A total of 18 laboratories from 13 countries participated in the four rounds of EQA: 10 laboratories from eight African endemic countries, four of
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which participated in all four rounds and three in three rounds. The overall results showed that the median performance of these laboratories improved over the four rounds. However, the proportion of laboratories reporting false–positive cases remains high and indicates a problem of specificity probably due to contamination. The proportion of laboratories reporting both false–positive and false–negative results raises the issue of the quality of the data reported by WHO in Africa as well as the results of the studies carried out in these different laboratories in various countries.
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Cases of human monkeypox are rarely seen outside of west and central Africa. There are few data regarding viral kinetics or the duration of viral s
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hedding and no licensed treatments. Two oral drugs, brincidofovir and tecovirimat, have been approved for treatment of smallpox and have demonstrated efficacy against monkeypox in animals. Our aim was to describe the longitudinal clinical course of monkeypox in a high-income setting, coupled with viral dynamics, and any adverse events related to novel antiviral therapies.
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Research to develop point-of-care tests is in progress. Treatment of Buruli ulcer comprises 8 weeks of combined antibiotics (rifampicin and clarith
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romycin). Complementary therapies such as wound care, skin graft and prevention of disability are needed in some cases to ensure full recovery.
The target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for control of Buruli ulcer is for countries to achieve a rate of case confirmation by PCR of at least 70%. All endemic countries have at least one PCR facility to support confirmation of cases. However, most countries in the WHO African Region have not been able to reach the target, and the rate of case confirmation has been declining
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Leptospirosis, a spirochaetal zoonosis, occurs in diverse epidemiological settings and affects vulnerable populations, such as rural subsistence farmers and urban slum dwellers. Although leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease and recognized as an important cause
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of pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome, the lack of global estimates for morbidity and mortality has contributed to its neglected disease status
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The European Respiratory Society (ERS)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) Task Force on severe asthma includes an updated definition of severe asthma, a discussion of severe asthma phenotypes in relati
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on to genetics, natural history, pathobiology and physiology, as well as sections on evaluation and treatment of severe asthma where specific recommendations for practice are made. See the unabridged online version of the document for detailed discussion of the definition of severe asthma, phenotypes and recommendations for practice.
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10 years after the UN general assembly special session on drugs
This guide is intended to support national governments developing their national deployment and vaccination plans (NDVPs) for COVID-19 vaccines by outlining the roles, needs and opportunities for community health workers (CHWs) to contribute. This note builds on and is structured to align with the G
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uidance on developing a national deployment and vaccination plan for COVID-19 vaccines. By providing CHW-relevant considerations for the VIRAT Tool, this document aims to support national governments in developing robust NDVPs for introducing COVID-19 vaccine(s) that leverage all the community-based deployment, implementation and monitoring tools at their disposal.
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27 September 2022
These WHO interim recommendations for use of the Novavax NVX-CoV2373 vaccine were developed on the basis of advice issued by the Strategic Advisory Group
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of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the evidence summary included in the background document and annexes referenced below.
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Globalization and Health 2012, 8:15
Q 2: How long should treatment with antidepressants continue in adults with depressive episode/disorder?
Plos Current Outbreaks 2015 May 15 . Edition 1. doi: 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.c3576278c66b22ab54a25e122fcdbec1
This report aims to estimate the economic cost of providing regular access to healthcare for migrants in an irregular situation, compared with the cost of providing treatment in emergency cases only
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. Two specific medical conditions – hypertension and prenatal care – were selected as examples, and their associated costs were calculated using an economic model. This model was then applied to three EU Member States: Germany, Greece and Sweden. The testing suggests that providing access to regular preventive healthcare for migrants in an irregular situation
would be cost-saving for governments.
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Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide and causes a significant number of deaths in the South-East Asia Region. Nearly 200 000 new cases of cervical cancer
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occurred in SEA Region Member States in 2008, giving an incidence of almost 25 per 100 000 and a mortality rate of almost 14 per 100 000. Cervical cancer can be prevented by early screening and vaccination. However, due to poor access to screening and treatment services, the vast majority of these deaths occur in women from nine Member States of the South-East Asia Region which account for more than one third of the global burden of cervical cancer.
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