PQDx 0198-071-00 
WHO PQDx PR 
April/2016, version 2.0
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                PQDx 0181-031-00 
WHO PQ Public Report 
March/2017, version 3.0
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                A key component of elimination is to reduce the number
of unmanaged trachomatous trichiasis cases to less than
1 per 1,000 population in affected
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                                         areas. This will require
not only a large increase in the number of surgeries
performed, but also improvements in the quality of surgery
and in the efficiency of surgery provision programs. It also
will require that we make special efforts to reach out to
women and the most marginalized populations, who are
disproportionally affected by trichiasis (TT).
                                    
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                                This interim guidance has been updated with advice on safe and appropriate home care for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and on the public health measures related to the management of
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                                         their contacts.
                                    
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                                Desta et al. Int J Ment Health Syst  (2018) 12:38  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0217-z
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                Short Version
This clinical practice guideline was developed in order to provide recommendations for the management of critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICUs).
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                Objective: The study aimed to describe the current epidemiological, clinical and immunological profile of newly
detected HIV - positive patients in Northern Benin by 2016. Methods: It was a prospec
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                                        tive study conducted from May 2 to
October 31, 2016 on three main sites of care of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the department of Borgou in Benin. All
new cases of HIV infection have been systematically and comprehensively recruited. Initial epidemiological, clinical and
immunological data were collected using a questionnaire. These data were entered and analyzed using the Epi Info 7 software.
Results: In total, 185 adults (68 male and 117 female) newly screened HIV positive were included in this study. The middle age
was 36.2 ± 10.9 years and the sex ratio was 0.6 One hundred and thirty-five patients (73%) were between 25 and 50 years old.
In terms of the profession, 132 patients (71.3%) were engaged in liberal activities (craftmen, traders and retailers). The
majority was schooled (113 or 61.1%) and resided in urban areas (146 or 79%). One hundred and sixteen patients lived in
couple (62.7%) with an average monthly income estimated at 70 US Dollars. Clinically, 123 patients (66.5%) were in WHO
stage III. The body mass index was over 18.5 kg/m2 in 124 patients (67%). The median number of TCD4 lymphocytes was
254.5 cells/ml and 25 patients (13.5%) had a number of CD4 over 500 cells/ml. HIV1 was really predominant (97.8%). Most
patients (152 or 82.2%) had been screened for clinical suspicion. Conclusion: HIV infection in Benin remains the prerogative
of young, female, educated and poor people. Screening is delayed and hence the need to develop innovative strategies for early
                                    
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                                Haematologica  has  published  European  guidelines for empirical and targeted antibacterial therapy forfebrile neutropenic patients in the era of emerging resistance (ECIL-4). Indeed, collateral da
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                                        mage by broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy includes selection of multidrugresistant pathogens, and increased predisposition to infec-tion by fungi and Clostridium  difficile. Antibiotic resistance has  become  a  major  public  health  concern,  with  fears expressed that we will soon run out of antibiotics.
Haematologica December 2013 98: 1821-1825; doi:10.3324/haematol.2013.091769
                                    
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                                Accessed January 22, 2019. 
This updated version include important research that has added to our knowledge about effective treatments for
child and adolescent depression. Its goal is to help parents and families make informed decisions about getting the best care for a child with depression. For 
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                                        easy use, it is presented in Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format.
                                    
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                                This checklist has been developed to support hospital preparedness for the management of COVID-19 patients. 
Elements to be assessed have been divided into the following areas:
    Establishment
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                                         of a core team and key internal and external contact points
    Human, material and facility capacity
    Communication and data protection
    Hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and waste management
    Triage, first contact and prioritisation
    Patient placement, moving of the patients in the facility, and visitor access
    Environmental cleaning
For each area mentioned above, the elements or processes were identified and the items to be checked are listed below.
A procedure for the self-auditing of compliance with this checklist should be considered.
                                    
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                                Background: Cervical cancer accounts for 23% of cancer incidence and 22% of cancer mortality among women in Burkina Faso. These proportions are more than 2 and 5 times higher than those 
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                                        of developed countries, respectively. Before 2010, cervical cancer prevention (CECAP) services in Burkina Faso were limited to temporary screening campaigns.
Program Description: Between September 2010 and August 2014, program implementers collaborated with the Ministry of Health and professional associations to implement a CECAP program focused on coupling visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for screening with same-day cryotherapy treatment for eligible women in 14 facilities. Women with larger lesions or lesions suspect for cancer were referred for loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). The program trained providers, raised awareness through demand generation activities, and strengthened monitoring capacity.
Methods: Data on program activities, service provision, and programmatic lessons were analyzed. Three data collection tools, an individual client form, a client registry, and a monthly summary sheet, were used to track 3 key CECAP service indicators: number of women screened using VIA, proportion of women who screened VIA positive, and proportion of women screening VIA positive who received same-day cryotherapy.
Results: Over 4 years, the program screened 13,999 women for cervical cancer using VIA; 8.9% screened positive; and 65.9% received cryotherapy in a single visit. The proportion receiving cryotherapy on the same day started at a high of 82% to 93% when services were provided free of charge, but dropped to 51% when a user fee of $10 was applied to cover the cost of supplies. After reducing the fee to $4 in November 2012, the proportion increased again to 78%. Implementation challenges included difficulties tracking referred patients, stock-outs of key supplies, difficulties with machine maintenance, and prohibitive user fees. Providers were trained to independently monitor services, identify gaps, and take corrective actions.
Conclusions: Following dissemination of the results that demonstrated the acceptability and feasibility of the CECAP program, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health included CECAP services in its minimum service delivery package in 2016. Essential components for such programs include provider training on VIA, cryotherapy, and LEEP; provider and patient demand generation; local equipment maintenance; consistent supply stocks; referral system for LEEP; non-prohibitive fees; and a monitoring data collection system.
                                    
