Download or read book Technical Guidelines for Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in the African Region written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The second edition of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) Technical Guidelines was prepared by the Disease Prevention and Control Cluster with active participation and involvement of programmes dealing with disease surveillance at the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), Brazzaville, Congo as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA. The purpose of the revision was to update existing information, include other priority diseases, conditions and public health events and incorporate aspects of the International Health Regulations (IHR) that deal with disease surveillance. In planning to update these guidelines, suggestions and advice for improving the recommendations were sought and gratefully received from the IDSR development teams who prepared the 1st edition. This revision builds on the technical expertise from more than 100 surveillance and disease experts at WHO, CDC and Ministries of Health in African countries who conceived and produced the 1st edition. The revision process involved internal WHO consultation followed by a wider consultation that involved a series of meetings with various partners and Member States. In addition, an ad hoc IDSR task force was constituted to help with the revision process. The final draft was peer reviewed by the ad hoc task force as well as during a final partner consultative meeting held in August 2010"--Title page verso.

Download or read book Technical Guidelines for Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in the African Region written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In September 1998, the 48th Regional Committee for Africa met in Harare. Through resolution AFRO/RC48/R2, Member States adopted integrated disease surveillance as a regional strategy for early detection and efficacious response to priority communicable diseases for the African region. Communicable diseases are the most common causes of death, disability and illness in the African region. While these diseases present a large threat to the well-being of African communities, there are well-known interventions that are available for controlling and preventing them. Surveillance data can guide health personnel in the decision making needed to implement the proper strategies for disease control and lead to activities for preventing future cases. Surveillance is a watchful, vigilant approach to information gathering that serves to improve or maintain the health of the population. A functional disease surveillance system is essential for defining problems and taking action. Using epidemiological methods in the service of surveillance equips district and local health teams to set priorities, plan interventions, mobilize and allocate resources and predict or provide early detection of outbreaks. Depending on the goal of the disease prevention programme, the surveillance activity objectives guides programme managers towards selecting data that would be the most useful to collect and use for making evidenced-based decisions for public health actions. A disease control program may want to know what progress is being made with its prevention activities. The program collects age and vaccination statues for cases of vaccine-preventable diseases. If the program's goal is to prevent outbreaks, the surveillance unit can monitor the epidemiology of a particular disease so that the program can more accurately identify where the next cases might occur or the populations at highest risk. In addition, improving laboratory support for disease surveillance is essential for confirming causes of illness and early detection of outbreaks. Casebased investigation and laboratory confirmation provide the most precise information about where action must be taken to achieve an elimination target. Monitoring populations at highest risk for a particular disease can help to predict future outbreaks and focus prevention activities in the areas where they are most needed. Too often, however, surveillance data for communicable disease is neither reported nor analyzed. As a result, the opportunity to take action with an appropriate public health response and save lives is lost. Even in cases where adequate information is collected, it is often not available for use at the local level. Experiences with some disease eradication and elimination programs show that disease control and prevention objectives are successfully met when resources are dedicated to improving the ability of health officials to detect the targeted diseases, obtain laboratory confirmation of outbreaks, and use action thresholds at the district level. Building on these successes, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) proposes a comprehensive strategy for improving communicable disease surveillance and response through integrated disease surveillance (IDS) linking community, health facility, district and national levels in the African region. The IDS strategy provides for a rational use of resources for disease control and prevention. Currently, many intervention programs have their own disease surveillance systems. Each program has made efforts through the years to improve its ability to obtain data for developing timely and reliable information that can be used for action. They involve similar functions especially at district and health facility levels. They often use the same structures, processes and personnel.

Download or read book Public Health Events of Initially Unknown Etiology written by World Health Organization. Regional Office for Africa and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Following the adoption of the WHO African Region's Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) Strategy in 1998 and the International Health Regulations (IHR) in 2005, the ministries of health in the WHO African Region committed to work collaboratively to minimize the effects of public health events (PHEs) on human health, livelihood, travel and commercial trade by improving preparedness, surveillance systems and response capacity for PHEs. The WHO African Regional Office and its partners remain committed to implementation of IDSR and IHR in the Member States and to supporting the use of accurate and timely health information to guide decision-making during PHEs, including emergencies, whether of infectious or non-infectious etiology. Although technical guidelines are available for Member States to strengthen the response to PHEs with disease-specific etiology such as yellow fever, cholera and anthrax, there is a dearth of guidance on appropriate steps in the early phases of detection, reporting, alert management, field investigation and response for PHEs of initially unknown etiology. To address that issue, the WHO Regional Office for Africa has worked closely with public health leaders and subject-matter experts in the Region and partner organizations to draw up and design this framework to serve as a concise and easy-to-use technical and managerial guide for senior level decisionmakers and members of national emergency management committees (EMCs) and rapid response teams (RRTs) in Member States. This framework is designed to supplement the more detailed information contained in the IDSR Technical Guidelines and to enhance country-level emergency preparedness and response capacity, including capability to manage alerts of PHEs before they become public health threats of national, regional or international importance. The framework also aims to improve understanding of the process of assessing the credibility of an alert by an EMC and to strengthen the capacity to organize and deploy a well-qualified and equipped RRT to conduct a field investigation. The framework underscores the importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) during this process, as well as of using M&E findings, including those from after-action reviews (AARs) to strengthen preparedness and response capacity of Member States. In accordance with IHR and the IDSR Regional Strategy, the components of this framework are grouped into three phases: preparedness, response, and monitoring and evaluation. We advise that this framework be read alongside the relevant sections of the IDSR Technical Guidelines and the technical documents and scientific articles cited herein."--Page [5]

