Schistosomiasis, also known as Bilharzia, is an infection caused by a parasitic worm that lives in fresh water in subtropical and tropical regions. Schistosomiasis is second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease. The parasites that cause schistosomiasis live in certain types of f...reshwater snails. The infectious form, known as cercariae, emerge from the snail and then contaminate the water. People become infected when their skin comes into contact with the contaminated freshwater. Most human infections are caused by Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium, or Schistosoma japonicum. more

This report aims to support countries in the necessary transition toward healthier, more sustainable diets by integrating biodiversity in food-based interventions to support nutrition and health. It is intended to help guide decision-makers in the <...span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">health, nutrition and other sectors, to: Consider the important role of biodiversity in food systems for the development of integrated interventions to support healthy, diverse and sustainable diets; To focus investments and country support for more comprehensive, coordinated and cross-cutting public health and nutrition projects and policies; and To strengthen the resilience of food systems, health systems, and societies, each of which are each increasingly compromised by widespread ecological degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change. Biodiversity at every level (genetic, species and ecosystem level) is a foundational pillar for food security, nutrition, and dietary quality. It is the basic source of variety in essential foods, nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and medicines, and underpins life-sustaining ecosystem services. It is a core environmental determinant of health, often a vital ingredient of healthy nutritional outcomes and livelihoods, gender equality, social equity, and other health determinants. Biodiversity can play a more prominent role in planning for nutritional outcomes in various ways, e.g. by facilitating the production of nutritious fruits and plant products, sustaining livelihoods through more efficient production and increasing the diversity of products available in markets. This Guidance presents and expands on six core building blocks for mainstreaming biodiversity for nutrition and health: Cross-sectoral knowledge development and knowledge co-production; Enabling environments; Integration; Conservation and the wider use of biodiversity; Education and awareness-raising; Monitoring and evaluation; This WHO report builds on an unprecedented opportunity to mainstream biodiversity in order to support healthy and sustainable diets, and offers the necessary technical guidance to catalyze and support a transformation of the global food system and transition to healthier, more sustainable diets. more

In many of Myanmar’s contested regions, healthcare services are provided through two parallel governance systems – by the government’s Ministry of Health, and by providers linked to ethnic armed organizations. Building upon efforts to build tr...ust between these two actors following ceasefires signed in 2011 and 2012, the new National League for Democracy-led government offers an unprecedented opportunity to increase cooperation between these systems and to ensure health services reach Myanmar’s most vulnerable populations.
The report provides an overview of existing health service arrangements in these areas, from both the Ministry of Health and from ethnic and community-based health organizations. It then unpacks the concept of “convergence”, highlighting key opportunities and policy recommendations for both government and non-government actors. more

(Health Systems in Transition, Vol. 4, No. 3, 2014)

This training and guidance module addresses the use of coercive and violent practices in mental health and related services with a particular focus on seclusion and restraint. It aims to promote a greater understanding of why these practices are use...d and build practical skills to help end these practices. While the module itself focuses on ending these practices in the health care setting, much of the content can also be applied in other settings where seclusion and restraint occur, for example in the home and in the wider community. more

This document provides training and guidance on the reasons for, and the impact of, violence, coercion and abuse within mental health and related settings. It also provides guidance on how to implement strategies to end the use of coercion, violence... and abuse in these settings. more

Ensuring mental health and well-being has become a worldwide imperative and an important target of the Sustainable Development Goals. But in all countries around the world, our response has been woefully insufficient, and we have made little prog...ress to advance mental health as a fundamental human right. One in ten people are affected by a mental health condition, up to 200 million people have an intellectual disability and an estimated 50 million people have dementia. Many persons with mental health conditions, or psychosocial, intellectual, or cognitive disabilities lack access to quality mental health services that respond to their needs and respect their rights and dignity. more

The QualityRights training and orientation modules have been developed to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of key stakeholders on how to promote the rights of people with psychosocial, intellectual or cognitive disabilities, improve the quality of services and support provided in the ...field of mental health and related areas, in line with international human rights standards, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the recovery approach. mental health and related fields, in accordance with international human rights standards, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the recovery approach. more

