PLoS Negl Trop Dis 15(8): e0009697. Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects ~6–7 million people worldwide. Significant limitations still exist in our understanding of CD. Harnessing individual participant data (IPD) from studies could support more in-depth analyses t
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o address the many outstanding research questions. This systematic review aims to describe the characteristics and treatment practices of clinical studies in CD and assess the breadth and availability of research data for the potential establishment of a data-sharing platform.
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Self-care interventions are evidence-based, quality drugs, devices, diagnostics and/or digital products which can be provided fully or partially outside of formal health services and can be used with or without the direct supervision of health care personnel.
Where HPV tests are available as part o
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f the national programme, HPV self-sampling offers an additional option to improve cervical cancer screening coverage.
Self-sampling can help reach a global target of 70% coverage of screening by 2030. Women may feel more comfortable taking their own samples, rather than going to see a health worker for cervical cancer screening.
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002439
South Sudan has a high burden – among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa – of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This adversely affects the health and social and economic well-being of people in the country. The prevention, control and eventual elim
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ination of many NTDs depend heavily on improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and, once there is access, on sound sanitation and hygiene practices. This is especially the case in NTD endemic communities.
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Since the last situation report on the multi-country outbreak of cholera was published on 1 June 2023 (covering data reported until 15 of May), no new country reported a cholera outbreak. In total, 24 countries have reported cases since the beginning of 2023. The WHO African Region remains the most
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affected region with 14 countries reporting cholera cases since the beginning of the year. The overall capacity to respond to the multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) and cholera supplies, as well as overstretched public health and medical personnel, who are dealing with multiple parallel disease outbreaks and other health emergencies. Based on the large number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, as well as a lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at global level as very high.
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The accounting framework for health care financing is a key component of A System of Health Accounts 2011, published by OECD, Eurostat and WHO in October 2011.1 The framework makes health accounts more adaptable to rapidly evolving health financing systems, further enhances crosscountry comparabilit
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y of health expenditures and financing data, and ultimately improves the information base for the analytical use of national health accounts (NHAs). It is hoped that SHA 2011 – including its financing framework – will make health accounts a more useful assessment and monitoring tool for health systems and health expenditure in the economy as a whole.
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Since the last situation report on the multi-country outbreak of cholera was published on 6 July 2023 (covering data reported until 15 of June), and as of 15 July 2023, one new outbreak of cholera was reported from India on 15 May 2023. In total, 25 countries have reported cases since the beginning
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of 2023. The WHO African Region remains the most affected region with 14 countries reporting cholera cases since the beginning of the year. The overall capacity to respond to the multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) and cholera supplies, as well as overstretched public health and medical personnel, who are dealing with multiple parallel disease outbreaks and other health emergencies. Based on the large number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, as well as a lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at global level as very high.
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To provide information on trends on official development assistance (ODA) disbursement patterns for
reproductive health activities in 18 conflict-affected countries
The World Heart Federation (WHF) has been advocating globally for stronger
legislation and policy regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) for many years. Now, as focus shifts from global to national progress, we call on members and colleagues to advocate for greater action on CVD in your local setti
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ngs. This ‘Road to 2018 Toolkit’ provides World Heart Federation members with information
and specific, practical tools to support national CVD advocacy, especially around the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs in 2018.
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The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a leading global advocate for stronger legislation and policies regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors, including raised cholesterol. The present Cholesterol Advocacy Toolkit 2022 provides WHF member organizations with information as well as p
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ractical tools to
support cholesterol advocacy at the local and regional levels.
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Introduction Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being tasked to prevent and manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors in underserved populations in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, little is known about the required training necessary for them to
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accomplish their role. This review aimed to evaluate the training of CHWs for the prevention and management of CVD and its risk factors in LMICs.
Methods A search strategy was developed in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and five electronic databases (Medline, Global Health, ERIC, EMBASE and CINAHL) were searched to identify peer-reviewed studies published until December 2016 on the training of CHWs for prevention or control of CVD and its risk factors in LMICs. Study characteristics were extracted using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and quality assessed using Effective Public Health Practice Project’s Quality Assessment Tool. The search, data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two researchers.
