Journal of Social Work in Developing Societies 13
Vol. 2(1): 13-25 , June 2020
Discussion paper initially prepared in April 2015 to facilitate feedback, and finalized after the
June 2015 meeting of WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for TB (STAG-TB).
This brief focuses specifically on the Grand Nord (Great North): the Beni and Lubero territories of northern North Kivu that are ...bute-to-highlight medbox">the epicentre of the outbreak. Further participatory enquiry should be undertaken with the affected populations, but given ongoing transmission, conveying key considerations and immediate recommendations have been prioritised.
This brief is based on a rapid review of existing published and grey literature, professional ethnographic research in DRC, personal communication with administrative and health officials and practitioners in the country, and experience of previous Ebola outbreaks.
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The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) showed
that global commitment and collective action
could significantly reduce the disease burdens of
th...ree deadly communicable diseases: HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. The MDGs helped
focus efforts on these three deadly diseases
and leveraged disease-specific programmes and
financing, thus achieving significant progress.
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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 report reviews the current situation in relation to national capacity to address NCDs and the progress made at country level over the past dec...ade. It highlights that, while progress is being made, there is still much work to be done to create the infrastructure, policies, surveillance and health systems response that will allow NCDs and their contributing risk factors to be successfully contained and reversed.
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These WHO guidelines which were updated in 2018, are valid for any country and suitable to local adaptations, and take account of the strength of a...vailable scientific evidence, the cost and resource implications, and patient values and preferences.
The 2018 edition of the guidelines includes the revision of the recommendation regarding the use of 80% fraction of inspired oxygen (high FiO2) in surgical patients under general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation and the update of the section on implementation. Between 2017 and 2018, WHO re-assessed the evidence on the use of high FiO2 by updating the systematic review related to the effectiveness of this intervention to reduce SSI and commissioning an independent systematic review on adverse events potentially associated with it. Based on the updated evidence, the GDG decided to revise the strength of the recommendation from strong to conditional.
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Guidelines for treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosisand patient care
2017 Update
For biological agents, the publication covers 11 bacteria,
fungi and viruses listed by states parties to the Biological
Weapons Convention in declarations ...x">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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This guide focuses on the evaluation of psychosocial programs that are aligned with two main goals: - To promote psychosocial wellbeing by promoting an environment that provides appropriate care, op...portunities for development and protects children from exposure to situations that are harmful to their psychosocial wellbeing, and - To respond to psychosocial problems by strengthening social and psychological supports for children who have been exposed to situations that affect their psychological development.
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Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all is possible – but only if economically better-off and disadvantaged countries play their part
Shortages of healthcare workers is detrimental to the health of communities, especially children. This paper describes ...ghlight medbox">the process of capacity building Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) to deliver integrated preventive and curative package of care of services to manage common childhood illness in hard-to-reach communities in Bondo Subcounty, Kenya
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A step towards implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD...) related to personal mobility.
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Policy Brief
November 2014
At a time when the world is reeling from the deepest global disruption and health crisis of a lifetime, this year’s Living Planet
report provid...es unequivocal and alarming evidence that nature is unraveling and that our planet is flashing red warning signs of
vital natural systems failure. The Living Planet Report 2020 clearly outlines how humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having
catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives.
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