Human activities are driving fundamental changes to the biosphere and disrupting many of our planet’s natural systems. There is increasing scientific evidence that the unfolding climate crisis, global pollution, unprecedented levels of biodiversity loss, and pervasive changes in land use and cover... threaten nearly every dimension of human health and wellbeing
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This Tailoring Antimicrobial Resistance Programmes (TAP) process assists Member States in initiating and undertaking projects to address the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in their countries. AMR is a complex problem requiring unique, context-specific solutions. This TAP Toolbo...x contains a series of exercises and is aligned with the stages outlined in the TAP Quick Guide. The Toolbox is designed to be used by a TAP working group as they work through the stages outlined in the TAP Quick Guide. The exercises and tools presented in this Toolbox have been abridged and adapted from the TAP Manual which will be available soon.
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WHO recommends prompt recognition of progressive acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure when a patient with respiratory distress is failing to respond to standard oxygen therapy and adequate preparation to provide advanced oxygen/ventilatory support.
Hypoxaemic respiratory failure in ARDS commonly ...results from intrapulmonary ventilation-perfusion mismatch or shunt and usually requires mechanical ventilation.
At any time, if there are urgent or emergent indications for intubation, do not delay.
We recommend prompt recognition of progressive acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure when a patient with respiratory distress is failing to respond to standard oxygen therapy and adequate preparation to provide advanced oxygen/ventilatory support.
WHO suggests that patients with severe or critical COVID-19 with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure that do not require emergent intubation be treated with HFNO, or CPAP or NIV (BiPAP) over standard oxygen therapy.
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The primary audience for these recommendations includes health professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health-care guidelines and protocols and health workers involved in the provision of care to women and their newborns during pregnancy, labour and childbirth; this inclu...des midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners and obstetricians. The primary audience also includes managers of maternal and child health programmes, and relevant staff in ministries of health and educational and training institutions, in all settings.
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This report provides an overview of air pollution levels and associated health impacts in cities around the world. Since urban areas are often hotspots for poor air quality, city-level data can help to inform targeted efforts to curb urban air pollution and improve public health. This report draws o...n data from the Global Burden of Disease project and from peer-reviewed analyses led by Susan Anenberg of the George Washington University.
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This document outlines the working structure and guiding principles for collaboration of COVAX, the Vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). The working structure of COVAX continues to adapt to emerging needs and the changing trajectory of the pandemic. Some components of... the pandemic response capabilities united under COVAX may eventually be integrated into regional, national and sub national health systems, routine immunization programmes and future global pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) structures. Therefore, the working structures outlined in this document continue to evolve and the document provides a snapshot of the COVAX ways of working in the first half of 2022.
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Due to high routine vaccination coverage, overall counts of diphtheria case have significantly declined in the Western Pacific Region recently. However, diphtheria is still prevalent in several countries and areas of the Region and remains a public health issue due to its high case fatality rate.
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This Field Guide for Preparedness and Response to Diphtheria Outbreaks in the Western Pacific Region is a reference resource for Member States to develop national guidelines adapted to their local context. Countries may also use this Guide to facilitate outbreak preparedness and public health responses to reduce morbidity and mortality due to diphtheria.
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Safe drinking-water management must consider drinking-water quality, acceptability and quantity in the context of public health protection. In this manual, the term “safety” encompasses these three elements. Although the principles in this manual can be broadly applied to all types of drinking-w...ater supplies, the guidance is primarily intended for piped water supplies that are professionally managed (by a water supplier or equivalent management entity).The guidance may be applied to existing drinking-water supplies, or adapted for water supplies that are in the planning stage before construction.
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The UK government hosted the Global Vaccine Summit on June 4, 2020 under the patronage of the Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The meeting was held by videoconference in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 2. The Summit brought... together more than 300 people, including 42 Heads of State and Government. 62 countries were represented, notably 14 Gavi implementing countries, all of the G7 nations and 19 governments of the G20. Eminent participants also included H.E. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; H.E. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General; H.E. Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director; Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Ministers from implementing and donor countries; CEOs of vaccine manufacturing companies and private sector partners; leaders of UN and other international agencies; senior civil society representatives; and Gavi champions. A full list of the participants can be found in Annex.