Results The search generated 928 articles of which 8 were included in the review. One study was a randomised controlled trial, while the remaining were before–after intervention studies. The training methods included classroom lectures, interactive lessons, e-learning and online support and group discussions or a mix of two or more. All the studies showed improved knowledge level post-training, and two studies demonstrated knowledge retention 6 months after the intervention.
Conclusion The results of the eight included studies suggest that CHWs can be trained effectively for CVD prevention and management. However, the effectiveness of CHW trainings would likely vary depending on context given the differences between studies (eg, CHW demographics, settings and training programmes) and the weak quality of six of the eight studies. Well-conducted mixed-methods studies are needed to provide reliable evidence about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of training programmes for CHWs.
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Mental health problems are common and cause great suffering to individuals and communities around the world. They have a significant impact not only on the physical and mental health of those affected but also on their families and the communities they live in. At the same time, all communities have
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their own traditional mechanisms for support and contain a range wide of resources that can be helpful in preventing mental health conditions from developing, promoting positive mental health and supporting the recovery of people that are struggling with a mental health condition.
In the wider context, people living with a mental health condition are often excluded from their communities and experience various violations to their basic human rights (discrimination, violence, exclusion from employment opportunities). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the mean prevalence of global mental health disorders is 10.8% while the prevalence in emergency settings is 22.1% in any conflict-affected population.
During emergencies and crisis, the stigma, exclusion and discrimination towards people living with mental health conditions is often higher, which can cause isolation and protection issues. Communities can play a crucial role in promoting mental health as well as enhancing primary care and access. Their role is to help reduce mental health inequalities by providing community resources that connect people to community-based resources and by providing mental health education. This also helps to reduce the massive mental health treatment gap.
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The document "Pocketbook for Management of Diabetes in Childhood and Adolescence in Under-Resourced Countries" (2nd Edition) provides practical guidelines for managing diabetes in children and adolescents, particularly in resource-limited settings. It covers key topics like diagnosing and treating d
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iabetes, managing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), insulin therapy, blood glucose monitoring, nutritional management, and dealing with complications. The pocketbook aims to support healthcare professionals in delivering effective diabetes care and improving outcomes for young patients in under-resourced areas.
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The Public Health Burden of Secondhand Exposure to Commercial Tobacco Smoke Secondhand smoke, the combination of smoke from burning commercial tobacco* products and the smoke breathed out by a person who is smoking, is deadly.
Silicosis is not a new disease; the impact of silica dust on respiratory function was observed by Hippocrates in 430 B.C. and in the 16th century by Agricol. In 1713, Rammazini described silicotic nodules in post-mortems of stone cutters presenting with respiratory symptoms. In the mid-late 1800s,
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the introduction of mechanized tools in the mining sector rapidly increased levels of silica exposure, resulting in an increase in cases and our understanding of silicosis.
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This report on global leishmaniasis surveillance follows those published in 2016–2023.2–6 Six indicators of leishmaniasis are publicly available from the Global Health Observatory (GHO).7 In addition to the GHO, country profiles with up to 30 indicators are published, with detailed data received
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from 45 Member States.
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Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has significantly helped in early diagnosis and commencement of specific interventions for diseases control. It also plays a critical role in understanding the disease epidemiology and unraveling the transmission dynamics of the disease. This manual intends to p
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rovide primary guidelines to assist health lab personnel in developing countries to establish a PCR diagnostic facility for efficient support to patient care as well as public health actions.
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Version 1.7 Updated October 14, 2010 | Preschool PTSD Treatment (PPT) is a theory-driven, manualized protocol based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with modifications for young children. Some of these modifications involve parent-child relationship dynamics that are salient for this age grou
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p.
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In order to streamline and effectively control compounding of medicinal products in hospitals and pharmacies, these Guidelines for Production of Extemporaneous and Hospital Based Sterile Preparations has been crafted. The purpose of these guidelines therefore is to assist pharmacists in
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discharging their legal and professional obligations to patients in the area of extemporaneous dispensing. This guidance will help to assure the safe and appropriate preparation and supply of extemporaneously prepared medicinal products to patients, where
the supply of such products is necessary.
Extemporaneous and hospital based sterile preparations are critical for patients whose clinical needs cannot be met by registered medicinal products. The guidelines outline the principles and application of the concepts of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements for premises, equipment, personnel, storage, quality management system, quality control, compounding processes as well as documentation.
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The module is currently available in English, French, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish