he WHO Guidelines on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) propose evidence-based recommendations for health care professionals to prevent, slow or reverse declines in the physical and mental capacities of older people. These recommendations requ...ire countries to place the needs and preferences of older adults at the centre and to coordinate care. The ICOPE Guidelines will allow countries to improve the health and well-being of their older populations, and to move closer to the achievement of universal health coverage for all at all ages
Brochure available in Russian, Arabic, Chinese, French; Japanese; Spanisch
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious public health concern with economic, social and political implications that are global in scope, and cross all environmental ...ibute-to-highlight medbox">and ethnic boundaries. As a global threat, AMR risks the achievements of modern medicine, and has the potential to impact overall global development. It is important, therefore, to elevate AMR beyond health as part of a larger development agenda in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report provides in-depth technical discussions in areas that have direct implications to the containment of AMR as a development agenda. The report is organized in five chapters which served as the technical background documents for the Biregional Technical Consultation on AMR in Asia, 14-15 April 2016. More information from the meeting is available in the WHO Meeting Report: Biregional Technical Consultation on Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia. The meeting was the first time senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture across Asia came together to tackle AMR
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This policy brief has been developed in response to the contemporary challenge of antibiotic resistance (ABR). ABR poses a formidable threat to global health and sustainable development. It is now increasingly recognized that the systematic ne...glect of cultural factors is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving better health outcomes and better standards of living worldwide. Using a cultural contexts of health approach, the policy brief explores the centrality of culture to the challenge of ABR. The brief examines how the prescription and use of antibacterial medicines, the transmission of resistance, and the regulation and funding of research are influenced by cultural, social and commercial, as well as biological and technological factors. The brief moves beyond the ready equation of culture with individual behaviours and demonstrates how culture serve as an enabler of health and provide new possibilities for change.
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Addendum: 2020 mid-year COVID-19 revision,summary of the reprioritisation & additional requirements in response to COVID-19
In June and July 2020, a mid-year revision of the 2020 Burundi Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) was undertaken as an i...nter-agency consultative process to discuss and document the reprioritization of activities and corresponding budgets for the rest of the year, taking into account the impacts of COVID-19 and other developments.
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Guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children, developing and implementing national and local policies for pain management and protocols... in children, implementing national and local regulations for pain management in children, pain management and protocols
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Member States have requested WHO policy guidance on how to facilitate the implementation of national AMS activities in an integrated and programmatic approach. This policy guidance responds to that demand from Member States ...-highlight medbox">and is anchored in public health guiding principles in the human health sector. It aims to provide a set of evidence-based and pragmatic recommendations to drive comprehensive and integrated AMS activities under the purview of a central national coordination unit, National AMR steering or coordinating committees or other equivalent national authorities.
Available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese
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The Strategic Tool for Assessing Risks (STAR) offers a comprehensive, easy-to-use toolkit and approach to enable national and subnational governments to rapidly conduct a strategic ...ibute-to-highlight medbox">and evidence-based assessment of public health risks for planning and prioritization of health emergency preparedness and disaster risk management activities. This guidance describes the principles and methodology of STAR to enhance its adaptation and use at the national or subnational levels.
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Second edition.
AVailable in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Portuguese
Objectives: This paper reviews the mental health policies that have been implemented in Chile in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the international context of countries' responses. Even before the start of the pandemic, there were significant b...arriers to access mental health services in Chile, coupled with a scenario of nationwide social unrest and protests that questioned the legitimacy of public institutions; now the rapidly worsening outbreaks of COVID-19 are exacerbating the pre-existing mental health crisis.
Methods: We conducted a bibliometric and content analysis of the Chilean mental health public policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and then compared these policies with international experiences and emerging scientific evidence on the mental health impact of pandemics.
Results: Our analysis of the policies identifies five crucial points of action developed in Chile: (i) an established framework to address mental health in emergency and disaster situations; (ii) a timely COVID-19 Mental Health Action Plan; (iii) inclusion of mental health in the public health agenda; (iv) development of a presidential strategy during the pandemic for comprehensive mental health and well-being; and (v) emerging research assessing the mental health implications of COVID-19.
Conclusions: In Chile, the public policy responses to address the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by the coordinated implementation of mental health plans, ranging from a health sectoral initiative to inter-agency and intersectoral efforts. However, it is imperative that increased funding is allocated to mental health, and efforts should be made to promote the participation of people with lived experiences and communities in the design and implementation of the proposed actions. This aspect could be of key importance to social peace and community recovery after the pandemic.
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Saving lives is the priority of WHO’s response in Ukraine. WHO works to ensure time-critical, lifesaving multisectoral assistance, non-discriminatory access to emergency and essential health services and... priority prevention programmes, and laying the foundation for longer-term health systems recovery and strengthening.
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This regional action plan provides a broad framework for the regional level to assist governments in accelerating the implementation of existing international, regional and national commitments on ending FGM. Formulating the plan has provided an opp...ortunity for the region to identify broad priorities, initiate strategic actions and determine responsibilities among different actors. It also ensures that anti-FGM campaign activities are seen not as standalone efforts but rather as an integral part of the African Union’s discussions, in line with the African Union initiative on eliminating FGM (Saleema Initiative)
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Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties ...e-to-highlight medbox">and economic losses, whilst the impact of heatwaves became more severe, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.
In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the north-west Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heatwave.
Asia is warming faster than the global average. The warming trend has nearly doubled since the 1961–1990 period.
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Alcohol use is deeply embedded in the social landscape of many societies, and some 2300 million people drink alcoholic beverages in most parts of the world. At the same time, more than half of the global population aged 15 years ...te-to-highlight medbox">and older reported having abstained from drinking alcohol during the previous 12 months. Several major factors have an impact on levels and patterns of alcohol consumption in populations – such as historical trends in alcohol consumption, the availability of alcohol, culture, economic status and implemented alcohol control measures. At the individual level the patterns and levels of alcohol consumption are determined by multiple factors that include gender, age and individual biological and socioeconomic vulnerability factors as well as the policy environment. Prevailing social norms that support drinking behaviour and mixed messages about the harms and benefits of drinking may encourage alcohol consumption, delay appropriate health-seeking behaviour and weaken community action.
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The Regional strategy for measles control recommends that a second opportunity for measles immunization be provided to all children irrespective of their vaccination status or history of clinical measles. The preferred method of provision of a second opportunity is through Supplemental Immunization ...Activities (SIAs) targeting children 9 months to 14 years in catch-up campaigns and 9 months to 4 or 5 years during periodic follow-up campaigns
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This evaluation is the first systematic effort by UNICEF to generate evidence on how well its global as well as country level Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) strategies have worked, including their acceptance and ownership in vario...us contexts and appropriateness of investments in capacity development and supply components. Overall, the evaluation recommends that UNICEF continue to promote and support CMAM as a viable approach to preventing and addressing severe acute malnutrition (SAM), with an emphasis on prevention through strengthening community outreach and integrating CMAM into national health systems and with other intervention
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2nd edition. Known as “Community Case Management of Sick Children” (CCM), this approach sends community-based health workers out to find, diagnose, and successfully treat sick children, in partnership with their families. Inspired by the classic... “Immunization Essentials”, this guide methodically documents what is known about CCM and how to make it work. First, health program managers are introduced to the basics. Then, CCM Essentials walks its readers through the process of designing and managing a high-quality CCM program. The ultimate result: lives of newborns, infants and children saved around the world
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This document is to guide policy makers, managers, districts, health workers, communities, NGOs and all other stakeholders on how to implement newborn health services.
The current SEARVAP (South-East Asia regional vaccine action plan) describes a set of regional goals and objectives for immunization and control of vaccine-preventable diseases for 2016 – 2020 ...an class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and highlights priority actions, targets and indicators that address the specific needs and challenges of countries in the Region.
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Fostering resilient development through integrated action plan
The Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction, 2017 is a comprehensive and unified action plan for disaster risk reduction with prioritized interventions across Myanmar till 2020.... With a long term vision and considering deep-rooted underlying drivers of disaster risk, it has set an overall target for 2030. it aims to provide a base for mobilizing and leveraging, primarily, national and external resources and will provide a basis for result printed outcomes.
The action plan identifies 32 priority actions under four pillars: risk information and awareness; risk governance; risk mitigation; and preparedness and response, rehabilitation and reconstruction. For each priority action, objectives, activities, outputs, duration, lead agencies, and supporting partners have been identified.
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This document is meant to respond to the questions:
■ What health interventions should the adolescent receive and when should s/he receive it?
■ What health behaviours should the adolescent practise (or not practise)?