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Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) has developed a comprehensive capacity development programme to support the successful implementation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response 3 rd edition Technical Guidelines (IDSR). As part of the learning program, a series of asynchronous online courses are offered on Open WHO in English, French and Portuguese. This paper describes the use of five IDSR online courses and reports on feedback received from learners on Course 1 in the English series. Methods: An online learner survey was developed, and a descriptive analysis was conducted. This paper also reports on use related empirical metadata from the Open WHO platform. Results: Overall, learners (97%-n/N) of Course 1 IDSR English series indicated a positive perception toward their online learning experience because of the quality of course content, its organization, ease of use and relevance to their workplace needs. In addition, 88% (n/N) of learners reported that they had used their acquired knowledge at least sometimes and 54.4% (n/N) had shared their learning with others. Lastly, the quiz analyses showed an average of right answers of 78.97% for quiz 1 and 69.94% for quiz 2. Conclusion: Online learning is an essential component of a blended capacity development programme and provides cost effective, equitable and impactful learning. Learners who have a learning goal and find their needs met in courses tend to show more satisfaction and motivation to share their learning.
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Humanos , Masculino , FemeninoRESUMEN
@#Abstract: Objective To analyze the recent cluster outbreaks of imported malaria and explore the risks, challenges and countermeasures for dealing with such events during malaria post-elimination era of malaria, and to provide reference for effectively addressing the risks and consolidating the achievements of malaria elimination. Methods The individual malaria case data from "The Information System for Infectious Disease Surveillance" and "The Information System For Parasitic Diseases Prevention And Control" were collected，and the diagnosis classification, infection source, time and space distribution of cases were analyzed. Results From January 1 to August 11, 2022, a total of 429 malaria cases were reported nationwide, an 18.9% decrease compared to the same period last year (529 cases), all of which were imported cases. The overall weekly trend of the outbreak remained stable, but since Week 31 (July 25-31), there has been a significant increase in the number of cases, with a peak on August 5. From July 25 to August 11, 2022, a total of 162 malaria cases were reported nationwide, up 315.4% from 39 cases in the same period last year, accounting for 37.8% of the total cases up to August 11, 2022. The main source of imported infections was Guinea (95 cases, 58.6%), with most cases reported in Longgang District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province (30 cases), Shilin County, Kunming City, Yunnan Province (21 cases), Chaoyang District, Beijing (11 cases), and Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province (7 cases). Conclusions Due to the concentration of returnees to China, several entry port cities simultaneously experienced cluster outbreaks of imported malaria, which brought immense pressure and challenges to local medical and health institutions. Health facilities at all levels need to maintain high vigilance and sensitivity, be well prepared, and avoid death and secondary transmission caused by imported cases.
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China was certified malaria-free by the WHO on June, 2021. Nevertheless, there are thousands of overseas imported malaria cases annually in China, and there are deaths of imported malaria cases reported every year in the country. In addition, there are secondary cases of imported malaria, and malaria vectors remain in regions where malaria were formerly endemic, resulting in a high risk of local transmission of imported malaria in eliminated regions in China. This article analyzes the risk of malaria control and the challenges of malaria surveillance and response during the post-elimination stage in China, and proposes some suggestions for future priorities.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region with an estimated 160 million chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in 2007 bears a significant burden of HBV-related mortality and morbidity. Most Member States in the region have an estimated chronic HBV infection proportion of more than 8% in their adult population, which is the highest worldwide. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific published the first Regional Plan for Hepatitis B Control in January 2003. This plan is updated periodically with a consistent ultimate goal of achieving a chronic HBV infection rate of less than 1% in the region. Viral hepatitis is a statutorily notifiable disease in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). The Central Notification Office of the Department of Health receives notifications with pre-defined case definitions. In July 2011, Hong Kong SAR was verified by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific as having successfully achieved the goal of hepatitis B control. Liver cancer was the third leading cause of cancer death in Hong Kong SAR in 2012, and evidence showed that 75–80% of liver cancer cases were related to chronic HBV infection. This report reviews the surveillance data of HBV infections in Hong Kong SAR from 1988 to 2014 and discusses the responses and existing gaps to achieve the WHO goal in the local context.
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The food safety community is eagerly awaiting the first results of pilot studies from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Initiative to Estimate the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases, which are due later this year. These studies were conducted in recognition of the growing threat posed by foodborne diseases worldwide to provide precise and comprehensive information on the magnitude of foodborne diseases to guide food safety policy, including the development and implementation of food safety standards in the context of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and provide a baseline for monitoring and impact assessment of food safety measures.
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The government of Indonesia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency launched a three-year project (2008–2011) to strengthen the surveillance of human avian influenza cases through a comprehensive surveillance system of local-priority communicable diseases in South Sulawesi Province. Based on findings from preliminary and baseline surveys, the project developed a technical protocol for surveillance and response activities in local settings, consistent with national guidelines. District surveillance officers (DSOs) and rapid-response-team members underwent training to improve surveillance and response skills. A network-based early warning and response system for weekly reports and a short message service (SMS) gateway for outbreak reports, both encompassing more than 20 probable outbreak diseases, were introduced to support existing paper-based systems. Two further strategies were implemented to optimize project outputs: a simulation exercise and a DSO-centered model. As a result, the timeliness of weekly reports improved from 33% in 2009 to 82% in 2011. In 2011, 65 outbreaks were reported using the SMS, with 64 subsequent paper-based reports. All suspected human avian influenza outbreaks up to September 2011 were reported in the stipulated format. A crosscutting approach using human avian influenza as the core disease for coordinating surveillance activities improved the overall surveillance system for communicable diseases.