Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation. The UN encourages the development national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes in line with the sustainable development of their health-care systems. Over the past decade, diabetes prevalence has risen faster in low and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. This year’s World Diabetes Day (14 Nov) focuses on the nurse and diabetes. The campaign aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes.
HIV service providers in Jamaica have been challenged this year with responding both to new challenges caused by COVID-19 and long-standing service delivery stumbling blocks. CHARES had been used to writing three-month prescriptions for stable clients, but since COVID-19, state-run pharmacies have been dispensing only a one-month supply. The Comprehensive Health Centre serves a number of people living with HIV alongside those infected with other sexually transmitted infections. Here, too, multimonth dispensing has not been possible during COVID-19.
In this , we have the latest on COVID-19 from ’s Associate Vice-President Donal Brown; news on nutrition from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic; and a report on getting youth issues right in development activities. We also speak with Marco Minciaroni, a leader in Italy’s agro-ecological movement.
A vaccine for COVID-19 will be a critical tool for helping bring the pandemic under control when combined with effective testing and existing prevention measures. Experts around the world are working hard to accelerate the development and manufacturing of a safe and effective vaccine. Here are answers to some of the most common questions: When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready? How is the COVID-19 vaccine being developed? Will a coronavirus vaccine be safe? Get the answers to these and more.
launches a global campaign to end poverty and raise awareness of the alarming rate at which COVID-19 and climate change are increasing inequalities around the world.
While recent data collection has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a , the impact on HIV treatment is less than originally feared. In a study conducted by UNAIDS, World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund, only five out of 22 countries reported monthly declines in the number of people on treatment after April—these include Zimbabwe in June, Peru and Guyana in July, the Dominican Republic in April, and Sierra Leone in May through to July. The remaining 18 countries did not show a decline and some countries showed a steady increase (e.g. Kenya, Ukraine, Togo and Tajikistan).
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing. A recent survey of 130 countries provides the first global data showing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health services and underscores the urgent need for increased funding. Prior to the pandemic, countries were spending less than 2 per cent of their national health budgets on mental health and the pandemic is increasing demand for mental health services.
This year’s , on 10 October, comes at a time when our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected that the need for mental health and psychosocial support will substantially increase in the coming months and years. Investment in mental health programmes at the national and international levels, which have already suffered from years of chronic underfunding, is now more important than it has ever been. This is why, the goal of this year’s World Mental Health Day campaign is increased investment in mental health.
recognizes leadership is required to manage the negative dimensions of globalization and harvest the positive, to ensure progress is not overwhelmed by common threats. Resilient systems are only as strong as their weakest links. Stopping the next pandemic, which could be even worse than COVID-19, must be a priority. This requires reinforcing and reforming the to give it the governance, staff, and capacity it needs to be the world’s rapid-response fighting force on global health. Resilience cannot be delegated to others. It is everyone’s responsibility.
Countries that are already experiencing fragility, conflict, climate change and forced displacement will continue to face multiple burdens as results of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled the huge challenges and risks health workers are facing globally. Working in stressful environments makes health workers more prone to errors which can lead to patient harm. Health worker safety is a priority for patient safety.
The guidance by , and , reaffirms the importance of schools for the social and intellectual development of children, for their physical and mental health and for the wellbeing of communities.
Real time RT-PCR is the most accurate method to detect the COVID-19 virus. The FAO/IAEA Animal Protection and Health Laboratory has been helping countries use this technique to detect zoonotic (animal to human) diseases like COVID-19 and Ebola for decades.
Survivors of COVID-19 from 37 countries are among almost 1,000 people who have signed an calling for a ‘’ and treatments that are available to all – free from patents. The letter came on the eve of a high-level side event about the pandemic at the UN General Assembly in New York. The letter says: “Some of us have lost loved ones to this killer disease. Some of us have come close to death ourselves. Some of us are continuing to live in fear that contracting this disease would be fatal for us. We see no justification why your profit or monopolies should mean anyone else should go through this.â€
The far-reaching fallout of COVID-19