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                                Background: COVID-19 is a global public health crisis that affects all sectors; studying the impact of this pandemic on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa is crucial as COVID-19-related c
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                                        ardiovascular complications may worsen the CVD burden in this already highly affected and resource-limited continent
Methods: This was a cross-sectional e-survey study conducted amongst cardiologists in African countries. The primary outcome was the change in service delivery in African cardiology units during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary outcomes were the satisfaction of cardiologists with regards to the workload and factors associated with this satisfaction.
Results: There was a significant reduction in working time and the number of patients consulted by week during this pandemic (p<0.001). In general, there was a decrease in the overall activities in cardiovascular care delivery. The majority of cardiology services (76.5%) and consulting programs (85%) were adjusted to the pandemic. Only half of the participants were satisfied with their workload. Reconfiguration of the consultation schedule was associated with a reduced satisfaction of participants (p=0.02).
Conclusions: COVID-19 is associated with an overall reduction in cardiology services rendered in Africa. Since the cardiovascular burdens continue to increase in this part of the World and the risk of cardiovascular complications linked to SARS COV2 remains unchanged cardiology, departments in Africa should anticipate a significant surge of cardiology services demanded by patients after the COVID-19 pandemic.
                                    
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                                Int J Ment Health Syst. 2013 Jan 9;7(1):2. doi: 10.1186/1752-4458-7-2.
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                19 February 2021
The overall objective of this prospective meta-analyses (PMA) is to estimate the effect of anti-IL-6 therapy compared with usual care in hospitalized 
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                                        patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. The primary comparison is of the class effect of anti-IL-6 therapies. It will also estimate the effects of specific anti-IL-6 therapies.
                                    
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                                In the face of rapid increases in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, coupled with shortages 
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                                        of human and material resources, including medical equipment and gases, there is a need to redesign models of care in the Region to optimize available resources and ensure that more patients receive the quantity and quality of oxygen they need. Oxygen is included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines and is used to care for patients at all levels of integrated health services networks. The efficacy of oxygen use in the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions caused by COVID-19 has been demonstrated, but there is great opportunity to improve the effectiveness of its use if it is used in a rational, sustainable, and safe way. Bearing in mind that the efficacy of a health technology is measured by its benefit under actual conditions of use, practical actions can be taken to improve the use of medical oxygen and avoid oxygen shortages. A drug is considered to be used rationally when patients receive it according to their clinical needs, in doses appropriate to their individual needs, for an appropriate period, and at a low cost to them and their community. By providing instruction on the rational use of oxygen and promoting it, negative repercussions can be avoided, such as loss of efficacy as a result of activities related to oxygen storage, distribution, and administration. Rational use of oxygen also involves controlling waste due to leaks in storage and distribution systems, use of gas at incorrect pressures, use of incorrectly adjusted flowmeters, and disconnections, among other problems. Another aspect to consider is the provision of adequate technical support for all oxygen production systems, in terms of maintenance and calibration, availability of electrical energy, and specific knowledge about these systems. For these reasons, a set of guidelines has been put together for the development of an efficient management system to deal with situations of oxygen scarcity, both now and in the future.
                                    
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                                This interim guidance is aimed at healthcare workers who may receive patients 
exposed to chemical weapons at their healthcare facilities.
It  provides  questions  to  guide  the  identification  of
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                                          contaminated  patients,  
recommendations  on  personal  protection,  procedures  for  decontamination,  
guidance for triage and identification of categories of exposure, and treatment 
regimens for individual chemicals.
Arabic version available: http://www.who.int/environmental_health_emergencies/deliberate_events/interim_guidance_ar.pdf
                                    
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                                The sixth course of the Clinical Management of Patients with COVID-19 course series is devoted to the rehabilitation 
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                                        of patients with COVID-19. The seven course modules address the manifold and varied rehabilitation needs of patients recovering from COVID-19, including patients with cognitive impairment, physical deconditioning and weakness, respiratory impairment, swallow impairment, communication impairment and challenges in completing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Techniques for rehabilitation also are addressed
                                    
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                                Q6: In individuals with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia) who require long term antipsychotic treatment, are anticholinergic medications more effective in preventing or reducing extrapyramidal side-effects and/or improving treatment adherence than placebo/treatment as usual?
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                25th March, 2020
(In suppression earlier guidelines upload at CPCB website on 19/03/2020)