. The second wave saw a shift in age distribution of case-patients in the urban community (from persons 35–59 years of age to persons at the extremes of age), higher attack rates in the rural community, and a higher infection–fatality ratio in the urban community. Approximately 95% of SARS-CoV-2 infections were not reported to national surveillance.
more
The following protocol has been designed to investigate the First Few X cases (FFX) and their close contacts. It is envisioned that the FFX 2019-nCoV investigation will be conducted across several countries or sites with geographical and demographical diversity. Using a standardized protocol such a...s the protocol provided here, epidemiological exposure data and biological samples can be systematically collected and shared rapidly in a format that can be easily aggregated, tabulated and analyzed across many different settings globally for timely estimates of 2019-nCoV infection severity and transmissibility, as well as to inform public health responses and policy decisions. This is particularly important in the context of a novel respiratory pathogen, such as 2019-nCoV
more
Outline
• Welcome and objectives
• Microbiology, epidemiology and clinical presentation
• Surveillance for imported cases including case definitions
• Laboratory diagnosis • Infection prevention and hospital readiness
• Patient ...flow and actions required at each step
• Co-ordinating a public health response
more
1. What is COVID-19?
2. Who is at most risk for COVID-19?
3. What is the risk of COVID-19 infection in humans in South Africa?
4. How is COVID-19 transmitted?
5. What are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 ...ht medbox">infection in humans?
6. How is COVID-19 diagnosed?
7. How is COVID-19 infection treated?
8. How can COVID-19 infection in humans be prevented?
9. What measures have been put in place in South Africa to minimise the risk of transmission should cases be imported?
10. Should I travel now?
11. Who can I contact for more information?
more
Данный курс предназначен для практикующих врачей, работающих в отделениях реанимации и интенсивной терапии (ОРИТ) в странах с низким и средним уровнем дохода, а та...же занимающихся клиническим ведением взрослых больных и детей с тяжелыми формами острой респираторной инфекции (ТОРИ), включая тяжелую пневмонию, острый респираторный дистресс-синдром (ОРДС), сепсис и септический шок. Данное практическое руководство может быть использовано в работе специалистов в области здравоохранения, участвующих в организации интенсивной терапии во время вспышек сезонного гриппа, вызванного вирусом птичьего гриппа (H5N1, H7N9), коронавирусом MERS-CoV и новым коронавирусом COVID-19, или во время других новых эпидемий респираторной вирусной инфекции.
WHO Clinical Care Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Training
also available in : English - français - Português - Bahasa Indonesia - Tiếng Việt - Español - македонски - العربية - Tetun
more
Clinical care for severe acute respiratory infection: toolkit: COVID-19 adaptation
Clinical care for severe acute respiratory infection: toolkit: COVID-19 adaptation
Fact Sheet, May 2018.
Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) ...ight medbox">infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers
more
a systematic review and meta-analysis Derek K Chu et al. on behalf of the COVID-19 Systematic Urgent Review Group Effort (SURGE) study authors.
Published: The Lancet June 01, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016S0140-6736(20)31142-9
'We did a systematic review of 172 observational studies in health-...care and non-health-care settings across 16 countries and six continents... Physical distancing of 1 m or more was associated with a much lower risk of infection, as was use of face masks (including N95 respirators or similar and surgical or similar masks [eg, 12–16-layer cotton or gauze masks]) and eye protection (eg, goggles or face shields)...'
more
This document simplifies the WHO guidance on severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) treatment centres and is meant to be accessible to healthcare workers, policymakers and others who want
a quic...k overview of the key requirements for a COVID-19 isolation centre either within an existing facility or as a standalone centre.
more
People with asthma (PWA) generally are considered at higher risk from respiratory infections, as is seen annually with influenza. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, PWA were widely assumed to b...e at increased risk from COVID-19. However, as data emerged throughout 2020, the association between asthma and COVID-19 appeared less clear.
more
People with asthma (PWA) generally are considered at higher risk from respiratory infections, as is seen annually with influenza. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, PWA were widely assumed to b...e at increased risk from COVID-19. However, as data emerged throughout 2020, the association between asthma and COVID-19 appeared less clear.
more
This document provides guidance on the application of non-pharmaceutical countermeasures to minimise the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the population. Some of the measures proposed refer specifically to certain phases of the epidemic (containment or mitigation phases), and can ...be adapted depending on the assessed severity/impact of the infection. Other measures are valid for all phases of an epidemic.
The guidance is based on the current knowledge of the 2019-nCoV and evidence available on other viral respiratory pathogens, mainly the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and seasonal or pandemic influenza viruses.
more