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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In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), one maternal death was registered every hour in 2020. That same year, the trend in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for the Region of the Americas regressed alarmingly and unprecedentedly to the levels see
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n two decades ago. In addition to indicating a worsening of health outcomes, these figures also signal a deepening of inequalities, representing thousands of individual, unacceptable tragedies that in most cases could have been preventable. Maternal death is the result of a multifactorial process in which structural elements such as the economic system, environmental conditions, and culture interact. Other factors related to social inequality are also present, such as racism, poverty, gender inequality, and lack of access to the education system. The current situation calls for urgent mobilization of the health systems of LAC countries in order to strengthen efforts to combat maternal mortality, especially in countries that are still far from achieving the SHAA2030 regional target. For this reason, a preventive, health-promoting, life-course-based approach is needed, with models of care centered on women, families, and the community Scientific evidence shows that health systems with a solid foundation in primary health care (PHC) achieve better outcomes, greater equity, and reduced health expenditures. To address this, PAHO proposes a strategy, aimed primarily at women who are in the most vulnerable situation, who are the ones who represent the greatest burden of maternal mortality, to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality in the Region of the Americas, based on the expansion and strengthening of PHC.
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Policy Brief.
WHO recommends that pregnant women receive testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B (HBSAg) at least once during pregnancy, preferably in the first trimester.
Dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) can be used as the first test for pregnant women as part of antenatal
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care (ANC).
These simple tests can be used at the point-of-care and are cost-saving compared to standard testing in ANC. They enable more women to be diagnosed with HIV and syphilis so that they can access treatment and prevent transmission to their children.
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“mhGAP Intervention Guide for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialized health settings” is a technical tool for implementation of the mhGAP Programme. The Intervention Guide has been developed through a systematic review of evidence, followed by an international consul
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tative and participatory process. It provides the full range of recommendations to facilitate high quality care at first- and second-level facilities by the non-specialist health-care providers in resource-poor settings
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The 2018 Access to Medicine Index finds that the pharmaceutical industry continues to mature in its approach
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to access to medicine, with models for good practice in areas such as access planning and licensing. GSK retains its No. 1 position, as Novartis moves up into 2nd. Takeda rises furthest in 2018, jumping ten places to fifth
Download the full report from (Large File 22 MB)
https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org/media/uploads/downloads/5c8bc9ceb714b_Access%20to%20Medicine%20Index%202018.pdf
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Preliminary version for country introduction
One billion people around the world live with disabilities. This report makes the case that they are being “left behind” in the global community’s work on health. This lack of access not only violates the rights of people with disabilities und
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er international law, but UHC and SDG 3 cannot be attained without better health services for the one billion people with disabilities.
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This is a summary of the following peer-reviewed, scientific article:
Comparative Evaluation of Immunoassays to Improve Access to Diagnosis for Ch
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agas Disease in Colombia.
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DM for Care
In northeastern Nigeria—“Boko Haram’s den”—at least 3 in 10 people suffer from untreated mental illness. Despite high suicide rates and risks of radicalization, care is reser
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ved for treating substance use or disorders like schizophrenia.
Nonprofits like NEEM Foundation and Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative are working to provide mental health first aid via Twitter and Whatsapp. NEEM also helps reintegrate former Boko Haram fighters, and MANI runs a suicide hotline and advocates for decriminalizing suicide attempts.
“Our counselors are volunteer psychiatrists and medical officers that are, a lot of times, the thin line between life and death,” says MANI’s Rasheedat Olarinoye.
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The brief concludes that sustaining the continuity of EHS requires policies that ensure a whole-society and systems strengthening approach. This involves increased health care investment, community engagement, disease control regulations, and multis
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ector approaches to improve resilience, EHS quality, and equity.
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Viral Load Scale-up and Decentralized Testing Experience in Botswana.
This AIDS 2016 presentation highlights how Botswana’s decentralized testing model provides an example of how “taking the services closer to the people, rather than people co
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ming to the services” can increase access, when supported by strong partnerships.
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Anema et al. AIDS Research and Therapy 2011, 8:13 http://www.aidsrestherapy.com/content/8/1/13
Over 6 million people worldwide are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan that causes Chagas disease
(CD). T. cruzi is transmitted by triatomine insects, congenitally, through uncontrolled blood donations and organ transplants,
and via consumption of food or drink contaminated by triatomi
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nes.
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BioMed Central DOI 10.1186/s12963-016-0096-y
CARE International’s Personal Safety & Security Handbook has been developed to provide practical personal safety and security advice and guidance to
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all staff working in CARE offices and field sites throughout the world.
Each section has a detailed list of contents at the beginning and cut-out tabs to allow fast access to topics. Symbols and easy referencing are used throughout the handbook to help you find what you need quickly.
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The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) is a clinically-led charitable company that works locally in primary care and collaborates globally
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to improve respiratory health. Our vision is that, through universal access to the right care, everyone can breathe and feel well.
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