Report of the fifth meeting of the Onchocerciasis Technical Advisory Subgroup


Book Description

The onchocerciasis technical subcommittee met virtually in December 2021 to deliberate against critical topics to support onchocerciasis elimination in endemic countries. The meeting report highlights the main recommendations to WHO and partners.




Report of the fifth meeting of the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases


Book Description

The fifth meeting of the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases (DTAG) was held in November 2022. The DTAG was established in 2019 to address gaps in NTD diagnostics through a harmonized approach for identifying and prioritizing diagnostic needs, and to inform WHO strategies and guidance on NTD diagnostics. The meeting addressed the end-to-end process of diagnostic development, including regulatory pathways, as we all as advocacy and resource mobilization, and engagement of diagnostics manufacturers and developers. The DTAG and its disease-specific and cross-cutting subgroups have supported and facilitated the development of several target product profiles for selected NTDs to address the critical diagnostic gaps.




Report of the sixth meeting of the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Geneva, Switzerland, 14–15 February 2024


Book Description

The Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group (DTAG) for the WHO Global NTD Programme was formed to foster a unified approach for identifying and prioritizing diagnostic needs, and to inform WHO strategies and guidance on NTD diagnostics. The first meeting of the DTAG was held at the Inter Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2019. The second took place virtually in October 2020, the third in June 2021, the fourth in October 2021 and the fifth in November 2022. Several disease-specific and cross-cutting DTAG subgroups have been formed, resulting in the development of target product profiles (TPPs) for new diagnostics, some of which have been published, and some of which are in production. WHO/NTD convened the sixth DTAG meeting on 14 and 15 February 2024, with the following objectives across the end-to-end process of diagnostic development: -consider updates from disease-specific subgroups and TPP production; -discuss progress made by the cross-cutting and resource mobilization subgroups; -discuss the Expert Review Panel for Diagnostics (ERPD) NTD pilot project and lessons learnt; -discuss engagement of manufacturers and developers; -discuss laboratory capacity strengthening and standardization of molecular methods; -deliberate on the priority/focus areas of engagement for the DTAG for the next 2 years.




Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation - Intersections between Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade


Book Description

This study has emerged from an ongoing program of trilateral cooperation between WHO, WTO and WIPO. It responds to an increasing demand, particularly in developing countries, for strengthened capacity for informed policy-making in areas of intersection between health, trade and IP, focusing on access to and innovation of medicines and other medical technologies.




World Health Statistics 2016 [OP]


Book Description

The World Health Statistics series is WHO's annual compilation of health statistics for its 194 Member States. The World Health Statistics 2016focuses on the health and health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets. It represents an initial effort to bring together available data on SDG health and health-related indicators, providing an assessment of the situation in 2016. The SDG health goal -- ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages -- includes 13 targets, covering all major health priorities, and including the unfinished and expanded Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agenda, four targets to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, injuries and environmental issues, and four "means of implementation" targets. This report also seeks to demonstrate the critical linkages between health and other SDGs by including indicators of selected health determinants and risk factors in other SDG targets. The series is produced by the WHO Department of Information, Evidence and Research, of the Health Systems and Innovation Cluster. As in previous years, World Health Statistics 2016 has been compiled using publications and databases produced and maintained by WHO technical programs and regional offices. WHO presents World Health Statistics 2016as an integral part of its ongoing efforts to provide enhanced access to comparable high-quality statistics on core measures of population health and national health systems. Unless otherwise stated, all estimates have been cleared following consultation with Member States and are published here as official WHO figures.







Priorities in Health


Book Description

"This companion guide to Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition speeds the diffusion of life-saving knowledge by distilling the contents of the larger volume into an easily read format. Policy makers, practitioners, academics, and other interested readers will get an overview of the messages and analysis in Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition; be alerted to the scope of major diseases; learn strategies to improve policies and choices to implement cost-effective interventions; and locate chapters of immediate interest."




Attacking Poverty


Book Description

At the start of each decade the World Development Report focuses on poverty reduction. The World Development Report, now in its twenty-third edition, proposes an empowerment-security-opportunity framework of action to reduce poverty in the first decades of the twenty-first century. It views poverty as a multidimensional phenonmenon arising out of complex interactions between assets, markets, and institutions. This Report shows how the experience of poverty reduction in the last fifteen years has been remarkably diverse and how this experience has provided useful lessons as well as warnings against simplistic universal policies and interventions. It shows how current global trends present extraordinary opportunities for poverty reduction but also cause extraordinary risks, including growing inequality, marginalization, and social explosions. The World Development Report 2000/2001 explores the challenge of managing these risks in order to make the most of the opportunities for poverty reduction.




Health in 2015


Book Description

In 2015 the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) come to the end of their term, and a post-2015 agenda, comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), takes their place. This WHO report looks back 15 years at the trends and positive forces during the MDG era and assesses the main challenges that will affect health in the coming 15 years. "Snapshots" on 34 different health topics outline trends, achievements made, reasons for success, challenges and strategic priorities for improving health in the different areas.--




Communicable Disease Control in Emergencies


Book Description

This field manual is intended to help health professionals and public health coordinators working in emergency situations prevent, detect and control the major communicable diseases encountered by affected populations. The manual is the result of collaboration among a number of WHO departments and several external partner agencies in reviewing existing guidelines on communicable disease control and adapting them to emergency situations. The manual deals with the fundamental principles of communicable disease control in emergencies, which are: Rapid assessment to identify the communicable disease threats faced by the emergency-affected population, including those with epidemic potential, and define the health status of the population by conducting a rapid assessment; Prevention to prevent communicable disease by maintaining a healthy physical environment and good general living conditions; Surveillance to set up or strengthen disease surveillance system with an early warning mechanism to ensure the early reporting of cases to monitor disease trends, and to facilitate prompt detection and response to outbreaks; outbreak control to ensure outbreaks are rapidly detected and controlled through adequate preparedness (i.e. stockpiles, standard treatment protocols and staff training) and rapid response (i.e.confirmation, investigation and implementation of control measures); and disease management to diagnose and treat cases promptly with trained staff using effective treatment and standard protocols at all health facilities.