Download or read book Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response written by World Health Organization and published by . This book was released on 2004* with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Global to the Local Perspective written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-03-29 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In October 1999, the Forum on Emerging Infections of the Institute of Medicine convened a two-day workshop titled "International Aspects of Emerging Infections." Key representatives from the international community explored the forces that drive emerging infectious diseases to prominence. Representatives from the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe made formal presentations and engaged in panel discussions. Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Global to the Local Perspective includes summaries of the formal presentations and suggests an agenda for future action. The topics addressed cover a wide range of issues, including trends in the incidence of infectious diseases around the world, descriptions of the wide variety of factors that contribute to the emergence and reemergence of these diseases, efforts to coordinate surveillance activities and responses within and across borders, and the resource, research, and international needs that remain to be addressed.

Download or read book National Technical Guidelines for Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre written by World Health Organization and published by . This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC framework) document is intended to be used by practitioners of public health; health policy makers; and authorities and agencies responsible for managing emergencies, incidents, or events where the health of populations is at risk. This document provides high-level methodical guidance for designing, developing, and strengthening of public health emergency operations centers. This interim document outlines the key concepts and essential requirements for developing and managing a public health EOC (PHEOC). The overall approach is generic and based on widely acknowledged elements of all-hazards emergency management. It provides an outline for developing and managing a PHEOC to achieve a goal-oriented response to public health emergencies and unity of effort among response agencies. The document will be revised as necessary. Practical guidance on specific aspects of the PHEOC framework will be developed and published separately. A public health emergency is here defined as an occurrence, or imminent threat, of an illness or health condition that poses a substantial risk of a significant number of human fatalities, injuries or permanent or long-term disability. Public health emergencies can result from a wide range of hazards and complex emergencies. Experience has shown that timely implementation of an EOC provides an essential platform for the effective management of public health emergencies. Public health emergencies involve increased incidence of illness, injury and/or death and require special measures to address increased morbidity, mortality and interruption of essential health services. For such emergencies, a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional response is often required, working with the national disaster management organization. When normal resources and capacities are exceeded, support from outside the affected areas will also be required. External assistance could include national, cross-border, regional or international resources.

Download or read book Infectious Disease Surveillance written by Nkuchia M. M'ikanatha and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-03-11 with total page 1139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fully updated edition of Infectious Disease Surveillance is for frontline public health practitioners, epidemiologists, and clinical microbiologists who are engaged in communicable disease control. It is also a foundational text for trainees in public health, applied epidemiology, postgraduate medicine and nursing programs. The second edition portrays both the conceptual framework and practical aspects of infectious disease surveillance. It is a comprehensive resource designed to improve the tracking of infectious diseases and to serve as a starting point in the development of new surveillance systems. Infectious Disease Surveillance includes over 45 chapters from over 100 contributors, and topics organized into six sections based on major themes. Section One highlights the critical role surveillance plays in public health and it provides an overview of the current International Health Regulations (2005) in addition to successes and challenges in infectious disease eradication. Section Two describes surveillance systems based on logical program areas such as foodborne illnesses, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, viral hepatitis healthcare and transplantation associated infections. Attention is devoted to programs for monitoring unexplained deaths, agents of bioterrorism, mass gatherings, and disease associated with international travel. Sections Three and Four explore the uses of the Internet and wireless technologies to advance infectious disease surveillance in various settings with emphasis on best practices based on deployed systems. They also address molecular laboratory methods, and statistical and geospatial analysis, and evaluation of systems for early epidemic detection. Sections Five and Six discuss legal and ethical considerations, communication strategies and applied epidemiology-training programs. The rest of the chapters offer public-private partnerships, as well lessons from the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic and future directions for infectious disease surveillance.

Download or read book International Health Regulations 2005 written by World Health Organization and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2008-12-15 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In response to the call of the 48th World Health Assembly for a substantial revision of the International Health Regulations, this new edition of the Regulations will enter into force on June 15, 2007. The purpose and scope of the Regulations are "to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade." The Regulations also cover certificates applicable to international travel and transport, and requirements for international ports, airports and ground crossings.

