This report provides an overview of the operations and activities of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine in 2023. Despite the acute health impacts of
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the war in Ukraine, the Country Office continued its work according to its core mandate. WHO supported the Government of Ukraine in managing the health emergency and pursued existing priorities set out in WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2023, the European Programme of Work 2020–2025, and the Biennial Collaborative Agreement 2022–2023 signed with the Government of Ukraine. The report presents the achievements of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine in 2023 in the context of the war’s impact on the lives, health, and well-being of Ukrainians.
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Mpox is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus closely related to the variola virus that causes smallpox. Mpox was first discovered in 1958 when outbreaks
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of a pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox and since then the infection has been reported in a number of African countries. Mpox can spread in humans through close contact, usually skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, with an infected person or animal, as well as with materials contaminated with the virus such as clothing, beddings and towels, and respiratory droplets in prolonged face to face contact. People remain infectious from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and healed. The virus may spread from infected animals through handling infected meat or through bites or scratches. Diagnosis is confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of material from a lesion for the virus’s DNA. Two separate clades of the mpox virus are currently circulating in Africa: Clade I, which includes subclades Ia and Ib, and Clade II, comprising subclades IIa and IIb. Clade Ia and Clade Ib have been associated with ongoing human-to-human transmission and are presently responsible for outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while Clade Ib is also contributing to outbreaks in Burundi and other countries.
In 2022‒2023 mpox caused a global outbreak in over 110 countries, most of which had no previous history of the disease, primarily driven by human-to-human transmission of clade II through sexual contact. In just over a year, over 90,000 cases and 150 deaths were reported to the WHO. For the second time since 2022, mpox has been declared a global health emergency as the virus spreads rapidly across the African continent. On 13 Aug 2024, Africa CDC declared the ongoing mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), marking the first such declaration by the agency since its inception in 2017.7 This declaration empowered the Africa CDC to lead and coordinate responses to the mpox outbreak across affected African countries. On August 14, 2024, the WHO declared the resurgence of mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) emphasizing the need for coordinated international response.
As of August 2024, Mpox has expanded beyond its traditional endemic regions, with new cases reported in countries including Sweden, Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Sweden has confirmed its first case of Clade 1 variant, which has been rapidly spreading in Africa, particularly in DRC. The emergence of this new variant raises concerns about its potential for higher lethality and transmission rates outside Africa.
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This guide provides an overview of important points to consider in the assessment and treatment of PTSD and ASD in children and adolescents. The practitioner checklist later in this document can hel
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p
to guide assessment and treatment planning.
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In the Region of the Americas, between epidemiological week (EW) 1 and EW 52 of 2018, a total of 560,586 cases
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of dengue were reported (incidence rate of 57.3 cases per 100,000 population), including 336 deaths. Of the total cases, 209,192 (37.3%) were laboratoryconfirmed and 3,535 (0.63%) were classified as severe dengue. Cases reported in 2018 were higher than the total reported in 2017 but lower than the historical average reported in the previous 11 years (2006-2016) (Figure 1). Similarly, the proportion of cases of severe dengue and dengue with warning signs reported in 2018 was higher than the previous two years, but lower than the preceding ten years, and it remains below 1% which was reached in 2015.
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The toolkit presents step-by-step guidance that district health teams (DHTs), district leaders, MOH/UNEPI, immunisation partners, and civil society organisations (CSOs) can use to engage NHS and maximise the benefits of their participation in streng
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thening RI through activities such as community dialogue meetings. Tables and annexes outline this process
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Children expressed the need for organisations to
support in the delivery of services such as health and
sanitation. The children also emphasized that schools
and the child-friendly spaces (CFSs) were effective
and important spaces to provide the
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m with what they
need.
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Sepsis remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, especially during the first five days of life and in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) [1]. Hospital infection also remains a major ca
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use of mortality in children despite progress encountered in the last decades.
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The health impact of radiological and nuclear emergencies can last for decades. Lessons learned from past radiological and nuclear accidents have demonstrated that the mental health and psychosocial consequences can outweigh the direct physical heal
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th impacts of radiation exposure. International radiation emergency preparedness and response standards outline provisions for mitigating these effects. Yet, practical guidance for addressing the mental health and psychosocial aspects of radiation emergencies remains scarce.
This framework aims to promote integration between the MHPSS and radiation protection fields. It is intended for officials and specialists involved in radiation emergency planning and risk management as well as MHPSS experts working in health emergencies.
