These guidelines form part of efforts to institutionalize the prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthcare facilities in South Africa, as outlined in ...bute-to-highlight medbox">the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan. The focus of these guidelines is on two interrelated aspects of prevention of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and their spread; and the application of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices at hospital level. They aim to serve as a practical, step-by-step or ‘how-to’ guide, addressing the infection prevention and AMS components of a robust response in a hospital. They draw on
evidence from various international guidance documents and standards for interventions that have been shown to be successful in infection
prevention and AMS programmes. These interventions have been customised to the South African hospital setting based on local
experiences in the public and private health sectors. This was done through a series of workshops and requests for comment involving
country-level experts.
more
The main purpose of the meeting was to review tsetse control tools, activities and their contribution to the elimination of gHAT and ...ttribute-to-highlight medbox">the monitoring thereof. Seven endemic countries provided reports on recent and ongoing vector control interventions at the national level (Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea and Uganda). Country reports focused on the in situations implementing and supporting vector control activities, the tools and the approaches in use, the coverage of the activities in space and time and their impacts on tsetse populations. Future perspectives for vector control in the respective countries were also discussed, including opportunities and challenges to sustainability.
more
The African Region has been experiencing unprecedented health challenges due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which have compou...nded the already difficult task the Region was facing in moving towards universal health coverage (UHC) attainment.
more
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2016. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.16.171082
Objective: To describe the temporal and geographical... distribution of Zika virus infection, and associated neurological disorders, from 1947 to February 2016.
more
BMC Public Health, Volume 18, Article number: 303 (2018)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5208-0
Published: 02 March 2018
In the Region of the Americas, the leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by various species of Leishmania, which cause a set of clinical syn...dromes in infected humans that can involve the skin, mucosa, and visceral organs. The spectrum of clinical disease is varied and depends on the interaction of several factors related to the parasite, the vector, and the host. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the form most frequently reported in the Region and nearly 90% of cases present single or multiple localized lesions. Other cutaneous clinical forms, such as disseminated and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, are more difficult to treat and relapses are common. The mucosal form is serious because it can cause disfigurement and severe disability if not diagnosed and treated early on. Visceral leishmaniasis is the most severe form, as it can cause death in up to 90% of untreated people.
more
Vol. 2: Clinicians' Guide
Clinicians’ Guide is designed to assist busy medical practitioners in the field with patient management by providing current, essential, practical guidance and background, packaged into a single resource
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest ...standard of health and was developed in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic. Member States of the WHO South-East Asia Region have made attempts to implement the demand and supply reduction strategies for tobacco control as recommended by the treaty. While recognizing the need to accelerate implementation of the WHO FCTC in the Region, this document has been developed to support the Member States in implementing the treaty using a ‘PRACTICAL’ Approach which pertains to identified demand and supply reduction strategies under the treaty.
more
Observations from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) WHO collaborative cross-national study
Unhealthy diets and excess body weight are leading risk factors for death and disability in the WHO European Region. Addressing malnutrition in all its forms is essential to ensure health and well-b...eing for all and, consequently, sustainable development. It requires coherent and innovative actions covering the entire food system and across other sectors to ensure access to a diversified, balanced and healthy diet for all.
more
The frequency of infectious disease epidemics is increasing, and the role of the health sector i...n the management of epidemics is crucial in terms of response. In the context of infectious disease epidemics, the use of climate-informed early warning systems (EWS) has the potential to increase the effectiveness of disease control by intervening before or at the beginning of the epidemic curve, instead of during the downward slope.
Currently, the initiation of interventions is heavily reliant on routine disease surveillance systems – data that often arrive too late for preventative response. However, forecasting of disease outbreaks using surveillance and weather information shows promising potential – there also remains further scope to examine seasonal climate forecasts. By combining these elements in new EWS based on computational models, it will be possible to improve both the timeliness and impact of disease control. The World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening existing surveillance systems for infectious diseases to enable the development of more robust and timely EWS, which has resulted in the rapid development and innovation of EWS for disease outbreaks.
more
A rapid evidence briefing. Vaccinated people are less likely to develop long COVID, even if they get infected, a rapid review of 15 studies by the UK Health Security Agency shows.