April 2020
This document explains the scope of the logistics services provided by the National Logistics Cluster, in support of the COVID-19 response in Nepal, how humanitarian actors and Nepal Government may access these services,
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and the conditions under which these services will be provided. The objective of the transport and storage services is to support humanitarian organisations and Government to establish a supply chain of medicines, medical goods and medical equipment mandated by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) for Prevention of COVID-19transmission, control and treatment to the hospitals and primary healthcare facilities.
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To eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) by 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a campaign against the disease. Since the launch in 2000, significant progress has been made to achieve this ambitious goal. In this article we review the progress
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and status of the LF programme in Africa through the WHO neglected
tropical diseases preventive chemotherapy databank, the Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) portal and other publications. In the African Region there are 35 countries endemic for LF. The Gambia was reclassified as not requiring preventive chemotherapy in 2015, while Togo and Malawi eliminated LF as a public health problem in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Cameroon discontinued mass drug administration (MDA) and transitioned to post-MDA surveillance to validate elimination. The trajectory of coverage continues to accelerate; treatment coverage increased from 0.1% in 2000 to 62.1% in 2018. Geographical coverage has also significantly increased, from 62.7% in 2015 to 78.5% in 2018. In 2019, 23 of 31 countries requiring MDA achieved 100% geographic coverage. Although much remains to be done, morbidity management and disability prevention services have steadily increased in recent years. Vector control interventions conducted by other programmes, particularly malaria vector control, have had a profound effect in stopping transmission in some endemic countries in the region. In conclusion, significant progress has been made in the LF programme
in the region while we identify the key remaining challenges in achieving an Africa free of LF.
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ince the introduction of multidrug therapy (MDT), there has been significant progress in reducing the prevalence of leprosy and the occurrence of new cases. Global strategies have evolved with progress in reducing the disease burden. Encouraged by t
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he decrease in the number of cases on treatment, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution calling on Member States to accelerate efforts towards global elimination of leprosy as a public health problem by 2000.
Most countries reached the milestone by 2010. The global strategies for 2006–2015 focused on sustaining high-quality leprosy services and early diagnosis. Reduction in the disease burden was measured in terms of grade-2 disability (G2D) or visible deformities in new cases. Since 2016, the strategies have included reduction of stigmatization of people with leprosy.
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Human strongyloidiasis is a chronic parasitic disease caused by infection with Strongyloides stercoralis, a soil-transmitted helminth that is estimated to infect 300–600 million people worldwide. This neglected tropical disease (NTD) is endemic globally, predominately in the South-East Asia, Afric
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an and Western Pacific regions, and in South and Central America. Strongyloidiasis has a wide range of clinical presentations, including subclinical disease, symptomatic disease (often with diarrhoea, abdominal pain and urticaria) and a rare but deadly complication of hyperinfection with disseminated disease. The feared complication of disseminated strongyloidiasis can occur in the setting of immunocompromising conditions (e.g. human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infection and malignancies) or immunosuppressive medications (e.g. steroids) and has an estimated case-fatality rate exceeding 60%. The standard treatment for chronic S. stercoralis infection is oral medication with ivermectin.
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Blended Learning Modulef or the Health Extension Programme
In this study session, you will learn about the general features of faeco-oraldiseases: the main types commonly found in Ethiopia, their general symptomsand signs, how to treat mild cases and
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when to refer patients with severeconditions for specialised treatment, or laboratory tests to confirm thediagnosis. You will also learn about the importance of giving effective healtheducation to your community on ways to prevent and control faeco-oraldiseases.
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Diabetes mellitus has become a serious and chronic metabolic disorder that results from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors, principally characterized by hyperglycemia, polyur
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ia, and polyphagia. Uncontrolled high blood sugar can result in a host of diabetic complications. Prolonged diabetes leads to serious complications some of which are life-threatening. The prevalence of diabetes patients is rising at epidemic proportions throughout the world. Every year, a major portion of the annual health budget is spent on diabetes and related illnesses. Multiple risk factors are involved in the etiopathogenesis of the disease and turning the disease into an epidemic. Diabetes, for which there is no cure, apparently can be kept under control by maintaining self-care in daily living, effective diabetes education, with comprehensive improvements in knowledge, attitudes, skills, and management. In this review, we focused on the biochemical aspects of diabetes, risk factors including both environmental and genetic, disease complications, diagnosis, management, and currently available medications for the treatment of diabetes.
