This manual presents a compelling case for action on carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs) and describes the linkages between the prevention and co...ntrol of CROs and the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). It describes how the eight recommendations contained within the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the prevention and control of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in health care facilities relate to general measures (that is, the core components of infection prevention and control [IPC] programmes) that need to be in place in all countries and health care facilities to prevent and control health care-associated infections (HAIs). The use of a stepwise approach is proposed to support implementation and improvement, based on the evidence and experience of what has worked in several health care settings worldwide. The focus is on adoptable and adaptable information.
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Countries around the world are facing the challenge of increased demand for care of people with COVID-19, compounded by fear, misinformation and li...mitations on movement that disrupt the delivery of health care for all conditions. Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context recommends practical actions that countries can take at national, subregional and local levels to reorganize and safely maintain access to high-quality, essential health services in the pandemic context. It also outlines sample indicators for monitoring essential health services, and describes considerations on when to stop and restart services as COVID-19 transmission recedes and surges.
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Policy Brief | April 2015 | This brief accompanies the data sheet, Addressing Risk Factors for Noncommunicable Diseases Among Young People in Afric...a: Key to Prevention and Sustainable Development, and its data appendix, which provide all available country-specific data on four key NCD risk factors among young people in Africa since 2004. These publications extend an earlier publication, Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors Among Young People in Africa: Data Availability and Sources. All are available at www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2015/ncd-risk-youth-africa.aspx.
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Adolescence is a critical stage in life for physical, cognitive and emotional development, shaping future health and well-being. Comprehensive measurement of adolescent health is essential to prioritize health issues, guide interventions and track p...rogress. However, global, regional and national adolescent health measurement has historically been inconsistent and incomplete.
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For biological agents, the publication covers 11 bacteria,
fungi and viruses listed by states parties to the Biological
Weapons Convention in dec...larations of past offensive
research and development programmes, or considered of
special concern for possible use in terrorism. All of these
agents can cause natural disease in humans, though with
markedly different frequency.
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1 June 2020
Countries around the world are facing the challenge of increased demand for care of people with COVID-19, compounded by fear, misinfor...mation and limitations on movement that disrupt the delivery of health care for all conditions. Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context recommends practical actions that countries can take at national, subregional and local levels to reorganize and safely maintain access to high-quality, essential health services in the pandemic context. It also outlines sample indicators for monitoring essential health services, and describes considerations on when to stop and restart services as COVID-19 transmission recedes and surges. This document expands on the content of pillar 9 of the COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan, supersedes the earlier Operational guidance for maintaining essential health services during an outbreak, and complements the recently-released Community-based health care, including outreach and campaigns, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended for decision-makers and managers at the national and subnational levels.
This is an update to COVID-19: Operational guidance for maintaining essential health services during an outbreak: Interim guidance, 25 March 2020
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7. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2020;44:e13
Haiti faces a double burden of disease. Infectious diseases continue to be an issue, while non-communicable...> diseases have become a significant burden of disease. More attention must also be focused on the increase in worrying public health issues such as road injuries, exposure to forces of nature and HIV/AIDS in specific age groups. To address the burden of disease, sustained actions are needed to promote better health in Haiti and countries with similar challenges.
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interim guidance, 14 June 2021
This document is intended for national authorities and decision makers in countries that have introduced large scale public health and social measures. It offers guid...ance for adjusting public health and social measures, while managing the risk of a resurgence of cases.
Available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish
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"Patient decontamination principles are set forth here from a strategic perspective, rather than a tactical
one. The principles are meant to guide, but not specify, operational practices. The guida...nce is evidencebased
to the extent possible and the supporting evidence is documented and briefly discussed."
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In response to COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented several public health and social measures (PHSM), such as movement restrictions, closure of schools and businesses, and international travel restrictions.1 As ...e-to-highlight medbox">the local epidemiology of the disease changes, countries will adjust (i.e. loosen or reinstate) these measures according to the intensity of transmission.
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Since the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978, community health volunteers (CHVs) have been at the forefront, providing health services, especially to underserved communities, in low-income countries. Howe...ver, consolidation of CHVs position within formal health systems has proved to be complex and continues to challenge countries, as they devise strategies to strengthen primary healthcare. Malawi’s community health strategy, launched in 2017, is a novel attempt to harmonise the multiple health
service structures at the community level and strengthen service delivery through a team-based approach. The core community health team (CHT) consists of health surveillance assistants (HSAs), clinicians, environmental health officers and CHVs. This paper reviews Malawi’s strategy, with particular focus on the interface between HSAs, volunteers in community-based programmes and
the community health team. Our analysis identified key challenges that may impede the strategy’s implementation:
(1) inadequate training, imbalance of skill sets within CHTs and unclear job descriptions for CHVs; (2) proposed community-level interventions require expansion of pre-existing roles for most CHT members; and (3) district authorities may face challenges meeting financial obligations and filling community-level positions. For effective implementation, attention and further deliberation is needed on the appropriate forms of CHV support, CHT composition with possibilities of co-opting trained CHVs
from existing volunteer programmes into CHTs, review of CHT competencies and workload, strengthening coordination and communication across all community actors, and financing mechanisms. Policy support through the development of an addendum to the strategy, outlining opportunities for task-shifting between CHT members, CHVs’ expected duties and interactions with paid CHT personnel is recommended.
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This brochure, available in English and Spanish, provides an overview of pediatric palliative care and answers questions that parents and families may have, such as:
How do I know if my child or family needs palliative care?
Does accepting palliative care mean our family is giving up on ot...her treatments?
How can my child’s pain be managed?
How can our family get palliative care?
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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
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