In 2015, the United Nations set important targets to reduce premature
cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths by 33% by 2030. Africa disproportionately
bears the brunt of CVD burden and has one of the highest risks of dying
from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. There is currently
an epide...miological transition on the continent, where NCDs is projected
to outpace communicable diseases within the current decade. Unchecked
increases in CVD risk factors have contributed to the growing burden of three
major CVDs—hypertension, cardiomyopathies, and atherosclerotic diseasesleading to devastating rates of stroke and heart failure. The highest age
standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to hypertensive heart
disease (HHD) were recorded in Africa. The contributory causes of heart failure
are changing—whilst HHD and cardiomyopathies still dominate, ischemic
heart disease is rapidly becoming a significant contributor, whilst rheumatic
heart disease (RHD) has shown a gradual decline. In a continent where health
systems are traditionally geared toward addressing communicable diseases,
several gaps exist to adequately meet the growing demand imposed by CVDs.
Among these, high-quality research to inform interventions, underfunded
health systems with high out-of-pocket costs, limited accessibility and
affordability of essential medicines, CVD preventive services, and skill
shortages. Overall, the African continent progress toward a third reduction
in premature mortality come 2030 is lagging behind. More can be done in
the arena of effective policy implementation for risk factor reduction and
CVD prevention, increasing health financing and focusing on strengthening
primary health care services for prevention and treatment of CVDs, whilst
ensuring availability and affordability of quality medicines. Further, investing
in systematic country data collection and research outputs will improve the accuracy of the burden of disease data and inform policy adoption on
interventions. This review summarizes the current CVD burden, important
gaps in cardiovascular medicine in Africa, and further highlights priority
areas where efforts could be intensified in the next decade with potential
to improve the current rate of progress toward achieving a 33% reduction
in CVD mortality.
more
Terminology used to describe the transmission of pathogens through the air varies across scientific disciplines, organizations and the general public. While this has been the case for decades, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the terms ‘airborne’, ‘airborne transmission’ a...nd ‘aerosol transmission’ were used in different ways by stakeholders in different scientific disciplines, which may have contributed to misleading information and confusion about how pathogens are transmitted in human populations.
This global technical consultation report brings together viewpoints from experts spanning a range of disciplines with the key objective of seeking consensus regarding the terminology used to describe the transmission of pathogens through the air that can potentially cause infection in humans.
This consultation aimed to identify terminology that could be understood and accepted by different technical disciplines. The agreed process was to develop a consensus document that could be endorsed by global agencies and entities. Despite the complex discussions and challenges, significant progress was made during the consultation process, particularly the consensus on a set of descriptors to describe how pathogens are transmitted through the air and the related modes of transmission. WHO recognizes the important areas where consensus was not achieved and will continue to address these areas in follow-up consultations.
more
Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, whilst the impact of heatwaves became more severe, according to ...dbox">a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.
In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the north-west Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heatwave.
Asia is warming faster than the global average. The warming trend has nearly doubled since the 1961–1990 period.
more
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important contributor to mortality from noncommunicable diseases. No decrease has been seen for CKD mortality contrary to many other important non-communicable diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease). The prevalence of CKD and kidney failure are increasing all over... the world – and thereby also the need for dialysis. Unfortunately, the prevalence increases most rapidly in lowand middle-income countries. Globally, there are great inequities in access and quality of management of kidney failure. Many low- and middle-income countries cannot meet the increased need for dialysis. If the patients receive dialysis, it might only be for a limited period due to the out-of-pocket expenses. There are global disparities in CKD mortality reflecting the disparities in access to care. Lack of access to dialysis is an important cause of the increased CKD mortality in low- and middle-income countries.
more
For the estimated 20 million refugees and 25 million internally displaced people worldwide, well-planned settlements can help to maximise their protection and security, and support them to minimise the spread of disease, manage natural resources sustainably, and maintain good relations with their ho...sts until durable solutions to their displacement are achieved.
The result of extensive consultations with a wide range of specialist organisations, this book takes a holistic view of shelter for displaced populations, extending beyond refugee camps to consider support for all of the settlement and shelter options open to displaced people. It offers co-ordinators and specialists a common planning tool which links strategy, programmes, projects, and technical information for use in the field
more
Seizures constitute the most common neurological problem in children and the majority of epilepsy has its onset in childhood. Appropriate diagnosis and management of childhood epilepsy is essential to improve quality of life in these children. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, modified to... the Indian setting by a panel of experts, are not available.
more
Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance and Research Network | This manual describes well accepted methods to carry out drug susceptibility testing on important gram positive and gram negative clinically relevant bacteria. Methods of specimen collection, transport, culture, anti-microbial drug suscept...ibility testing (common, special phenotypic and
molecular techniques) as well as quality control and quality assurance have been described in a concise manner.
more
An IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems
As more frequent droughts and floods threaten the global food supply, humans are increasing their demands on water and land,... The New York Times reports.
