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Access to essential respiratory medications remains elusive in LMICs

Karmali, D.; Siddharthan, T. (2022) CC

Over 90% of the morbidity and mortality related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma occurs in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to well documented factors including decreased access to screening, trained ... professionals, and therapies for disease management. Inhaler therapy (eg, aerosolised medications by inhalation, nebulisation, or propellant) is the mainstay of treatment for COPD and asthma. Adherence to maintenance medications for COPD and asthma results in improved lung function and quality of life, as well as decreased hospitalisation and mortality. WHO have included short-acting beta-agonists, long-acting muscarinic antagonists, and inhaled corticosteroids on the essential medications list, with a target goal of achieving 80% availability of these medications in public and private facilities. However, despite these efforts, accessibility, and affordability of medications for COPD and asthma remains scarce. more

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Hendra virus: Epidemiology dynamics in relation to climate change, diagnostic tests and control measures

Yuen K. Y.; Frase N. S.; et al (2021) C2

Hendra virus (HeV) continues to pose a serious public health concern as spillover events occur sporadically. Terminally ill horses can exhibit a range of clinical signs including frothy nasal discharge, ataxia or forebrain signs. Early signs, if det... more

Government policy interventions to reduce human antimicrobial use: A systematic review and evidence map

Van Katwyk, S. R.; Grimshaw, J. M.; et al (2019) C2

BACKGROUND: Growing political attention to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) offers a rare opportunity for achieving meaningful action. Many governments have developed national AMR action plans, but most have not yet implemented policy interventions to reduce antimicrobial overuse. A systematic evidenc...e map can support governments in making evidence-informed decisions about implementing programs to reduce AMR, by identifying, describing, and assessing the full range of evaluated government policy options to reduce antimicrobial use in humans. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Seven databases were searched from inception to January 28, 2019, (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PAIS Index, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and PubMed). We identified studies that (1) clearly described a government policy intervention aimed at reducing human antimicrobial use, and (2) applied a quantitative design to measure the impact. We found 69 unique evaluations of government policy interventions carried out across 4 of the 6 WHO regions. These evaluations included randomized controlled trials (n = 4), non-randomized controlled trials (n = 3), controlled before-and-after designs (n = 7), interrupted time series designs (n = 25), uncontrolled before-and-after designs (n = 18), descriptive designs (n = 10), and cohort designs (n = 2). From these we identified 17 unique policy options for governments to reduce the human use of antimicrobials. Many studies evaluated public awareness campaigns (n = 17) and antimicrobial guidelines (n = 13); however, others offered different policy options such as professional regulation, restricted reimbursement, pay for performance, and prescription requirements. Identifying these policies can inform the development of future policies and evaluations in different contexts and health systems. Limitations of our study include the possible omission of unpublished initiatives, and that policies not evaluated with respect to antimicrobial use have not been captured in this review. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this is the first study to provide policy makers with synthesized evidence on specific government policy interventions addressing AMR. In the future, governments should ensure that AMR policy interventions are evaluated using rigorous study designs and that study results are published. more

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Impact of climate change on human infectious diseases: Empirical evidence and human adaptation

Xiaoxu Wu, Yongmei Lu, Sen Zhou et al. (2016) CC

Environment International Volume 86, January 2016, Pages 14-23 Climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather conditions and patterns of extreme weather events. It may lead to changes in health threat to human beings, multiplying existing ... problems. This review examines the scientific evidences on the impact of climate change on human infectious diseases. It identifies research progress and gaps on how human society may respond to, adapt to, and prepare for the related changes. Based on a survey of related publications between 1990 and 2015, the terms used for literature selection reflect three aspects — the components of infectious diseases, climate variables, and selected infectious diseases. Humans' vulnerability to the potential health impacts by climate change is evident in literature. As an active agent, human beings may control the related health effects that may be effectively controlled through adopting proactive measures, including better understanding of the climate change patterns and of the compound disease-specific health effects, and effective allocation of technologies and resources to promote healthy lifestyles and public awareness. The following adaptation measures are recommended: 1) to go beyond empirical observations of the association between climate change and infectious diseases and develop more scientific explanations, 2) to improve the prediction of spatial–temporal process of climate change and the associated shifts in infectious diseases at various spatial and temporal scales, and 3) to establish locally effective early warning systems for the health effects of predicated climate change. more

Climate change: A hunger crisis in the making - World

Action Against Hunger (2021) C2

English Analysis on World and 3 other countries about Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Drought, Flood and more; published on 22 Oct 2021 by Action Against Hunger

How Covid-19 is changing the world: a statistical perspective

UN DESA (2020) CC

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. Everything has been impacted. How we live and interact with each other, how we work and communicate, how we move around and travel. Every aspect of our lives has been affected.

