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Detecting Guillain-Barré syndrome caused by Zika virus using systems developed for polio surveillance

KANDEL, Nirmal
LAMICHHANE Jaya
TANGERMANN Rudolf
RODIEA Guenael
September 2016

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With increasing evidence of linkages between Guillain-Barré syndrome and Zika virus infection, the importance of enhancing Guillain-Barré syndrome surveillance is highlighted and use of existing surveillance systems like the one for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) used by polio eradication programmes is proposed. A process for using the AFP surveillance system for Zika virus surveillance is outlined. Worldwide distribution maps of  Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are presented and control measures following Zika infection testing are listed.

Changing attitudes to child disability in Africa

THE LANCET
December 2014

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This brief editorial published in the Lancet highlights the situation of disabled children in Africa with reference to the 2014 publication of The African Report on Children with Disabilities by The African Child Policy Forum

 

The Lancet, Vol 384, No. 9959

HRW says disabled children in Russia face violence, isolation, neglect

PODELCO, Grant
September 2014

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This article reports on the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report which documents how children with disabilities in Russian orphanages face abuse, neglect and isolation.  The report found that nearly 30 percent of all Russian children with disabilities are removed from their parents and live in state orphanages, where they face neglect and sometimes violence. The report recommendations push for the government and other actors to protect children in institutions from abuse and neglect, better support families raising children with disabilities, and move toward ending institutionalisation of children with disabilities. This article presents seven photo slides, a case study, the key findings and recommendations of the report, an interview with the author and a link to the related HRW video

Assessment of neurodisability and malnutrition in children in Africa

GLADSTONE, Melissa
MALLEWA, Mac
ALUSINE JALLOH, Alhaji
VOSJUIKL, Wieger
POSTELS, Douglas
GROCE, Nora
KERAC, Marco
MOLYNEUX, Elizabeth
March 2014

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Neurodevelopmental delay, neurodisability, and malnutrition interact to contribute a significant burden of disease in global settings. Assessments which are well integrated with plans of management or advice are most likely to improve outcomes. Assessment tools used in clinical research and programming to evaluate outcomes include developmental and cognitive tools that vary in complexity, sensitivity, and validity as well as the target age of assessment. Few tools have been used to measure socioemotional outcomes and fewer to assess the disabled child with malnutrition. There is a paucity of tools used clinically which actually provide families and professionals with advice to improve outcomes. Brain imaging, electroencephalography, audiology, and visual assessment can also be used to assess the effect of malnutrition on brain structure and function. The interaction of neurodisability and malnutrition is powerful, and both need to be considered when assessing children.

Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, Child Neurology in Africa, Volume 21, Issue 1, March 2014, Pages 50–57

Family-centred HIV interventions : lessons from the field of parental depression

TOMLINSON, Mark
June 2010

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"Traditionally, HIV prevention focuses on individual behaviours that place one at risk for HIV infection. Less widely regarded as a fundamental public health issue is parental depression and the detrimental effects it exerts on infant and child development, as well as its key contribution to non-fatal burden. Much like many HIV prevention and treatment interventions, programmes for depression focus almost exclusively on individuals and individual behaviour. This paper will use the extensive evidence base from research into parental depression as a model to argue for a family based approach to HIV prevention and treatment. The aim of this will be to make a case for targeting a broader set of behaviours that occur within families when developing and implementing interventions"

"I washed and fed my mother before going to school" : understanding the psychosocial well-being of children providing chronic care for adults affected by HIV/AIDS in Western Kenya

SKOVDAL, Morten
OGUTU, Vincent O
August 2009

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This paper presents three case studies of young people each of whom is a primary caregiver for a relative living with HIV. They are drawn from a study in Western Kenya of how well children cope with the challenges of chronic care and the psycho-social impact it has on them

Together now

INDIA HIV/AIDS ALLIANCE
April 2009

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Together Now’ is Alliance India's periodical newsletter. This issue focuses on psychosocial support in relation to support of people affected by HIV and AIDS including interventions that assist children and families to cope

Danger signs of neonatal illnesses : perceptions of caregivers and health workers in northern India

AWASTHI, Shally
VERMA, Tuhina
AGARWAL, Monica
October 2006

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This article explores the "household practices that can affect neonatal health, from the perspective of caregivers and health workers; to identify signs in neonates leading either to recognition of illness or health-care seeking; and to ascertain the proportion of caregivers who recognize the individual items of the integrated management of neonatal and childhood illnesses (IMNCI) programme"
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84(10)

IMCI : what can we learn from an innovation that didn’t reach the poor?

GWARTKIN, Davidson
October 2006

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In this editorial, the author comments on the feasibility of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy of the World Health Organization aimed at serving the poor. He analyses the reasons behind the failure of IMCI strategy to reach the poor. According to the author, IMCI failed due to several faults in its implementation including its initiation in well-off areas, a horizontal approach, and bad financial infrastructure of the poor regions
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84(10)

Permanency planning : the principles to be taken into account. A global policy for children and family

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE
INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE CENTRE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD DEPRIVED OF FAMILY (ISS/IRC)
October 2005

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Apart from preventing the separation of children from their family of origin, one of the main challenges today in many countries entails developing an individual and lifelong plan, preferably in a family, for every child housed in institutional or foster care. This document outlines basic principles of developing or elaborating on a lifelong plan. Central to this process is a multi-disciplinary approach that combines the activities of the social, psychological, medical, and legal services

Displaced populations and long term humanitarian assistance

KETT, Maria
July 2005

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This article endeavours to give healthcare professionals contributing to humanitarian missions and projects in the acute phase of population displacement, an awareness of some of the factors that can influence the long term outcomes can be of great benefit for understanding project implications and sustainability

Orphans and the impact of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa

DE WAGT, A
CONNOLLY, M
2005

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In Africa 11 million children have become orphans as a result of AIDS, and the data for sub-Saharan Africa is expected to worsen dramatically over the next few years. This article assesses the implications of increased child vulnerability in terms of care needs, education, survival, and, crucially, nutrition and food security. It suggests that these are vital aspects of children's development and even more importantly they are interconnected: children's nutrition status, for example, affects their cognitive and emotional development and this in turn impacts on their health status. The article calls for a combined development-humanitarian response, capable of responding to the immediate basic needs of orphans but also designed to help recover long-lasting capability and community and family coping mechanisms

Young children's participation : rhetoric or growing reality?

November 2004

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This special issue of Early Childhood Matters explores the topic of participation of young children. Some key articles present the analytical framework, exploring the relationship between child development and child participation. It is suggested that participation is not only a right but also an essential component of the development process, enabling children to learn to make informed decisions. Practical examples and field experiences from Mexico, Zimbabwe, The Netherlands, South Africa and Scotland are also included

The transition to kindergarten : a review of current research and promising practices to involve families

BOHAN-BAKER, Marielle
LITTLE, Priscilla M D
April 2004

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The brief begins with an overview of the concept of transition and its importance to school success. It then examines transition practices that focus on families, considering both practices and key players in implementation; it includes examples of promising transition practices that involve families. It concludes with the presentation of a framework for the development of school and programme transition teams that value family involvement

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