This fact sheet provides information on the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys, and subsequently identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is not clear, but is likely to be a few days. The symptoms are similar to other arbovirus infections such as dengue, and include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. These symptoms are usually mild and last for 2-7 days. Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. People with Zika virus disease usually have symptoms that can include mild fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache lasting for 2-7 days. There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available. The leaflet provides updated information on the virus given its recent spread in Latin America.
Useful Resources
Created by the non-profit Code4SA, this new app uses the latest single exit prices for medicines to let people see if they are paying too much for medication in South Africa. In 2004, the government introduced a single exit price mechanism for medicines to put a stop to discounts and additional levies on medicines. The mechanism now lists the maximum price for most medicines. However, dispensers may charge an additional dispensing fee depending on the price of the medicine. Using the latest single exit prices, the free app allows people to check what price they should be paying for prescriptions – and whether cheaper generics are available.
This course is directed at emergency department staff. It is aimed at training to help emergency department staff prepare to evaluate whether or not a patient might have ebola virus disease. Staff members should use this information to follow the 3 steps within the “Identify, Isolate, and Inform” strategy. Centers for Disease Control recommends that staff members screen all patients with travel histories, exposure, or clinical symptoms that might suggest the person could have ebola virus disease.
In response to the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, Oxford University Press has made more than 50 articles from leading journals and online resources freely accessible to assist researchers, medical professionals, policy makers, and others working on the containment, treatment, and prevention of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Articles are free to access worldwide until 4 January 2016.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) calls on enhanced global efforts to improve health in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities by tackling the root causes of disease and health inequalities. In order to address this and to spur up action, raise awareness and facilitate implementation of a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach WHO has launched a Health in All Policies training manual. This manual is a training resource to increase understanding of the importance of Health in All Policies among health and other professionals. The material will form the basis of 2- and 3-day workshops, which will: build capacity to promote, implement and evaluate HiAP; encourage engagement and collaboration across sectors; facilitate the exchange of experiences and lessons learned; promote regional and global collaboration on HiAP; and promote dissemination of skills to develop training courses for trainers.
This video is of the Third People’s Health Assembly, organised by the People’s Health Movement (PHM) at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, 6-11 July 2012. It brought health activists, civil society, academics, communities, health professionals, networks and individuals from across the world together to analyse global health and to strategise jointly towards Health for All.
Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN, said in 2006 “Cartoons make us laugh. Without them, our lives would be much sadder. But they are no laughing matter : They have the power to inform, and also to offend.” With Plantu, French editorial cartoonist at “Le Monde” newspaper, he gathered together twelve of the greatest international cartoonists at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on October 16, 2006, at a symposium entitled “Unlearning Intolerance”. The Cartooning for Peace initiative started with this meeting. It aims to promote a better understanding and mutual respect between people of different cultures and beliefs using editorial cartoons as a universal language. Cartooning for Peace facilitates meetings of professional cartoonists of all nationalities with a wide audience, to promote exchanges on freedom of expression and recognition of the journalistic work of cartoonists. Cartooning for Peace also provides protection and legal assistance to cartoonists working in difficult environments, as well as advice and support in the exercise of their profession.
The WHO has launched its Health in All Policies Training Manual. The manual provides a resource for regional and country training workshops to increase understanding of HiAP by health professionals and others. WHO is developing a global plan to raise awareness among the end-users regarding this tool, and is seeking to consolidate a strong network of institutions to support responses to training requests at national and sub-national levels.
ND-GAIN ranks 175 countries both by vulnerability and readiness to adapt to climate change. The group measures vulnerability by considering the potential impact of climate change on six areas: food, water, health, ecosystem service, human habitat and infrastructure. The readiness rank weights portions of the economy, governance and society that affect the speed and efficiency of adaptation projects.The project presents this information through a series of interactive maps and rankings.
This page provides an election map where users can click on highlighted countries on the map for pop-up fact boxes and links to recommended reading, a timeline where users can scroll through for a chronological view of the year’s elections. There is also an area for further reading providing space to browse a variety of articles, from survey reports to ambassadorial blog posts on electoral systems and performance, by country.