Several challenges face asthma management in Egypt, including the high percentage of uncontrolled patients, inadequate compliance, and overuse of short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) leading to increased asthma-related morbidity and mortality. In this regard, the recent Global Initiative for Asthma (G...INA) recommendations included inhaled corticosteroids containing therapy for mild asthma. Local healthcare systems and healthcare professionals (HCPs) often experience practical challenges when implementing global guidelines.
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National action plans on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) often overlook the critical intersection of gender, despite evidence that exposure and susceptibility to infection, health-seeking behaviours, as well as antimicrobial prescribing and use patterns are all influenced by gender.
The IFRC Psychosocial Centre has published a guidance note providing an overview of the psychosocial consequences of virus outbreaks, with a focus on mpox, and outlines key considerations for MHPSS programming.
The current mpox outbreaks present numerous challenges for responding National Societi...es. A key issue is addressing stigma as individuals infected, or suspected of having mpox may experience social ostracization, discrimination, and even violence. In many African communities, where cultural and social norms are vital to community health, considering the cultural and psychosocial implications of virus outbreaks is integral for effective disease management. In addition, Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers may be personally exposed and working in complex environments with rumours and misinformation generating fear and anxiety. This guidance addresses the key mental health and psychosocial support implications of the ongoing mpox crisis.
Guleed Dualeh, MHPSS Advisor
This guidance note is intended for Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies and IFRC departments who may be responding to mpox in their country, or region. It includes guidance on:
Common reactions and behaviours in epidemics
Caring for staff and volunteers in health emergencies
Integration of MHPSS considerations for into health responses
Links to existing relevant materials
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This guide provides a systematic, practical approach to support primary care and other healthcare professionals to improve the care of peopel over the age of 18 years with difficult to manage asthma.
Over 90% of the morbidity and mortality related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma occurs in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to well documented factors including decreased access to screening, trained health professionals, and therapies for disease manageme...nt. Inhaler therapy (eg, aerosolised medications by inhalation, nebulisation, or propellant) is the mainstay of treatment for COPD and asthma. Adherence to maintenance medications for COPD and asthma results in improved lung function and quality of life, as well as decreased hospitalisation and mortality. WHO have included short-acting beta-agonists, long-acting muscarinic antagonists, and inhaled corticosteroids on the essential medications list, with a target goal of achieving 80% availability of these medications in public and private facilities. However, despite these efforts, accessibility, and affordability of medications for COPD and asthma remains scarce.
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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 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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Toolkit regarding Zika Virus
The HIV/AIDS Sustainability Index Dashboard is a tool completed every two years by President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) teams, host government and partner stakeholders to sharpen the understanding of each country’s sustainability landscape and to assist PEPFAR and other donors in ...making informed HIV/AIDS investment decisions. Based on responses to more than 100 questions, the SID assesses the current state of sustainability of national HIV/AIDS responses across 17 critical elements. Scores for these elements are displayed on a color-coded dashboard, together with contextual charts and information. As the SID is completed over time,
it will allow stakeholders to track progress and gaps across these key components of financial and programmatic sustainability.
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The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) calls for making AMR a core component of professional education and training. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Competency framework for health workers’ education and training on AMR to ensure that academic institutions ...and regulatory agencies provided pre-service and in-service training to equip health workers with the adequate competencies to address AMR. This was followed by Health workers’ training and education on AMR: curricula guide, which outlines the learning objectives and expected outcomes of pre-service training of health workers to improve curricula. These tools were designed to strengthen the capacity of health workers in various settings to address the growing challenge of AMR.
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Climate change is one of the biggest crises of our time. Climate threats range from higher temperatures, heavy rainfalls and floods, erratic precipitation, droughts, desertification, and land degradation. This has negative implications on the quality and quantity of natural resources, such as land a...nd water, agricultural productivity, rural livelihood options, food prices, and nutrition security, particularly when there is a lack of adaptation capacities and preparedness measures (Pacillo, 2024). Farmers are at the forefront of the climate crisis where their livelihoods are being jeopardized, and they are faced with many challenges to secure water, energy, and agriculture inputs, and maintain agriculture productivity. This heightens the risk of competition over natural resources and aggravates grievances and structural inequalities related to land rights and ownership as well as land access, management, and governance. In Africa, land-related issues are among the triggers of many violent disputes (Medina et al, 2024). For instance, communal violence in Nigeria and Sudan is tied to competition over scarce fertile land and poor resource governance (Bruce and Bourdeaux, 2013).
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Globally, 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2023. 60 per cent of these homicides—51,000—were committed by an intimate partner or other family member. 140 women and girls die every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman or girl is killed eve...ry 10 minutes.
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Реабилитационный потенциал социально-психологического сопровождения семей с проблемами химической зависимости предлагается рассматривать как ресурс преодолен...ия аддикций Актуальность исследования обусловле- на необходимостью разработки базового подхода — научно-доказательно- го обоснования организации психологической помощи семье с проблемой алкогольной и/или наркотической зависимости
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Regional training package
PLoS Med 16(3): e1002768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002768
Home delivery and late and infrequent attendance at antenatal care (ANC) are responsible for substantial avoidable maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This cluster-randomized trial aimed to de...termine the impact of a community health worker (CHW) intervention on the proportion of women who visit ANC fewer than 4 times during their pregnancy and deliver at home.
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An interdisciplinary approach to address global health challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, loss of biodiversity, human migration has been framed by the One Health approach. This approach is promoted at global level by the Tripartite of the World Health Organisation, the World A...nimal Health Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, recently joint by the United National Environment Program to form the Quadripartite. The German government through its Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development supports this approach with its One Health strategy and investment in several technical cooperation projects.
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Progrès dans la notification des données sur l’envenimation par morsure de serpent: défis et opportunités. Englisch/Francais. WEEKLY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RECORD, NOS. 51/52, 20 DECEMBER 2024, pp. 770-775
This document serves to provide interim guidance/ recommendations to carry out mpox surveillance activities mainly case investigation, contact tracing and isolation. For the development of this document WHO, UKHSA and CDC guidelines were referred to and adopted within the country context.
The World Health Organization provides regional and national strategies and operational plans that aim to support countries in work to achieve measles control and elimination. These are guided by high level frameworks including the Immunization Agenda 2030 and the Measles and Rubella Strategic Frame...work 2021–2030. These frameworks promote improvements in routine immunization programmes to reach all children, reduce immunity gaps and prevent outbreaks within the context of universal health care.
This interim guidance on Targeted and selective strategies in measles and rubella vaccination campaigns adds to the suite of guidance documents. It provides expanded description of methods to determine age groups for inclusion in preventive and outbreak response measles and rubella vaccination campaigns; and operational considerations that are specific to targeted and selective strategies in measles and rubella vaccination campaigns. This guidance also updates definitions for tailored, targeted and selective campaigns.The World Health Organization provides regional and national strategies and operational plans that aim to support countries in work to achieve measles control and elimination. These are guided by high level frameworks including the Immunization Agenda 2030 and the Measles and Rubella Strategic Framework 2021–2030. These frameworks promote improvements in routine immunization programmes to reach all children, reduce immunity gaps and prevent outbreaks within the context of universal health care.
This interim guidance on Targeted and selective strategies in measles and rubella vaccination campaigns adds to the suite of guidance documents. It provides expanded description of methods to determine age groups for inclusion in preventive and outbreak response measles and rubella vaccination campaigns; and operational considerations that are specific to targeted and selective strategies in measles and rubella vaccination campaigns. This guidance also updates definitions for tailored, targeted and selective campaigns.
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