Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also called sleeping sickness, is a parasitic infection that almost invariably progresses to death, unless treatment is provided. HAT caused devastating epidemics during the 20th century. Thanks to sustained and coordinated efforts during the past 15 years the nu...mber of reported cases has fallen to a historic low. Fewer than 3,000 cases were reported in 2015, and the disease is targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization. Despite recent success, HAT still poses a heavy burden on the rural communities where this highly focal disease occurs, most notably in Central Africa. Since patients are also reported from non-endemic countries outside Africa, HAT should be considered in differential diagnosis for all travellers, tourists, migrants and expatriates who have visited or lived in endemic areas. In the absence of a vaccine, disease control relies on case detection and treatment, and vector control. Available drugs are sub-optimal, but ongoing clinical trials give hope for safer and simpler treatments.
more
Dieser Bericht enthält eine neue Strategie für Investitionen in die Gesundheit als Beitrag zur Wirtschaftsentwicklung, vor allem in den ärmsten Ländern der Welt, auf der Grundlage einer neuen globalen Partnerschaft zwischen sich entwickelnden und entwickelten Ländern. Zügiges und mutiges Hande...ln könnte zum Ende dieser Dekade mindestens 8 Millionen
Menschenleben pro Jahr retten, die Lebensdauer und die Leistungsfähigkeit der Armen erhöhen und ihre wirtschaftliche Lage verbessern Hierfür wären zwei wichtige Initiativen zu ergreifen: eine deutliche Erhöhung der Mittel, die für Gesundheit ausgegeben werden,sowohl durch die armen Länder als auch durch die Geber und eine Beseitigung der nichtfinanziellen Hindernisse, die arme Länder in ihrer Fähigkeit zur Bereitstellung von Gesundheitsdiensten einschränken
more
Die weltweite Ungleichheit bei der Verteilung von Einkommen und Vermögen weit jenseits dessen, was sich durch Unterschiede der Belastung oder Verantwortung durch die jeweilige Arbeitstätigkeit begründen ließe, stellt schon für sich genommen eine gewaltige Ungerechtigkeit dar. Sie steht auch in ...einem gefährlichen Gegensatz zu unverzichtbaren Grundwerten des gesellschaftlichen Zusammenlebens wie menschliche Solidarität und gleichberechtigte Beteiligung an der demokratischen Willensbildung. Noch bedrohlicher ist aber, dass sie die benachteiligten Menschen ihrer Lebenschancen beraubt. Einerseits werden diese gezwungen, extreme Risiken einzugehen, um ihre wirtschaftliche Existenz zu sichern oder brutaler Gewalt und Verfolgung zu entkommen. Andererseits reichen die verfügbaren Ressourcen nicht aus, um wenigstens lebensbewahrende Gesundheitsdienste bereitzustellen. Der Beitrag analysiert die Finanzierung der allgemeinen Gesundheitsversorgung in wirtschaftlich benachteiligten Ländern, die als wesentliche Voraussetzung für die Verwirklichung der Agenda 2030 gelten.
more
The Director-General has the honour to transmit to the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly the report of the seventh meeting of the Working Group on Sustainable Financing, which met in a hybrid format, from 25 to 27 April 2022.
It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t...he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency.
Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls.
An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is:
A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes).
An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions.
Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward.
more
This document provides practical guidance on planning and implementing next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology for characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) bacteria. The aim is to detect mutations associated with drug resistance in the context of a surveillance system for tu...berculosis (TB).
more
Stellungnahme zur Anhörung im Unterausschuss Globale Gesundheit
El Marco de monitoreo del WASH Cluster Honduras es un documento de referencia para el monitoreo de las actividades que realizan los socios en terreno y para los puntos focales que están a cargo de reportar las actividades en la plataforma. El GTMI Honduras liderado por OCHA utiliza la plataforma 34...5W de OCHA para el monitoreo de actividades como única herramienta para el reporte.
more
Africa CDC Institute of Pathogen Genomics (IPG) was launched in November 2019 and operates under the Division of Laboratory Systems and Networks.
IPG coordinate the implementation of molecular diagnostics, pathogen genomics and bioinformatics in National Public Health Institutions (NPHIs) and/or Re...fe-
-rence Laboratories (NRLs) across Africa.