Les modules de formation et d’orientation QualityRights ont été élaborés pour renforcer les connaissances, les compétences et la compréhension des principales parties prenantes sur la manière de promouvoir les droits des personnes en situation de handicap psychosocial, intellectuel ou cogni...tif, d'améliorer la qualité des services et des aides fournis dans le domaine de la santé mentale et dans les domaines connexes, conformément aux normes internationales en matière de droits humains, et en particulier la Convention des Nations unies relative aux droits des personnes handicapées et l'approche du rétablissement. more

This document has been developed to support countries develop and strengthen individualized peer support services in mental health and related areas. It addresses the provision of individualized peer support in the context of ...to-highlight medbox">health services and the wider community. more

This handbook and teaching guide on recovery has been designed to complement the QualityRights training module on Promoting Recovery in Mental Health and Related Services. The handbook and teaching guide covers much of the same material, but also co...ntains additional text and exercises. It can be given to participants at the end of the training sessions so that they are able to review the concepts and material learned during the training. Alternatively, it can be used independently as a standalone document to deliver training on recovery over 4-5 training days. The handbook/ teaching guide does not rely on PowerPoint presentations to deliver the training. Instead all participants should have a copy of the handbook/ teaching guide and work through the text and exercises either in plenary or in groups based on the discretion of the facilitator for the training. more

This training and guidance has been developed to provide an in-depth understanding on what it means to respect legal capacity in mental health and related areas as well as concrete strategies to ensure that people are able to exercise their right to... legal capacity in all areas of their life. In this context a wide range of scenarios are used to describe how different models of supported decision making can be applied in practice. more

This module has been developed to provide training and guidance to improve the quality of care and human rights conditions in inpatient, outpatient and community based mental health and related services, following the conduct of a comprehensive asse...ssment using the WHO QualityRights assessment toolkit. more

This document provides training and guidance on legal capacity and how supported decision making, recovery plans and advance plans help to avoid involuntary detention and treatment and ensure people are able to exercise their right to legal capacity.

This document provides training and guidance on the key standards related to the physical and social environment within mental health and related services that need to be met to promote good outcomes, independent living and community inclusion.

This document has been developed to provide training and guidance on how to integrate a human rights approach in mental health and related areas, based on international human rights instruments, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of Perso...ns with Disabilities (CRPD). more

This document has been developed to provide training and guidance to be able to understand what are human rights, what human rights mean for people’s lives, as well as the actions that can be taken by individuals and groups to respect and promote human rights.

Ensuring mental health and well-being has become a worldwide imperative and an important target of the Sustainable Development Goals. But in all countries around the world, our response has been woefully insufficient, and we have made little progre...ss to advance mental health as a fundamental human right. One in ten people are affected by a mental health condition, up to 200 million people have an intellectual disability and an estimated 50 million people have dementia. Many persons with mental health conditions, or psychosocial, intellectual, or cognitive disabilities lack access to quality mental health services that respond to their needs and respect their rights and dignity. more

This strategic document is relevant to the diverse contexts that exist across the WHO European Region, and to countries implementing a wide range of national and subnational responses. The strategy is flexible and adaptable to national and subnational contexts and guides countries in rapidly bringin...g COVID-19 cases under control, and in preparing for a phased transition from a widespread transmission to a steady state of low-level or no transmission. more

This document aims to support those working in primary care to strengthen IPC, informed by existing WHO IPC guidance and implementation resources. Many of the existing WHO IPC guidance and implementation resources initially developed for acute health...> care facilities have a potential utility for IPC in primary care. However, navigating these resources to locate relevant content for IPC in primary care can be challenging as some documents can span over 100 pages. This document extracts relevant content, bringing together existing WHO IPC standards, indicators and implementation approaches that are focused on, or directly relevant to IPC in primary care. It should also be used to identify resources suitable for use in primary care that can be embedded within relevant IPC or other health programmes. more