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Cholera is a transmissible diarrhoeal infection caused by Vibrio cholerae. Endemic and/or epidemic in over 40 countries (mainly in Africa and Asia), cholera continues to be a major global public hea
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lth issue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of cases reported worldwide represents in reality only 5 to 10% of actual cases.
This guide is intended for medical and non-medical staff responding to a cholera outbreak. It attempts to provide concrete answers to the questions and problems faced by staff, based on the recommendations of reference organisations, such as WHO and UNICEF, as well as Médecins Sans Frontières’ experience in the field.
It is divided into 8 chapters. Chapter 1, Cholera overview, outlines the epidemiological and clinical features of cholera. Chapter 2, Outbreak investigation, explains the method and stages of a field investigation, from the alert to implementation of initial activities. Chapter 3, Cholera control measures, details measures and tools to prevent and/or control cholera transmission and mortality in populations affected, or at risk of being affected, by an epidemic (curative care, prevention means and health promotion activities). Chapter 4, Strategies for epidemic response, addresses the roll-out strategies of the measures described in Chapter 3 which depend on context (e.g. urban, rural, endemic, non-endemic setting, etc.), resources and particular constraints. Chapter 5, Cholera case management, details the different stages of cholera treatment, from diagnosis through to cure.
Chapter 6, Setting up cholera treatment facilities, focuses on the installation of treatment facilities that vary in size and complexity according to operational requirements (treatment centres and units and oral rehydration points). Chapter 7, Organisation of cholera treatment facilities, describes the organisation of these specialized facilities in terms of human resources, supply, water, hygiene and sanitation, etc. Chapter 8, Monitoring and evaluation, presents the key data to be collected and analysed during an epidemic to facilitate a tailored response and evaluate its quality and effectiveness.
The guide includes various practical tools in the appendices to facilitate activities (e.g. water quality tests, job descriptions, documents, etc.). Moreover, the toolbox also contains additional tools in editable formats (individual patient file, cholera case register, pictograms).
Despite all efforts, it is possible that certain errors may have been overlooked in this guide. Please inform the authors of any errors detected.
To ensure that this guide continues to evolve while remaining adapted to field realities, please send any comments or suggestions.
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Report of a WHO technical consultation meeting
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The Guidelines for the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Leprosy provide state-of-the-art knowledge and evidence on leprosy diagnosis,
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treatment and prevention based on a public health approach in endemic countries. The target audience of this document includes policy-makers in leprosy or infectious diseases in the ministries of health (especially but not limited to endemic countries), nongovernmental organizations, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, donors and affected persons
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Evaluation report
September 2014
Rreport of a WHO Consultative Meeting Kolkata India 2012
UGANDA NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS AND LEPROSY CONTROL PROGRAMME
This report has been developed, based on data provided by the TB & ORD surveillance system from across Rwanda. It provides a comprehensive picture of the occurrence and management of TB & ORD and Le
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prosy in Rwanda. It is structured based on the 2013-2018 Rwanda TB national strategic plan (2013-2018 TB NSP) and on the 2014-2018 Rwanda Leprosy national strategic plan (2014-2018 Leprosy NSP).
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This report has been developed, based on data provided by the TB & ORD surveillance system from across Rwanda. It provides a comprehensive picture of the occurrence and management of TB & ORD and Le
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prosy in Rwanda. It is structured based on the 2013-2018 Rwanda TB national strategic plan (2013-2018 TB NSP) and on the 2014-2018 Rwanda Leprosy national strategic plan (2014-2018 Leprosy NSP).
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Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug approved for the treatment of parasitic infections, including strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis in humans. There is a reported increase in the use of ivermectin
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for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 by the public in African Union Member States.
Currently, there is:
1. No scientific evidence from pre-clinical studies on the therapeutic effect of ivermectin for the management of COVID-19;
2. No evidence of its clinical efficacy for the management of patients with asymptomatic, mild, moderate or severe COVID-19; and
3. No safety data regarding the use of ivermectin for COVID-19 in the majority of the published studies.
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Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is aware of the media releases of the preliminary results of a large randomized clinical trial conducted in the United Kingdom, which i
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ncluded dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, as one of the drugs used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The investigators reported that administration of oral or injectable dexamethasone resulted in about one-third reduction in mortality among COVID-19 patientsi that required mechanical ventilation and about one-fifth for patients requiring oxygen.
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This document simplifies the WHO guidance on severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) treatment centres and is meant to be accessible to healthcare workers, policymakers
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and others who want
a quick overview of the key requirements for a COVID-19 isolation centre either within an existing facility or as a standalone centre.
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