The application of digital health technology is growing at a rapid rate in Africa, with the goals of improving the delivery of healthcare services and more effectively reaching out to remote and und
...
erserved communities. The lack of enabling guidelines and standards across the continent, on the other hand, makes it difficult to share data in a meaningful way across the continent.
Considering this, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) established a task force of 24 members to provide expertise and guidance in the development of AU HIE guidelines and standards. Members of the task force were subject matter experts working in Africa and internationally on the collection, analysis, and exchange of health information. Some of these experts had been involved in previous consultations on defining Africa CDC’s health information systems strategy. A chairperson, co-chairperson, and secretary were elected to engage the task force members in different technical working groups.
more
This paper introduces a new dataset of official financing—including foreign aid and other forms of concessional and non-concessional state financing—from China to 138 countries between 2000
...
and 2014. We use these data to investigate whether and to what extent Chinese aid affects economic growth in recipient countries. To account for the endogeneity of aid, we employ an instrumental-variables strategy that relies on exogenous variation in the supply of Chinese aid over time resulting from changes in Chinese steel production. Variation across recipient countries results from a country’s probability of receiving aid. Controlling for year- and recipient-fixed effects that capture the levels of these variables, their interaction provides a powerful and excludable instrument. Our results show that Chinese official development assistance (ODA) boosts economic growth in recipient countries. For the average recipient country, we estimate that one additional Chinese ODA project produces a 0.7 percentage point increase in economic growth two years after the project is committed. We also benchmark the effectiveness of Chinese aid vis-á-vis the World Bank, the United States, and all members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
more
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), mainly heart attack and stroke, is the
leading cause of premature mortality in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
Identifying
...
and managing individuals at high risk of CVD is an important strategy to prevent and control CVD, in addition to multisectoral population-based interventions to reduce CVD risk factors in the entire population.
Methods: We describe key public health considerations in identifying and managing individuals at high risk of CVD in LMICs.
Results: A main objective of any strategy to identify individuals at high CVD risk is to maximize the number of CVD events averted while minimizing the numbers of
individuals needing treatment. Scores estimating the total risk of CVD (e.g. ten-year risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD) are available for LMICs, and are based on the main CVD risk factors (history of CVD, age, sex, tobacco use, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and diabetes status). Opportunistic screening of CVD risk factors enables identification of persons with high CVD risk, but this strategy can be widely applied in low resource settings only if cost effective interventions are used (e.g. the WHO Package of Essential NCD interventions for primary health care in low resource settings package) and if treatment (generally for years) can be sustained, including continued availability ofaffordable medications and funding mechanisms that allow people to purchase medications without impoverishing them (e.g. universal access to health care). Thisalso emphasises the need to re-orient health systems in LMICs towards chronic diseases management.
Conclusion: The large burden of CVD in LMICs and the fact that persons with high
CVD can be identified and managed along cost-effective interventions mean that
health systems need to be structured in a way that encourages patient registration, opportunistic screening of CVD risk factors, efficient procedures for the management of chronic conditions (e.g. task sharing) and provision of affordable treatment for those with high CVD risk. The focus needs to be in primary care because that is where most of the population can access health care and because CVD programmes can be run effectively at this level.
more
In this version of the compendium, each guidance is coded using the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI).
The compendium provides a systematic compilation of published guidance from WHO and other UN organizations on health
...
and environment. Guidance on policies and actions as well as awareness raising and capacity building interventions is presented for all major areas of health and environment. Guidance referring to priority settings for action such as cities and other urban settlements, housing, workplaces and health care facilities is also listed. For greater practical relevance, each guidance is classified according to principally involved sectors, level of implementation and instruments for implementation.
The compilation of guidance for each area of health and environment or priority setting for action is accompanied, as available, by information on main sources, exposure assessment and existing guideline values. Important tools and further resources are presented alongside.
This compilation of published guidance on health and environment highlights that a large number of actions across main topics of health and environment, concerning various sectors, and applicable to various levels are available to improve health and reduce environmental risks. This compendium is intended to serve as a repository and easy-to-use and useful resource for decision and policy makers in health and environment at various levels.
more
The Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS (DNHA) in Ministry of Health and Population is grateful to all stakeholders who contributed to the development of the Nutrition Education Communication Stra
...
tegy II. The DNHA acknowledges the financial and technical support from the World Bank and USAID through the Nutrition, HIV and AIDS project and Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA III)/FHI 360, respectively. The participation of several partners including Irish Aid, the European Union (EU), Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA), Concern Worldwide and the Clinton Health Access Initiative(CHAI).
more
With its expert practical advice on security in situations of armed conflict, this updated set of guidelines will prove invaluable to humanitarian personnel working at the operational level. Following on from the success of the first edition, published in 1999, it addresses new
...
and developing threats such as chemical, biological and nuclear hazards and includes new chapters on, among others, first aid, staying healthy on mission and how international humanitarian law protects humanitarian workers.
more
This Manual covers all important aspects of echinococcosis, including parasite biology and life-cycles, geographic distribution and prevalence, epidemiology, clinical presentation in humans
...
and animals, diagnosis and treatment, as well as control and prevention using newly developed tools and methods. It also provides descriptions of important techniques and a large number of bibliographical references.
more
This publication is an updated version of the Management of Tuberculosis and HIV Coinfection clinical protocol released in 2007 by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It is intended for all health care workers involved in preventing, diagnosing, tre
...
ating and caring for people living with TB and HIV in the specific settings of the WHO European Region.
more
Programmatic update
April 2012
Executive Summary
The Core Set of Indicators and respective Indicator Data Sheets aim to pave the way towards a common understanding, greater consistency and comparability across countries
...
and alignment of results chains of German Development Cooperation in the field of health and social health protection with the internationally recognized health systems framework of WHO and International Health Partnership (IHP+).
more
Designed for trainers of health workers, this manual offers skills-building sessions on developing more “male-friendly” health services. Utilizing participatory and experiential activities, the manual examines attitudinal
...
and structural barriers that inhibit men from seeking HIV and AIDS services (both from the client and the provider perspectives), as well as strategies for overcoming such barriers. The manual is designed for all workers in a health care system—frontline staff, clinicians, and administrative, operational, and outreach workers.
more
Good practice examples from India
Clinical guideline, Methods, Evidence and Recommendations
In this guideline the following is covered: information needs of people with chronic hep
titis B and their carers; where children, young p
...
eople and adults with chronic hepatitis B a-
should be assessed; assessment of liver disease, including the use of non-invasive tests and genotype testing; criteria for offering antiviral treatment; the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of currently available treatments; selection of first-line therapy; management of treatment failure or drug resistance; prophylactic treatment during im-
munosuppressive therapy; and monitoring for treatment response
more
The revised guidelines present two major changes to existing guidelines: (A) there are now just 2 categories of pneumonia instead of 3 (“pneumonia” which is treated at home with oral amoxicillin and “severe pneumonia” which requires injectab
...
le antibiotics) and (B) oral amoxicillin replaces oral cotrimoxazole as first line treatment, preferably in 250mg dispersible tablet form, twice daily for five days which can be reduced to three days in low HIV settings.
more