Data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report:
• 500 million people are living in areas that are becoming desert.
• Soil is depleted at 10X-100X the rate it’s being formed.
• More than 10% of the global population is undernourished.
Major threats include the risk of “multi-breadbasket failure”—simultaneous food crises on several continents—and migration triggered by food shortages.
Good News/Bad News: Catastrophe can be avoided, but it would require massive changes to agriculture, food systems and behavior.
A Key Action: Eat less meat. Cattle production is driving deforestation, consuming huge amounts of water, generating methane and causing other impacts, notes Nature.
more
Évaluation du programme burkinabé dans les districts de Kaya et de Zorgho
Objectif. L’objectif central de cette thèse est d’évaluer, dans des conditions réelles d’implantation, les effets du programme burkinabé de prise en charge communautaire du paludisme sur le recours aux soins de...s enfants fébriles. Les objectifs spécifiques sont : (1) de sonder les perceptions des ASC à l’égard du programme et explorer les facteurs contextuels susceptibles d’affecter leur performance ; (2) d’estimer le recours aux ASC par les enfants fébriles et identifier ses déterminants ; (3) de mesurer, auprès des enfants fébriles, le changement des pratiques de recours aux soins induit par l’introduction d’une intervention concomitante – la gratuité des soins dans les centres de santé.
more
As part of our commitment to the fight against NCDs, Nigeria was signatory to the political declaration at the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on NCDs in September 2011. Thus, the purpose of this document is to develop and ensure the implementation of policies and p...rogrammes that will engender and guarantee a healthy lifestyle and quality health for all Nigerians. The core sections include background, scope of the policy, policy goal, strategic thrusts for implementation, programme management and coordination, roles of stakeholders and partnership coordination. It is expected that with the adoption of this policy, the control and prevention of NCDs and their associated risk factors will be well integrated at all levels of government and health care delivery system in Nigeria. This policy document is therefore a stepping stone towards the development of guidelines for the prevention and management of NCDs.
more
High salt consumption is an important determinant of high blood pressure and reducing it would improve health outcomes by lowering cardiovascular disease and therefore death rates. Reducing salt intake has been identified as one of the most effective public health measures and is one of the leading ...targets at global, regional and national levels to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases. The purpose of the Dietary Salt Intake Survey in the Republic of Moldova was to establish current baseline average consumption of salt (sodium), potassium and iodine through 24-hour urinary excretion testing among a random sample of the adult population (aged 18–69 years), and to assess the knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviour around dietary salt in order to enable more efficient planning and the implementation of an effective salt-reduction strategy in the Republic of Moldova.
more
Medicina 2019, 55, 553; doi:10.3390/medicina55090553
Results: Twenty-one studies were analyzed, most of them demonstrating an association between the existence of burnout and the worsening of patient safety. High levels of burnout is more common among physicians and nurses, and it is associated wit...h external factors such as: high workload, long journeys, and ineffective interpersonal relationships. Good patient safety practices are influenced by organized workflows that generate autonomy for health professionals. Through meta-analysis, we found a relationship between the development of burnout and patient safety actions with a probability of superiority of 66.4%. Conclusion: There is a relationship between high levels of burnout and worsening patient safety.
more
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected job satisfaction among healthcare workers; yet this has not been empirically examined in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We addressed this gap by examining job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare workers in Ghana and Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. W...e conducted a cross-sectional study with healthcare workers (N = 1012). The two phased data collection included: (1) survey data collected in Ghana from April 17 to May 31, 2020, and (2) survey data collected in Ghana and Kenya from November 9, 2020, to March 8, 2021. We utilized a quantitative measure of job satisfaction, as well as validated psychosocial measures of perceived preparedness, stress, and burnout; and conducted descriptive, bivariable, and multivariable analysis using ordered logistic regression. We found high levels of job dissatisfaction (38.1%), low perceived preparedness (62.2%), stress (70.5%), and burnout (69.4%) among providers. High perceived preparedness was positively associated with higher job satisfaction (adjusted proportional odds ratio (APOR) = 2.83, CI [1.66,4.84]); while high stress and burnout were associated with lower job satisfaction (APOR = 0.18, CI [0.09,0.37] and APOR = 0.38, CI [0.252,0.583] for high stress and burnout respectively). Other factors positively associated with job satisfaction included prior job satisfaction, perceived appreciation from management, and perceived communication from management. Fear of infection was negatively associated with job satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted job satisfaction among healthcare workers. Inadequate preparedness, stress, and burnout are significant contributing factors. Given the already strained healthcare system and low morale among healthcare workers in SSA, efforts are needed to increase preparedness, better manage stress and burnout, and improve job satisfaction, especially during the pandemic.
