This manual is designed to orient helpers to offer psychologicalfirst aid (PFA) to people following a serious crisis event. PFA involves humane, supportive and practical assistance for people who are distressed, in ways that respect their dignity, c
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ulture and abilities. PFA is an approach that can be learned by both professionals and non-professionals who are in a position to help people impacted by very distressing events
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An all-hazards tool for hospital administrators and emergency managers.
The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe has developed the Hospital emergency response checklist to assist ho
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spital administrators and emergency managers in responding effectively to the most likely disaster scenarios. This tool comprises current hospital-based emergency management principles and best practices and integrates priority action required for rapid, effective response to a critical event based on an all-hazards approach
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This year marked the beginning of the WHO biennium 2016-2017 action plan; this annual report highlights WHO’s key achievements in 2016
It also documents the extraordinary efforts by a broad coalition of government ministries, municipalities, international agencies, community groups, women’s or
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ganizations, religious and traditional leaders, media, private sector and donors towards restoration and improving health indicators.
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Version 1.1
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
July 2021. This publication brings together important clinical and programmatic updates produced by WHO since 2016 and provides comprehensive, evidence-informed recommendations
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and good practice statements within a public health, rights-based and person-centred approach.
These guidelines bring in the most recent guidance on HIV testing strategies - the entry point for HIV prevention and treatment - and include comprehensive guidance on infant diagnosis. Key recommendations are presented on rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and the use of dolutegravir. Updated recommendations are included on the timing of ART for people with TB, and the use of point-of-care technologies for treatment monitoring.
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The story-book, a sequel to the immensely successful ‘My Hero is You: How kids can fight COVID-19!’, is being released in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new story, aimed primarily at children aged 6-11 years, sees the return of Ario, a fantasy creature who travels the world helpin
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g children find hope in the future and joy in simple pleasures. Together with old and new friends, Ario addresses the fears, frustrations and concerns faced by children during this phase of the pandemic and explores with them the various coping mechanisms that they can use when faced with difficult emotions like fear, grief, anger and sadness. Through the voices of the children that Ario meets on his travels, the book provides a vivid illustration of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of children.
The content of the book drew from survey responses from more than 5000 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from around the world on the challenges they continue to face in the second year of the pandemic.
Available in different languages
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A global call to action to protect the mental health of health and care workers
The report aims to help policy-makers and programme managers identify the areas that need attention and to work towards effective implementation and
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enforcement of policies and legislations. The need for alcohol policy-specific infrastructures to support the alcohol policy process, including designated responsible agency, policy and strategy, and law and regulation, is also required at the country level.
The report is presented in three sections. Section 1 gives an insight to the alcohol consumption situation in the WHO South-East Asia Region and cites the alcohol-related problems that the Region is facing. Section 2 illustrates the policy situation in the 10 areas of national action identified in the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol and gives specific recommendations pertaining to these areas. Section 3 provides overall recommendations.
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Developing protocols for use with refugees
and internally displaced persons
The World Health Organization is issuing a "roadmap" to guide and coordinate the international response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa.
The aim is to stop ongoing Ebola tran
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smission worldwide within 6–9 months, while rapidly managing the consequences of any further international spread. It also recognizes the need to address, in parallel, the outbreak’s broader socioeconomic impact.
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The report provides a global knowledge base on suicide and suicide attempts as well as actionable steps for countries based on their current resources and context to move forward in suicide preventi
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on.
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Q13: Are strategies aimed at improving community attitudes towards mental, neurological and substance use conditions (e.g. anti-stigma campaigns) feasible and effective?
When terrible things happen in our communities, countries and the world, we want to reach out a helping hand to those who are affected. This guide covers
psychological first aid which involves humane, supportive
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and practical help to fellow human beings suffering serious crisis events. It is written for people in a position to help others who have experienced an extremely distressing event. It gives a framework for supporting people in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities. Despite its name, psychological first aid covers both social and psychological support.
Available in various languages: http://www.who.int/mental_health/publications/guide_field_workers/en/
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This Topic Guide has been compiled to provide an overview of undernutrition in the context of development. The focus of the Guide is on undernutrition, defined as the outcome of insufficient (quantity and quality) of food intake (hunger)
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and repeated infectious diseases. Undernutrition includes being underweight for one’s age, too short for one’s age (stunted), underweight for one’s height (wasted), and deficient in vitamins and minerals (micronutrient malnutrition). This review does not focus on the other component of malnutrition, which is overnutrition
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This document is intended for a wide audience including national and local policymakers, implementers and managers of national and local maternal
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and child health programmes, non-governmental and other organizations and professional societies involved in the planning and management of maternal and child health services, health professionals including obstetricians, midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners, academic staff involved in training health professionals, managers of maternal and child health programmes and public health policymakers in all settings.
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mhGAP is based on evidence-based technical guidelines (4) and provides a set of tools and
training packages to extend service provision. The mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG)
for MNS disorders i
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n non-specialized health settings (8) is a clinical decision-making tool
for assessing and managing priority MNS conditions (depression, psychoses, epilepsy, child
and adolescent mental and behavioural disorders, dementia, disorders due to substance
use, self-harm and suicide).
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This publication aims to provide examples of better palliative care practices for older people to help those involved in planning and supporting care-oriented services most appropriately and
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effectively. Examples have been identifi ed from literature searches and from an international call for examples through various organizations, including the European Association of Palliative Care and the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society. Some examples consider how to improve aspects within the whole health system; specifi c smaller examples consider how to improve palliative care education, support in the community, in hospitals or for specifi c groups of people, such as people in nursing homes and people with dementia and their families. Some examples await rigorous evaluation of effectiveness, and more research is needed in this fi eld, especially the cost–effectiveness and generalizability of these initiatives.
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Updated 20 Nov. 2020
Countries can use this checklist of hospital governance, structures, plans and protocols to rapidly determine the current capacities of hospitals to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic a
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nd to identify gaps and major areas that require investment and action for the development of hospital readiness improvement plans. The tool can be used periodically to monitor hospital emergency operational readiness capacity development
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This document is based on currently available scientific evidence on treatment for drug use disorders and sets out a framework for the implementation of the Standards, in line with principles of public hea
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lth care. The Standards identify major components and features of effective systems for the treatment of drug use disorders. They describe treatment modalities and interventions to match the needs of people at different stages and severities of drug use disorders, in a manner consistent with the treatment of any chronic disease or health condition. The Standards are aspirational, and such, national or local treatment services or systems need not attempt to meet all the standards and recommendations made in this document all at once. However over time, progressive quality improvement, with ‘evidence-based and ethical practice’ as an objective, can and should be expected to achieve better organized, more effective and ethical systems and services for people with drug use disorders.
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Here you can download the latest Situation Reports
Weekly updates on the current situation in Ukraine and refugee-receiving countries, priority public health concerns
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and WHO’s actions to rapidly respond to the health emergency triggered by the conflict and to minimize disruptions to the delivery of critical health services.
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