Africa CDC and APHF are coordinating a continental initiative to maximize the benefits of molecular approaches and pathogen genomics for more effective
outbreak preparedness, prevention, response, and for the control and elimination of endemic diseases in Africa. One of Africa CDC’s flagship initiative is the Africa
Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI), a partnership that aims to strengthen laboratory systems and enhance genomic surveillance by equipping the continent’s
public health institutions with the tools, training, and data infrastructure.
About the Project
In 2023, 166 outbreaks and public health events were reported in Africa. This calls for a resilient laboratory systems for timely detection and reporting of current and future outbreaks. This project aims to scale up molecular diagnostic and genomic sequencing-based detection and characterization of outbreaks.
Africa CDC is working with Member States to develop guidance, diagnostic algorithm, training and capacity building to enable outbreak detection, and reporting to inform public health response.
more
Young people across the world are urging governments to shield them from predatory tobacco marketing tactics. The industry targets youth for a lifetime of profits, creating a new wave of addiction. The latest data show that children are using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in many countrie...s and globally an estimated 37 million youth aged 13–15 years use tobacco.
more
El documento, "Progreso en la prevención y el control de las enfermedades no transmisibles" (ENT), informa sobre los esfuerzos globales para reducir el impacto de las ENT, como las enfermedades cardíacas, el cáncer, la diabetes y las enfermedades respiratorias crónicas, siguiendo los compromisos... asumidos en reuniones de alto nivel de las Naciones Unidas. Destaca el progreso insuficiente para alcanzar las metas establecidas en el Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 3.4, que busca reducir en un tercio la mortalidad prematura por ENT para 2030. Los desafíos clave incluyen la falta de financiamiento, la implementación limitada de intervenciones efectivas y barreras políticas y económicas, especialmente en países de bajos ingresos. El informe hace un llamado para fortalecer la cooperación internacional, reformar políticas y adoptar enfoques innovadores para cumplir con las metas de salud global.
more
Le document, intitulé « Progrès dans la prévention et le contrôle des maladies non transmissibles », rend compte des efforts mondiaux pour réduire l’impact des MNT (maladies non transmissibles), telles que les maladies cardiaques, le cancer, le diabète et les maladies respiratoires chroniq...ues, conformément aux engagements pris lors de réunions de haut niveau des Nations Unies. Il souligne les progrès insuffisants pour atteindre l’objectif de développement durable 3.4, qui vise à réduire d’un tiers la mortalité prématurée liée aux MNT d'ici 2030. Les principaux défis incluent le manque de financement, la mise en œuvre limitée d’interventions efficaces et des obstacles politiques et économiques, en particulier dans les pays à faible revenu. Le rapport appelle à renforcer la coopération internationale, à réformer les politiques et à adopter des approches innovantes pour atteindre les objectifs mondiaux en matière de santé.
more
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has determined that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005...) (IHR). Dr Tedros’s declaration came on the advice of an IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts who met earlier in the day to review data presented by experts from WHO and affected countries. The Committee informed the Director-General that it considers the upsurge of mpox to be a PHEIC, with potential to spread further across countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent.
more
Le Directeur général de l’OMS, le Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a estimé que la recrudescence de variole simienne (mpox) en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) et dans un nombre croissant de pays d’Afrique constituait une urgence de santé publique de portée internationale (USPPI) au t...itre du Règlement sanitaire international (2005) (RSI).
more
El Director General de la OMS, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ha determinado que el recrudecimiento de la viruela símica (mpox) en la República Democrática del Congo y en un número creciente de países de África constituye una emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional (ESPII) c...on arreglo al Reglamento Sanitario Internacional (2005) (RSI [2005]).
more
Flyer 10 Steps to Mental Health
Die meisten Menschen wissen, wie sie ihre körperliche Gesundheit fördern können – etwa durch eine gesunde Ernährung oder tägliche Bewegung. Es ist auch allgemein bekannt, dass eine intakte Umwelt und ein gutes Arbeitsumfeld der Gesundheit zuträglich sind. Psychische Gesundheit wird dagegen k...aum thematisiert. Viele von uns haben zwar Rezepte gegen Krisen und sind in der Lage, den alltäglichen Stress mehr oder weniger gut zu bewältigen. Doch was tun, wenn einem alles über den Kopf zu wachsen droht?
more
This brief highlights the urgency of addressing gender inequalities across the Rio Conventions, provides examples of where progress has been made, and identifies clear entry points for addressing gender equality considerations across the Conventions. It makes recommendations for actions to accelerat...e the synergistic implementation of the gender provisions and action plans of the Conventions.
more