more
CONCLUSIONS: The roles performed by CHWs are broad, varied and essential for diabetes and hypertension management. However, basic knowledge about diabetes and hypertension remains poor while training is unstandardised and haphazard. These need to be improved if community-based NCD management is to b...e successful. The potential of peer education as a complementary mechanism to formal training needs as well as support and supervision in the workplace requires further assessment
more
PlosOne December 10, 2014 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111913
Plastic pollution is ubiquitous throughout the marine environment, yet estimates of the global abundance and weight of floating plastics have lacked data, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere and remote regions. Here we re...port an estimate of the total number of plastic particles and their weight floating in the world's oceans from 24 expeditions (2007–2013) across all five sub-tropical gyres, costal Australia, Bay of Bengal and the Mediterranean Sea conducting surface net tows (N = 680) and visual survey transects of large plastic debris (N = 891). Using an oceanographic model of floating debris dispersal calibrated by our data, and correcting for wind-driven vertical mixing, we estimate a minimum of 5.25 trillion particles weighing 268,940 tons. When comparing between four size classes, two microplastic <4.75 mm and meso- and macroplastic >4.75 mm, a tremendous loss of microplastics is observed from the sea surface compared to expected rates of fragmentation, suggesting there are mechanisms at play that remove <4.75 mm plastic particles from the ocean surface.
more
Esta quarta edição do manual se baseia no esquema de avaliação de risco apresentado na terceira edição. Uma avaliação completa, baseada em evidências e transparente dos riscos permite que as medidas de segurança sejam equilibradas com o risco real de trabalhar com agentes biológicos, caso... a caso. Isso permitirá que os países implementem políticas e práticas de biossegurança e biosseguridade laboratoriais economicamente viáveis e sustentáveis que sejam relevantes para suas circunstâncias e prioridades individuais.A necessidade de atualizar as diretrizes de biossegurança de laboratórios internacionais faz parte de uma iniciativa mais ampla para globalizar a biossegurança e enfatizar os princípios e as abordagens que são acessíveis a países que tenham ampla gama de recursos financeiros, técnicos e regulatórios. A OMS revisou o Regulamento Sanitário Internacional em 2005 “para ajudar a comunidade internacional a prevenir e a responder aos riscos agudos de saúde pública que tenham o potencial de cruzar fronteiras e ameaçar pessoas em todo o mundo”. Esses regulamentos exigem que todos os 196 estados-membros da OMS estejam bem preparados para surtos em potencial e novas doenças; isso inclui o diagnóstico precoce e a confirmação laboratorial para facilitar a prevenção e o controle de infecções.
more
Quarta Edição.
Esta quarta edição do manual se baseia no esquema de avaliação de risco apresentado na terceira edição. Uma avaliação completa, baseada em evidências e transparente dos riscos permite que as medidas de segurança sejam equilibradas com o risco real de trabalhar com agentes... biológicos, caso a caso. Isso permitirá que os países implementem políticas e práticas de biossegurança e biosseguridade laboratoriais economicamente viáveis e sustentáveis que sejam relevantes para suas circunstâncias e prioridades individuais.A necessidade de atualizar as diretrizes de biossegurança de laboratórios internacionais faz parte de uma iniciativa mais ampla para globalizar a biossegurança e enfatizar os princípios e as abordagens que são acessíveis a países que tenham ampla gama de recursos financeiros, técnicos e regulatórios
more
To enhance health co-benefits across urban policies which tackle air pollution and climate change, WHO, in cooperation with various international, national, and local partners, implemented the Urban Health Initiative (UHI) pilot project in Accra, Ghana. The Initiative prompted the health sector to u...se its influential position to demonstrate to decision-makers and the public the full range of health, environmental and economic benefits that can be achieved from implementing local emission reduction and energy access policies and strategies. Policy tracking, although not always considered, is a fundamental component of this procedure. It assesses the planning, implementation and progress of a policy to refine or adjust policies with the final objective of increasing the likelihood of the policy being successful. This report is an outcome of the last component of the UHI model process, Policy tracking and monitoring outcomes. The report proposes a framework for tracking urban health policies, with a special focus on the impacts of air quality and energy access on human health and well-being in African countries, giving some examples from the pilot project in Accra. The report also provides resources to survey air quality in cities and other tools to assess public health and the environmental impacts of urban policies and monitor or track their effects.
more
В Справочнике приводятся три ключевых элемента эффективного законодательства: контекст, содержание и процесс, – другими словами, «почему», «что» и «как» должно бы...ть включено в законодательство по охране психического здоровья. Помимо этого, Приложение 1 содержит Контрольный перечень положений, которые должны быть освещены в законодательстве по охране психического здоровья. Данный перечень может использоваться вместе со Справочником базовой информации. Он предназначен для оказания помощи странам в проведении критической оценки их законодательств на предмет наличия ключевых компонентов, относящихся к охране психического здоровья, и гарантирует, что многочисленные рекомендации, содержащиеся в Справочнике, будут тщательно изучены и приняты во внимание.
more