BMJ Global Health2020;5:e002914. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002914
The evidence produced in mathematical models plays a key role in shaping policy decisions in pandemics. A key question is therefore how well pandemic models relate to their implementation contexts. Drawing on the cases of Ebola and in
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fluenza, we map how sociological and anthropological research contributes in the modelling of pandemics to consider lessons for COVID-19. We show how models detach from their implementation contexts through their connections with global narratives of pandemic response, and how sociological and anthropological research can help to locate models differently. This potentiates multiple models of pandemic response attuned to their emerging situations in an iterative and adaptive science. We propose a more open approach to the modelling of pandemics which envisages the model as an intervention of deliberation in situations of evolving uncertainty. This challenges the ‘business-as-usual’ of evidence-based approaches in global health by accentuating all science, within and beyond pandemics, as ‘emergent’ and ‘adaptive’.
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Despite progress in improving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people with HIV in Malawi, the burden of HIV infections and HIV treatment outcomes among key populations is suboptimal. Client-centered differentiated service delivery approaches may facilitate addressing HIV prevention and treatment nee
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ds of key populations in Malawi.
Methods
De-identified program data routinely collected as part of the LINKAGES project–Malawi were assembled from October 2017 to September 2019. HIV case finding was compared across different testing modalities for each population. Poisson regression was used to estimate the association between testing modalities and ART initiation.
Results
Of the 18 397 people included in analyses, 10 627 (58%) were female sex workers (FSWs), 2219 (12%) were men who have sex with men (MSM), and 4970 (27%) were clients of FSWs. HIV case finding varied by modality and population, with index testing and enhanced peer outreach demonstrating high yield despite reaching relatively few individuals. FSWs who tested positive through risk network referral testing were more likely to initiate ART within 30 days compared with those who tested positive through clinic-based testing (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.50; 95% CI, 1.23–1.82). For MSM, index testing (aRR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.06–2.00) and testing through a drop-in center (aRR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.19–2.78) were associated with 30-day ART initiation.
Conclusions
These data suggest that differentiated HIV testing and outreach approaches tailored to the needs of different key populations may facilitate improved ART initiation in Malawi. Achieving 0 new infections by 2030 suggests the need to adapt treatment strategies given individual and structural barriers to treatment for key populations with HIV in high-prevalence settings.
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This study compared clinical and autopsy findings for three asbestos-related diseases (asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer) in former asbestos mineworkers, and explored factors that influenced agreement between clinical and autopsy findings using data from two compensation systems. In South Afr
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ica, statutory compensation for occupational lung diseases in mineworkers makes provisions for autopsy examinations of the cardio-respiratory organs at the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) in Johannesburg. In addition, the Johannesburg-based Asbestos Relief Trust and Kgalagadi Relief Trust (the “Trusts”) compensate individuals with defined asbestos-related diseases who worked in or lived near qualifying asbestos mining or processing operations. The Trusts also compensate dependents of deceased qualifying mineworkers and therefore encourage statutory autopsies for the detection of previously undiagnosed asbestos-related disease or disease that may have progressed to higher compensation grades.
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SARS-CoV-2 infections among children and adolescents cause less severe illness and fewer deaths compared to adults. While a less severe course of infection is a positive outcome, there are concerns that mild symptoms may have led to less testing, resulting in fewer identified cases of COVID-19 in ch
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ildren. If children with mild or no symptoms transmit the disease, they may act as drivers of transmission within their communities. Understanding symptoms, infectivity and patterns of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in children and adolescents is essential for developing, adapting and improving control measures for COVID-19 across all ages. This is a summary of the current knowledge around SARS-CoV-2 infection acquisition and transmission and COVID-19 disease symptoms in children and adolescents. It aims to inform decisions, based on local contexts, on how to best keep schools, kindergarten and day-care facilities open and what advice to apply to intergenerational mixing.
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AidData has developed a set of open source data collection methods to track project-level data on suppliers of official finance who do not participate in global reporting systems. This codebook outl
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ines the version 1.1 set of TUFF procedures that have been developed, tested, refined, and implemented by AidData researchers and affiliated faculty at the College of William & Mary and Brigham Young University.
In the first iteration of this codebook, AidData's Media-Based Data Collection Methodology, Version 1.0, we referred to our data collection procedures as a “media-based data collection” (MBDC) methodology. The term “media-based” was misleading, as the methodology does not rely exclusively on media reports; rather, media reports are used only as a departure point, and are supplemented with case studies undertaken by scholars and non-governmental organizations, project inventories supplied through Chinese embassy websites, and grants and loan data published by recipient governments. In the interest of providing greater clarity, we now refer to our methodology for systematically gathering open source development finance information as the Tracking Underreported Financial Flows (TUFF) methodology. This codebook outlines the set of TUFF procedures that have been developed, tested, refined, and implemented by AidData staff and affiliated faculty at the College of William & Mary and Brigham Young University.
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Open Online Courses include topics in Global Health, are short and designed for self-study. They are available free and can be accessed by anyone. Most offer a certificate. The course topics are: Climate Change; Public Health; Refugee Health; Diseas
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es in Developing Countries; Basic Epidemiology, etc.