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Against this background of nearly 20 years of experience of research, development and
improvement in patient safety, the role
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of incident and adverse event reporting, as well as the
benefits that derive from it, is still a work in progress.This document has two main purposes:
• to provide an up-to-date perspective on patient safety incident reporting and
learning systems currently in place, including how to fill in existing gaps in these
systems;
• to provide practical guidance on the establishment and effective use of patient
safety incident reporting and learning systems.
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The extensive use of natural resources threatens to exceed the carrying capacity of the Earth. The concept of a
circular economy offers an avenue
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to sustainable growth, good health and decent jobs, while saving the environment
and its natural resources. Further, the change from a linear economy (take, make, dispose) to a circular economy (renew, remake, share) is expected to support significantly the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), particularly SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production.
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he global architecture for providing development assistance for health (DAH)
has become increasing complex in the last decade, with many new funding agencies entering the health sector.
This study presents a detailed picture of European Union (EU)
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and EU member state originating DAH
between 2006 and 2009; with a sp
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This consultative version of the guideline is the product of literature reviews, discussions and contributions from diverse stakeholders, as well as UNISDR-nominated experts appointed specifically f
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or the development of the Words into Action guideline for Build back better in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Disaster impacted countries and communities are oftentimes much better equipped to Build Back Better during the extended period of recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction when they have taken actions to strengthen recovery capacity and decision-making effectiveness prior to the onset of disaster.
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Infectious disease outbreaks are periods of
great uncertainty. Events unfold, resources
and capacities that are often limited
are stretched yet further, and decisions
for a public health response must be
made quickly, even though the evide
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nce
for decision-making may be scant. In
such a situation, public health officials,
policy-makers, funders, researchers, field
epidemiologists, first responders, national
ethics boards, health-care workers, and public
health practitioners need a moral compass
to guide them in their decision-making.
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This Pharmaceutical Country Profile for Kenya (2010) has been developed by the Ministry of Medical Services with support of the World Health Organization. The Profile contains information on existin
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g socio-economic and health-related conditions, resources, regulatory structures and processes and outcomes relating to the pharmaceutical sector in Kenya.
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The executive summary of the WHO Global oral health status report presents a snapshot of the most recent data on major oral diseases, risk factors, health system challenges and opportunities for ref
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orm. The report’s clear conclusion is that the status of global oral health is alarming and requires urgent action. The report will serve as a reference for policy-makers and an orientation for a wide range of stakeholders across different sectors to guide advocacy towards better prioritization of oral health in global, regional and national contexts. In addition, the report provides, as a separate online resource, the first-ever country oral health profiles for all 194 WHO Member States, giving unique insights into key areas and markers of oral health that are relevant for decision-makers.
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This report assesses the impact of the conflict in Ukraine and its implications for organized crime and security-related issues for neighbouring countries, with a focus on Moldova.
These include:
Organized crime and illicit trafficking (includin
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g trafficking in persons, drugs, arms, illicit tobacco, and other goods); Cybercrimes and fraud; Disinformation and propaganda; and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threats.
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The revised package of BFHI materials includes five sections: 1. Background and Implementation, 2. Strengthening and Sustaining the BFHI: A course for decision-makers, 3. Breastfeeding Promotion and Support in a Baby-friendly Hospital: a 20-hour cou
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rse for maternity staff, 4. Hospital Self-Appraisal and Monitoring, and 5. External Assessment and Reassessment. Sections 1 to 4 are widely available while section 5 is for limited distribution.
Slides
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On October 6, 11 cases of Cholera were confirmed positive in one neighbourhood of the capital Sana’a. No confirmed cases have been reported in other locations in Yemen. UNICEF, together with WHO a
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nd Health authorities, have initiated a rapid response setting up a treatment centre as well as dispatching an investigation team to the affected neighbourhood. The source of infection was identified as water and commercial food contamination.
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Child marriage is defined as a formal or informal union before the age of 18. The practice affects mostly girls. While child marriage is especially prevalent in low and lower-middle income countries, it is also observed in other countries. It endang
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ers the life trajectories of girls in multiple ways. Child brides are at greater risk of experiencing a range of poor health outcomes, having children at younger ages when they are not yet ready to do so, dropping out of school, earning less over their lifetimes and living in poverty compared to their peers who marry at later ages. Child brides may also be more likely to experience intimate partner violence, have restricted physical mobility, and limited decision making ability. M
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Psycho-Social Rehabilitation and Occupational Integration of Child Survivors of Trafficking and Other Worst Forms of Child Labour |