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Human Development Report 2020. The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene

UN Development Programme UNDP (2020) CC

Overview. The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest crisis facing the world, but unless humans release their grip on nature, it won’t be ... last, according to a new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which includes a new experimental index on human progress that takes into account countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and material footprint. The report lays out a stark choice for world leaders - take bold steps to reduce the immense pressure that is being exerted on the environment and the natural world, or humanity’s progress will stall. more

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Closing the mental health treatment gap in South Africa: a review of costs and cost-effectiveness

Jack, H.; R.G. Wagner, I. Petersen, et al. (2014) CC

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Women in Global Health

Ludwig,S., I.Kickbusch and R. Datt (2019) CC

Trends in the alignment and harmonization of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health funding, 2008–13

Martinez-Alvarez M.; Achary A.; Arregoces L. et al. Health Affairs (2017) CC

Donor financing to low- and middle-income countries for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health increased substantially from 2008 to 2013. However, increased spending by donors might not improve outcomes, if funds are delivered in ways tha... more

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Applying a One Health Approach in Global Health and Medicine: Enhancing Involvement of Medical Schools and Global Health Centers

Machalaba, C.; et al. (2021) CC

Annals of Global Health, 87(1), p.30. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2647

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The Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

A. E. Kendall Congressional Research Service (2012) C2

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Strengthening mental health responses to COVID-19 in the Americas: A health policy analysis and recommendations

A. Tausch; Oliveira e Souza, R.; Martinez Viciana, C.; et al. Pan American Health Organization (2021) CC

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on the mental health of populations in the Americ... more

The Health SDGs and Universal Health Coverage Re-Igniting Political Will for Action

S. Swaminathan WHO (World Health Organization) (2018) C_WHO

2018 Controlling the HIV Epidemic Summit Geneva, 3-4 May 2018 3 May 2018

Key Considerations: Emerging evidence on shielding vulnerable groups during COVID-19

Schmidt-Sane M. SSHAP (2020) CC

Shielding is a term used to describe the protection of individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness by separating them from the general population.

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Syria Crisis: Addressing Regional Mental Health Needs and Gaps in the Context of the Syria Crisis

International Medical Corps (2015) CC

The report reveals weak national mental health services overburdened by the demands placed on them by t... Syria crisis. Health facilities which previously provided integrated mental health services in Syria have themselves become casualties of war, with most either destroyed, damaged or not functioning. The shortage of trained mental health care providers is viewed as critical, both in Syria and in the neighboring countries where refugees now reside. Strengthening and expanding these services is crucial for Syria’s longer term recovery because the need for treatment will last for years after the war ends. more

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The global burden of chromoblastomycosis

Santos, D.; Pedrozo e Silva de Azevedo, C.; Aparecida Vincent, V. et al. (2021) CC

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM), represents one of the primary implantation mycoses caused by melanized fungi widely found in nature. It is characterized as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) and mainly affects populations living in poverty with significa... more

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The Case For Frontiline Health Workers in Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases Globally

IntraHealth International (2016) CC

Frontline health workers (FHWs) provide services directly to communities where they are most needed, especially in remote and rural areas. Many are community health workers and midwives, though they... more

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Developing Global Health Programming

Evert, J.; P. Drain, and T. Hall (2014) CC

A Guidebook for Medical and Professional Schools, Second Edition. This book represents a significant step to engage health professions schools in addressing global ... challenges more

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2020 Global AIDS Update ⁠— Seizing the moment ⁠— Tackling entrenched inequalities to end epidemics. Executive summary

UNAIDS (2020) C_WHO

The UNAIDS 2020 global report is a call to action. It highlights the scale of the HIV epidemic a... more