This publication describes the reasons for the resurgence of malaria in Kyrgyzstan and presents an analysis of evidence-based elimination strategies and policies that were applied to contain the epidemic and outbreaks of the disease, achieve its
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elimination, and maintain the country malaria-free. The strong political commitment and the mobilization of human resources that were crucial in achieving elimination are emphasized. It is hoped that the experiences of Kyrgyzstan's national malaria control programme can assist other countries aiming to eliminate malaria. The publication is intended for health managers and personnel, researchers, teachers, students and post-graduates at medical schools.
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Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a category of chronic, disabling, and at times disfiguring diseases and conditions that occur most commonly in the setting of extreme poverty. Historically, NTDs have received less attention and funding when compared to other diseases occurring in the same regi
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ons of the world. Several NTDs have internationally agreed upon targets for their control, elimination, and eradication. Nineteen countries in the WHO African Region have successfully eliminated at least one NTD, however recent gap analyses identified moderate to severe gaps across technical, strategy and service delivery, and enabling factors. This report summarizes the findings of a scoping review of published literature undertaken to highlight control, elimination, and eradication efforts towards NTDs across the WHO African Region over the last 30 years.
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This publication describes the history of malaria in Uzbekistan. It evaluates the policies and strategies applied after the re-establishment of local transmission to contain malaria outbreaks in the 1990s and early 2000s, and highlights the interventions subsequently used to eliminate malaria in the
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country. Uzbekistan was officially certified by WHO as a malaria-free country in 2018. Lessons for countries embarking upon elimination are distilled. The publication is intended for health managers and personnel, researchers, teachers, students and post-graduates at medical schools.
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The document describes the use of strategic information at various stages of the response in the context of strengthening broader health information systems. Strategic information can be defined as data collected at all service delivery and administrative levels to inform policy and programme decisi
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ons.
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Alternative Thematic Report on implementation of the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of discrimination against Women on the issues related to women living with HIV from the affected groups (women – former prisoners, women using injected dru
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gs, women sex workers).
Accessed: 04.10.2019
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Guidance
Second Edition
Monitoring and Evaluation
Vanquishing violence and vulnerability in humanitarian settings
Background paper for the joint African Union–UNAIDS (in capacity of serving
Chair of H6) high-level side event at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly,
24 September 2018, at UNHQ, Conference Room 3
Since 1996, trachoma has been targeted for elimination as a public health problem worldwide. The active trachoma criterion for national elimination as a public health problem is a TF1–9 < 5%, sustained for at least two years in the absence of antibiotic mass drug administration (MDA), in each formerly endemic EU. Using A, F and E, health ministries and their partners have made considerable progress towards achieving this criterion in formerly endemic EUs worldwide. In 2002, an estimated 1517 million people lived in EUs in which EU-wide implementation of the A, F and E components of SAFE were thought to be needed for the purposes of global
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elimination of trachoma as a public health problem; by June 2021, that number had fallen to 136.2 million, a 91% reduction. Approximately 85% of the 136.2 million people living in EUs needing A, F and E in June 2021 were in WHO’s African Region.
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This fourth annual report monitors global progress towards the 2023 target for global elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA), highlighting achievements during the past year (October 2021 – September 2022). Countries are respo
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nding to the World Health Organization (WHO) call to action by putting into place best-practice TFA policies. Mandatory TFA policies are currently in effect for 3.4 billion people in 60 countries (43% of the world population); of these, 43 countries have best-practice policies in effect, covering 2.8 billion people (36% of the world population).
Over the past year, several additional countries took action to eliminate industrially produced TFA: best-practice policies came into effect in India in January 2022, Uruguay in May 2022 and Oman in July 2022. Best-practice policies were passed in Bangladesh in November 2021 (to come into effect in December 2022) and in Ukraine in September 2020 (to come into effect in October 2023), best-practice TFA policies are projected to pass soon in Mexico, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
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Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease caused by helminth parasites of the genus Schistosoma. Worldwide, an estimated 250 million people are infected with these parasites with the majority of cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Within Asia, three species of Schistosoma cause disease. Schistosom
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a japonicum is the most prevalent, followed by S. mekongi and S. malayensis. All three species are zoonotic, which causes concern for their control, as successful elimination not only requires management of the human definitive host, but also the animal reservoir hosts. With regard to Asian schistosomiasis, most of the published research has focused on S. japonicum with comparatively little attention paid to S. mekongi and even less focus on S. malayensis. In this review, we examine the three Asian schistosomes and their current status in their endemic countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Thailand (S. mekongi); Malaysia (S. malayensis); and Indonesia, People’s Republic of China, and the Philippines (S. japonicum). Prospects for control that could potentially lead to elimination are highlighted as these can inform researchers and disease control managers in other schistosomiasis-endemic areas, particularly in Africa and the Americas.