Download or read book The Ebola Epidemic in West Africa written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-12-30 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most recent Ebola epidemic that began in late 2013 alerted the entire world to the gaps in infectious disease emergency preparedness and response. The regional outbreak that progressed to a significant public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in a matter of months killed 11,310 and infected more than 28,616. While this outbreak bears some unique distinctions to past outbreaks, many characteristics remain the same and contributed to tragic loss of human life and unnecessary expenditure of capital: insufficient knowledge of the disease, its reservoirs, and its transmission; delayed prevention efforts and treatment; poor control of the disease in hospital settings; and inadequate community and international responses. Recognizing the opportunity to learn from the countless lessons of this epidemic, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop in March 2015 to discuss the challenges to successful outbreak responses at the scientific, clinical, and global health levels. Workshop participants explored the epidemic from multiple perspectives, identified important questions about Ebola that remained unanswered, and sought to apply this understanding to the broad challenges posed by Ebola and other emerging pathogens, to prevent the international community from being taken by surprise once again in the face of these threats. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Download or read book Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance written by Steven M. Teutsch and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2000 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This text presents an organized approach to planning, developing, and implementing public health surveillance systems. It has a broad scope, discussing legal and ethical issues as well as technical problems"--Jacket cover.

Download or read book Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-01-24 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: H1N1 ("swine flu"), SARS, mad cow disease, and HIV/AIDS are a few examples of zoonotic diseases-diseases transmitted between humans and animals. Zoonotic diseases are a growing concern given multiple factors: their often novel and unpredictable nature, their ability to emerge anywhere and spread rapidly around the globe, and their major economic toll on several disparate industries. Infectious disease surveillance systems are used to detect this threat to human and animal health. By systematically collecting data on the occurrence of infectious diseases in humans and animals, investigators can track the spread of disease and provide an early warning to human and animal health officials, nationally and internationally, for follow-up and response. Unfortunately, and for many reasons, current disease surveillance has been ineffective or untimely in alerting officials to emerging zoonotic diseases. Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases assesses some of the disease surveillance systems around the world, and recommends ways to improve early detection and response. The book presents solutions for improved coordination between human and animal health sectors, and among governments and international organizations. Parties seeking to improve the detection and response to zoonotic diseases-including U.S. government and international health policy makers, researchers, epidemiologists, human health clinicians, and veterinarians-can use this book to help curtail the threat zoonotic diseases pose to economies, societies, and health.

Download or read book Core functions of microbiology reference laboratories for communicable diseases written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report identifies the core functions and activities of microbiology reference laboratories as part of public health microbiology. It is intended to support Member States in implementing these functions in the context of their national public health systems. Moreover, this information can provide a foundation for strengthening international cooperation between microbiology reference laboratories, thus contributing to both the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control [1] and fulfilling obligations placed on Member States by the International Health Regulations (IHR) [2].

Download or read book The Selection and Use of Essential Medicines written by WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines and published by WHO. This book was released on 2004 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report presents the recommendations of the WHO Expert Committee responsible for updating the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. The first part contains a progress report on the new procedures for updating the Model List and the development of the WHO Essential Medicines Library. It continues with a section on changes made in revising the Model List followed by a review of some sections such as hypertensive medicines and fast track procedures for deleting items. Annexes include the 13th version of the Model List and items on the list sorted according to their 5-level Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification codes.

Download or read book Evidence Based Public Health written by Ross C. Brownson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-03 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are at least three ways in which a public health program or policy may not reach stated goals for success: 1) Choosing an intervention approach whose effectiveness is not established in the scientific literature; 2) Selecting a potentially effective program or policy yet achieving only weak, incomplete implementation or "reach," thereby failing to attain objectives; 3) Conducting an inadequate or incorrect evaluation that results in a lack of generalizable knowledge on the effectiveness of a program or policy; and 4) Paying inadequate attention to adapting an intervention to the population and context of interest To enhance evidence-based practice, this book addresses all four possibilities and attempts to provide practical guidance on how to choose, carry out, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. It also begins to address a fifth, overarching need for a highly trained public health workforce. This book deals not only with finding and using scientific evidence, but also with implementation and evaluation of interventions that generate new evidence on effectiveness. Because all these topics are broad and require multi-disciplinary skills and perspectives, each chapter covers the basic issues and provides multiple examples to illustrate important concepts. In addition, each chapter provides links to the diverse literature and selected websites for readers wanting more detailed information. An indispensable volume for professionals, students, and researchers in the public health sciences and preventative medicine, this new and updated edition of Evidence-Based Public Health aims to bridge research and evidence with policies and the practice of public health.

Download or read book Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016 2030 written by World Health Organization and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2015-11-04 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The World Health Organization's Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016- 2030 has been developed with the aim to help countries to reduce the human suffering caused by the world's deadliest mosquito-borne disease. Adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 it provides comprehensive technical guidance to countries and development partners for the next 15 years emphasizing the importance of scaling up malaria responses and moving towards elimination. It also highlights the urgent need to increase investments across all interventions - including preventive measures diagnostic testing treatment and disease surveillance- as well as in harnessing innovation and expanding research. By adopting this strategy WHO Member States have endorsed the bold vision of a world free of malaria and set the ambitious new target of reducing the global malaria burden by 90% by 2030. They also agreed to strengthen health systems address emerging multi-drug and insecticide resistance and intensify national cross-border and regional efforts to scale up malaria responses to protect everyone at risk.

Download or read book Human Monkeypox written by and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: