Asthma is the most common chronic condition in children worldwide. It affects daytime activities, sleep and school attendance and causes anxiety to parents, families and other carers. The quality of asthma diagnosis and management globally still nee
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ds substantial improvement. From infancy to the teenage years, there are age-specific challenges, including both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis with stigma-related barriers to treatment in some cultures and in adolescents. The Paediatric Asthma Project Plan has been initiated to strengthen diagnosis and management of asthma. This encompasses a vision for the next 10–15 years, building on the knowledge and experience from previous educational projects. It will take into account the educational needs of patients, carers and healthcare professionals as well as the accessibility and affordability of medication, particularly in low and middle-income countries where the prevalence of asthma is rising more rapidly. This overview presents a first step for those involved in the diagnosis and management of childhood asthma to strengthen care for children globally.
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Ethiopia met the MDG target for drinking water access with a unique and high degree of success. The magnitude of the country’s success in providing improved drinking water to nearly half of its population in 25 years despite its diversity, size, and challenges cannot be overstated. This case study
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documents the progress of the Ethiopian WASH sector from 1990 to 2015, and analyzes the impact of local systems created in Ethiopia to respond to water and sanitation challenges.
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This guidance note is intended primarily for health actors working in emergency and disaster risk management (hereafter 'emergency risk management') at the local, national or internati
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onal level, and in governmental or nongovernmental agencies. People with disabilities, those working in the disability sector and those working in other sectors that contribute to improved health outcomes related to emergency risk management, may also find this guidance note useful.
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This external performance evaluation of the Malawi Girls’ Empowerment through Education and Health Activity (ASPIRE), conducted 2.5 years after ASPIRE began, establishes the activity’s progress against its objectives, proposes adaptations for th
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e final year, and captures lessons for application in future girls’ empowerment, health, and education programming in Malawi.
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There is no guarantee that a successful pilot program introducing a reproductive health innovation can also be expanded successfully to the national or regional level, because the scaling-up process is complex and multilayered. This article describes how a successful pilot program to integrate the S
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tandard Days Method (SDM) of family planning into existing Ministry of Health services was scaled up nationally in Rwanda.
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The State of the world’s nursing 2020 report provides the latest, most up-to-date evidence on and policy options for the global nursing workforce.
Intended for use primarily by those responsible for developing policies and directing the working practices of nurses, midwives and other frontline health-care providers, these guidelines aim to promote and strengthen the case against the medicalization of female genital mutilation and support and p
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rotect nurses, midwives and other health personnel in adhering to WHO guidelines not to close an opened-up infibulation.
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Obesity in all age groups, including children and adolescents, is a public health challenge across all settings. Obesity is now classified as a complex multifactorial chronic disease and not just a risk factor for other noncommunicable diseases and comorbidities. Recognizing the significance of prim
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ary health care for an effective and efficient response to the obesity epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed guidance on how to build capacity in the health system to deliver health services for prevention and management of obesity across the life course. This policy brief discusses the challenges and opportunities for preventing obesity in children and adolescents, and providing health services to treat and manage those already living with obesity. It outlines possible interventions through the primary health care approach.
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This document presents the World Health Organization Operational framework for building climate resilient and low carbon health systems*. ***The framework's goal is to increase the climate resilience of health
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systems to protect and improve the health of communities in an unstable and changing climate, while optimizing the use of resources and implementing strategies to reduce GHG emissions. It aims to contribute to the design of transformative health systems that can provide safe and quality care in a changing climate.
Implementation of the framework's ten components would help health organizations, authorities, and programmes to be better able to anticipate, prevent, prepare for, and manage climate-related health risks and therefore decrease the burden of associated climate-sensitive health outcomes. Implementing low carbon health practices would contribute to climate change mitigation while also improving health outcomes. Achieving these aims is an important contribution to universal health coverage (UHC), global health security, and specific targets within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The document is a useful resource for decision-makers in health systems, including public health agencies, and other specialized institutions, and for decision-makers in health-determining sectors.
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Alternative Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in response to South Africa’s Baseline Country Report of March 2013 on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with particular reference to the provisions of Article 24
This framework has been developed with the aim of providing standard procedures, assessment and planning tools, and guidance in the delivery of case management services. As Malawi moves forward to build a holistic child protection system, case
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management will serve as a core anchor and a mobilizing force for child protection.
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The guidelines acknowledge that overcrowding, unhygienic conditions and high inmate turn over contribute to the spread of infectious diseases within correctional facilities. The document states that voluntary HIV counselling and testing must be offered to all inmates when they enter facilities, duri
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ng their incarceration at an inmate’s request and upon their release. All inmates must be screened for TB symptoms upon entry to facilities and at least bi-annually thereafter as well as upon release. Universal screening for anal, oral and genital STIs must be done at entry and upon self-presentation
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