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Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis is a deadly infectious disease affecting West and Central Africa, South Sudan and Uganda, and transmitted between humans by tsetse flies. The disease has caused several major epidemics, the latest one in the 1990s. Thanks to recent innovations such as rapid di
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agnostic tests for population screening, a single-dose oral treatment and a highly efficient vector control strategy, interruption of transmission of the causative parasite is now within reach. If indeed gHAT has an exclusively human reservoir, this could even result in eradication of the disease. Even if there were an animal reservoir, on the basis of epidemiological data, it plays a limited role. Maintaining adequate postelimination surveillance in known historic foci, using the newly developed tools, should be sufficient to prevent any future resurgence.
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In May the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA66.12 (1) on 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Among other measures, the resolution urges Member States to:
• ensure country ownership of prevention, control, elimination an
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d eradication programmes;
• expand and implement interventions and advocate for predictable, long-term international financing for activities related to control and capacity strengthening;
• integrate control programmes into primary health-care services and existing programmes;
• ensure optimal programme management and implementation;
• achieve and maintain universal access to interventions and reach the targets of the roadmap.
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The Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP) undertook regional and large scale frght against onchocerciasis in West Africa in 1974 using a vector control strategy. By 2002 OCP had succeeded in eliminating the disease as a public health, socio-economic and development problem in 10 out
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of I I countries. This campaign was highly technical and expensive. ln 1987, Merck & Co.,lnc. committed themselves to provide ivermectin free of charge for as long as needed to onchocerciasis endemic countries. This made it possible to envrsage the extension of onchocerciasis control activities to the remaining endemic countries in Africa.
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Following the publication of Guidelines on certification of elimination of human onchocerciasis in 2001 by the World Health Organization (WHO), these are the first evidence-based guidelines developed by NTD Department according to the international
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standards.
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Human rabies remains a significant public health problem in Africa with outbreaks reported in most countries. In Nigeria–the most populous country in Africa–rabies causes a significant public health burden partly due to perennial obstacles to implementing a national prevention and control progra
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m.
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Following the publication of Guidelines on certification of elimination of human onchocerciasis in 2001 by the World Health Organization (WHO), these are the first evidence-based guidelines developed by NTD Department according to the international
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standards. They provide a set of recommendations that would guide national programme managers in collaboration with their respective oversight committees on when to stop mass drug administration (MDA) and conduct post-treatment surveillance (PTS) activities for a minimum period of 3 to 5 year before confirming the interruption of transmission of Onchocerca volvulus parasite and hence its elimination. They also include steps to undertake for verification of elimination of transmission of the parasite in the whole endemic country by the International Verification Team (IVT) prior to the official acknowledgement by WHO Director General.
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The Strategic Plan of Action and Budget 2016-2025 for the elimination of onchocerciasisin countries was prepared based on the above dlrective for the consideration of IAF 18.The vision of the plan of action is to eliminate onchocerciasis in 80 perce
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nt of Africancountries. Implementation of the plan will also help strengthen health systems at community level while implementing CDI wlll help scale-up interventions agalnst other NTDs to the benefit of the wider national health systems.
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Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 (“the road map”) sets explicit targets for the elimination of onchocerciasis by 2030, including eliminating the need for mass
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drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin in at least one focus in 34 countries, in more than 50% of the population in at least 16 countries, and in the entire endemic population in at least 12 countries. The road map also targets interruption of onchocercal transmission in 12 countries by 2030. Achieving these targets and milestones will require a number of critical actions. These include establishing a well-coordinated global partnership to connect stakeholders and existing partnerships at all levels in order to improve coordination and collaboration, accelerate technical progress, implement a harmonized research agenda and enhance service delivery.
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