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his course is intended for decision-makers and programme managers who want to learn more about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its 5 modules introduce NTDs, outline the impact of COVID-19 on NTD programmes
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and WHO’s response to mitigate its consequences, and finally present WHO’s recommendations on maintenance of essential health services for NTDs as well as guidance on adaptation and safe resumption of community-based NTD activities during the pandemic.
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Currently there is no publicly available source of consolidated information on attacks on health care in emergencies. This report is a first attempt to consolidate and analyse the data that is available from open sources. While the data are not comp
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rehensive, the findings shed light on the severity and frequency of the problem.
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Open Access: The Lancet Global Health, volume 2 issue 6 pages e323-333. Please click on the website link to download the pdf-file
This video "Buruli Ulcer Disease: Intro to the Module" is part of a multimedia-based module by Richard Phillips, Stephen Sarfo, Emmanuel Adu, Veronica Owusu-Afriyie, and Cary Engleberg (University of Michigan). The Buruli ulcer disease is due to infection by Mycobacterium ulcerans. This programme de
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scribes the basic pathophysiology of the disease, the typical clinical presentations, and the management of cases with complicated features. The program should be informative for both medical students and practitioners who wish to increase their knowledge about this serious tropical disease.
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Facing the global nutrition challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) teamed up with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to design, under the guidance of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD),
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a Nutrition Knowledge Hub. By building the technical and functional capacities of all relevant staff at WHO through e-learning courses and key nutrition-related training and knowledge materials, the Nutrition Knowledge Hub aims to contribute to the acceleration and increase of the nutrition impact at the country level. The Nutrition Knowledge Hub also offers free and open courses to reach a larger public and raise awareness on the malnutrition problem and WHO’s response.
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Every day, fake medicines and medical products are sold at street corners, in open air markets or on unregulated websites in several countries in the African Region. These poor quality, unsafe medicines and pharmaceutical products promote drug resis
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tance and lead to loss of confidence in health professionals, manufacturers and distributors and in health systems. In an effort to protect people’s health, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, has proposed a strategy aimed at strengthening National Medicine Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs) in order to ensure that only safe, good quality and effective medical products are available.
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Surgical site infections (SSI) are a serious problem globally; they are the most frequent type of health care-associated infection (HAI) observed on admission in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Approximately one in 10 people who have surge
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ry in LMICs acquire an SSI, and SSI is reported as the second most common HAI in Europe and the United States of America. Therefore, it is crucial to include SSI prevention activities in your overall IPC programme.
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The CVIC tool is the WHO-UNICEF tool designed to assist countries in the process of planning and costing COVID-19 vaccination. The aim of this course is to demonstrate the use of the CVIC tool. The course is targeting national programme managers and
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personnel who have been involved in the costing, budgeting or financing processes of COVID-19 vaccine delivery in a country.
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This course is intended to provide basic information for front-line health workers to be able to implement the recommended control measures to minimize the negative impact of Buruli ulcer on populations.
La plupart des infections associées aux soins de santé peuvent être évitées grâce à une bonne hygiène des mains - se laver les mains au bon moment et de la bonne manière. Les directives de l'OMS sur l'hygiène des mains lors des soins de santé soutiennent la promotion et l'amélioration de
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l'hygiène des mains dans les établissements de santé du monde entier. À ces directives s’ajoutent la stratégie multimodale d'amélioration de l'hygiène des mains de l'OMS, le guide de mise en œuvre et la boîte à outils de mise en œuvre, qui contient de nombreux outils pratiques prêts à l'emploi. Ce module a été développé pour aider à résumer les directives de l'OMS sur l'hygiène des mains ainsi que les outils et idées associés pour une mise en œuvre efficace.
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La plupart des infections associées aux soins de santé peuvent être évitées grâce à une bonne hygiène des mains - se laver les mains au bon moment et de la bonne manière. Les directives de l'OMS sur l'hygiène des mains lors des soins de santé soutiennent la promotion et l'amélioration de
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l'hygiène des mains dans les établissements de santé du monde entier. À ces directives s’ajoutent la stratégie multimodale d'amélioration de l'hygiène des mains de l'OMS, le guide de mise en œuvre et la boîte à outils de mise en œuvre, qui contient de nombreux outils pratiques prêts à l'emploi. Ce module a été développé pour aider à résumer les directives de l'OMS sur l'hygiène des mains ainsi que les outils et idées associés pour une mise en œuvre efficace.
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A maioria das infecções associadas a cuidados de saúde podem ser prevenidas com a correta higienização das mãos, ou seja, a limpeza das mãos nos momentos corretos, e da forma correta. As Diretrizes da OMS de higienização das mãos nos serviços de saúde incentivam a promoção e o aprimora
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mento da higienização das mãos em instituições de saúde no mundo todo, e são complementadas pela estratégia multimodal da OMS para aprimoramento da higienização das mãos, bem como o respectivo guia e kit de implementação, que contêm diversas ferramentas práticas, prontas para serem usadas. Este módulo foi preparado para ajudar a resumir as diretrizes da OMS sobre higienização das mãos, as ferramentas associadas e ideias para uma implementação efetiva.
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