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Developmental disabilities are common. Yet, children with developmental disabilities have been neglected in health systems planning and policy provisions for health and continue to experience stigmatization, institutionalization, barriers to access health care and inequalities in health and educatio...n outcomes.
Using findings from research and practice and guided by the tenets of international human rights conventions, this WHO-UNICEF Global Report on children with developmental disabilities provides principles and approaches to intentionally include the needs and aspirations of children and young people with developmental disabilities in policy, programming and public health monitoring. It makes the case for greater accountability and proposes 10 priority actions to accelerate changes towards inclusive environments and responsive multisectoral care systems for children with developmental disabilities.
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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 a new report from the World Meteorolog...ical 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.
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Mpox continues to affect people around the world. A new framework released today by WHO will guide health authorities, communities and other stakeholders in preventing and controlling mpox outbreaks, eliminating human-to-human transmission of the disease, and reducing spillover of the virus from ani...mals to humans.
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. The virus transmits from person to person through close, including sexual, contact. It also has animal reservoirs in east, central and west Africa, where spillovers from animals to humans can occasionally occur, sparking further outbreaks.
There are two different clades of the virus: clade I and clade II. Clade I outbreaks are deadlier than clade II outbreaks.
A major emergence of mpox linked to clade II began in 2017, and since 2022, has spread to all regions of the world. Between July 2022 and May 2023, the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While that outbreak has largely subsided, cases and deaths continue to be reported today, illustrating that low-level transmission continues around the world.
Currently, there is also a major outbreak of clade I virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where cases have been on the rise for decades. Since the beginning of the year, over 6500 cases and 345 deaths have been reported in the DRC. Almost half of these are among children under the age of 15 years.
The Strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox (2024–2027) provides a roadmap for health authorities, communities, and stakeholders worldwide to control mpox outbreaks in every context, advance mpox research and access to countermeasures, and to minimize zoonotic transmission.
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The article "Under- and over-diagnosis of COPD: a global perspective" reviews the worldwide variation in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and issues related to its misdiagnosis. It highlights that COPD is under-diagnosed due to factors such as limited access to spiromet...ry and variable diagnostic criteria, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Conversely, over-diagnosis often results from reliance on non-standard criteria or inadequate spirometry use. The article discusses key risk factors, including age, gender, exposure to pollutants, and comorbidities, and emphasizes the need for standardized diagnostic practices to better address and manage COPD globally.
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Este informe es el primero de la serie «Intención de pasar a la acción» de la OMS, cuyo objetivo es mejorar la limitada base de evidencia sobre la repercusión de la participación constructiva y abordar la falta de enfoques normalizados sobre cómo hacer operativa dicha participación. La serie... «Intención de pasar a la acción» pretende conseguirlo proporcionando una plataforma desde la que personas con experiencias vividas, y defensores de organizaciones e instituciones, puedan compartir soluciones, dificultades y prácticas prometedoras relacionadas con esta agenda transversal. Esta serie también tiene como objetivo proporcionar poderosas historias, inspiración y evidencia de cara a la Cuarta Reunión de Alto Nivel de las Naciones Unidas sobre las ENT que se celebrará en 2025, así como lograr los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de las Naciones Unidas para 2030.
Para ello, este informe incluye seis estudios de casos procedentes de 12 personas con experiencias vividas de diversas dolencias. Se analizan temas como la dinámica del poder y la reorientación del poder hacia las personas con experiencias vividas; la toma de decisiones informada y la alfabetización sanitaria; la implicación de la comunidad en redes sanitarias y sistemas de salud más amplios; la experiencia vivida como evidencia y conocimientos; la exclusión y la importancia de implicar a los grupos que están marginados; y la promoción y los derechos humanos
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Six maladies évitables par la vaccination ont été incluses dès le
début dans le PEV : la diphtérie, la rougeole, la coqueluche, la
poliomyélite, le tétanos et la tuberculose.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000, 78 (6)