The health impact of radiological and nuclear emergencies can last for decades. Lessons learned from past radiological and nuclear accidents have demonstrated that the mental health and psychosocial consequences can outweigh the direct physical heal
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th impacts of radiation exposure. International radiation emergency preparedness and response standards outline provisions for mitigating these effects. Yet, practical guidance for addressing the mental health and psychosocial aspects of radiation emergencies remains scarce.
This framework aims to promote integration between the MHPSS and radiation protection fields. It is intended for officials and specialists involved in radiation emergency planning and risk management as well as MHPSS experts working in health emergencies.
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2 March 2021
Protracted displacement, socio-economic crises aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, dire humanitarian needs and protection threats continue to affect the Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
In Syria, the protracted conflict has left 91 per cent
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of the 438,000 Palestine refugees1 estimated to remain in the country in absolute poverty2 and 40 per cent displaced.
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In recognition that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is not only a harmful practice but a violation of human rights, Kenya has adopted a robust legal framework. The country has ratified several international legal instruments that have become part
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of the Kenyan law as provided for in Article 2 of the constitution.
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This report provides an overview of the operations and activities of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine in 2023. Despite the acute health impacts of
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the war in Ukraine, the Country Office continued its work according to its core mandate. WHO supported the Government of Ukraine in managing the health emergency and pursued existing priorities set out in WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2023, the European Programme of Work 2020–2025, and the Biennial Collaborative Agreement 2022–2023 signed with the Government of Ukraine. The report presents the achievements of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine in 2023 in the context of the war’s impact on the lives, health, and well-being of Ukrainians.
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Forcibly Displaced Myanmar National / Rohingya Refugee Response.
This document gives guidance for medical providers to understand the care of both healthy and COVID suspect or confirmed patients who present for antenatal (ANC), intrapartum (IP), po
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stnatal (PNC), or emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) in the context of caring for the forcibly displaced Myanmar national (FDMN) / Rohingya refugee population.
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A recent survey of the literature and experience identified five broad actions that development institutions and governments, as well as their partners and stakeholders, can take to improve disability-inclusive disaster risk management. Those five a
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ctions are:
- Include persons with disabilities as valued stakeholders in disaster risk management activities
- Help remove barriers to the full participation of persons with disabilities
- Increase awareness among governments and their partners of the safety and security needs of persons with disabilities
- Collect data that is disaggregated by disability
- Ensure that new construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction are accessible to persons with disabilities
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This publication is part of WHO 75th anniversary and aims to capture key successes in public health globally and in Namibia. It includes contributory messages from the Head of State, Prime Minister
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and the Minister of Health and Social Services.
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In the aftermath of the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, this paper looks at lessons drawn from previous comparable disasters and seeks to provide invaluable information and assistance to the operational agencies responding to the crisis.
This course describes the health effects of war, weapons and strategies of violent conflict. Beginning with weapons of mass destruction it then mov
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es on to other weapons and strategies of war such as the use of landmines and mass rape. The course concludes with a number of lessons which give an historical and practical analysis of the response of health professional groups to war and militarisation.
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Much remains unknown about displaced communities in out-of-camp areas as identification constraints hinder knowledge on the overall situation and preeminent needs of an area. When compared to regula
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rly monitored in-camp populations, less is known about the health, sanitation, livelihoods, food security, nutritional status, protection situation, and school attainment of out-of-camp populations.
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After a decade of crisis, Syria remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. Continued hostilities, new and protracted displacement, increased returns and the sustained destruction
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of communities have impacted Syrians’ lives and futures in a devastating way. The 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) identified that 13.4 million people, more than half of country’s pre-crisis population, need humanitarian support. Of this figure, 12.4 million require health care.
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Rebuilding Liberia’s health system is crucial for improving the country’s overall health outcomes. This annual report highlights key achievements, challenges,and lessons learned in implementing programmes of technical cooperation with the Gov
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ernment of Liberia from January to December 2022. The key achievements are summarized under the thematic areas of Universal Health Coverage, Health Emergencies and Corporate and Enabling Support.
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This guidance is intended to be one stop shop to improve the quality and effectiveness of health interventions in emergency, to respond to the most frequent scenarios and conditions.
The main document contains the most common elements to be found i
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n emergencies. As much as possible they are one page tables on one topic each with the key elements that ensure quality in column 2 of the table. Column 1 is about key information. Column 3 contains suggested indicators and column 4 helps decision making. This is a document to consult as needed, not really to read from front to last page
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How to recognise Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | The nature and cause of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Treatment and referral | Sources of further information | Compiled by the Scientific & Advi
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sory Board Members of the South African Depression & Anxiety Group, and reviewed by the MRC Research Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders
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This guidance note aims to provide practical support to service providers operating Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) on how to adapt programming in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis is one of the biggest external displacement crises in the world today. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded an already desperate situation for many refugees and migrants, as well as their hosts, sorely testi
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ng health and social welfare systems and the ability of countries to assist the vulnerable population.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inadequacy of investments in public health, the persistence of profound economic and social inequalities and the fragility
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of many key global systems and approaches.
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These guidelines were developed as part of Kenya's fast-track plan to end AIDS among adolescents and young people. Based on research into adolescent and young key populations in Kenya and elsewhere, they outline a package
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of HIV prevention services, and emphasize the need to combine biobehavioural interventions with services in education, job skills training, mental health, and social care and protection.
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Human rights-based approaches to the creation of knowledge involve application of human rights principles to both the content and process of knowle
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dge creation. Human rights-based approaches have special significance for the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of all people, in particular for women and girls, people living with disability, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or Intersex (LGBTQI) populations, refugees, migrants and other marginalised populations.
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This global progress report attempts to lay the groundwork for the kind of accelerated action needed. Section 1 presents key data, trends and developments in women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being. That is followed in Secti
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on 2 by a deeper dive into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created and contributed to many threats and challenges to progress for women, children and adolescents. In Section 3, the report concludes with recommendations for accelerating progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda even in such challenging times, with an emphasis on partnership
and clear-eyed recognition of the consequences of failing to do better.
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