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What do we know about how to support mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic from past infectious disease epidemics?

QURESH, Onaiza
SCHERER, Nathaniel
July 2020

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The question and the problem:

Symptoms of mental ill-health are common during widespread outbreak of an infectious disease, with high rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported during recent epidemics, such as the recent Ebola crises and SARS-CoV-1. Elevated symptoms of mental ill-health are not limited to patients only, and are seen in healthcare workers, family members and indeed more widely across the general population. Early evidence coming from the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates high rates of mental ill-health and mental health service provision is needed. This evidence brief summarises evidence on mental health support during COVID-19 and other recent pandemics, informing policy and practice during this crisis.

Strengthening community and primary health systems for tuberculosis. A consultation on childhood TB integration

UNICEF
2016

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An estimated one million children between the age of 0-14 fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) every year, over 67 million children are infected and might develop active disease at any time. In 2013, the WHO with key partners launched the Roadmap for Childhood TB, outlining ten key actions to improve outcomes for children affected by TB, including improved data, development of child-friendly tools for diagnosis and treatment, engagement of key stakeholders at all levels of the system, and the development of integrated family- and community-centred strategies to provide comprehensive and effective services at the community level. A consultation on childhood TB integration took place in New York on June 1 and 2, 2016 to stimulate further the dialogue. The meeting addressed 7 topics: perspectives on childhood TB; country discussions on integration; integrating childhood TB interventions into service delivery; an opportunity for TB risk assessment at the community level: TB/HIV adapted integrated community case management (iCCM); childhood TB integration at the national, district, and community level; and financing childhood TB integration 

Developing intervention strategies to improve community health worker motivation and performance

FRANK, Tine
KALLANDER, Karin
2012

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"This 28-page learning paper describes Malaria Consortium’s experience with Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM) in malaria prevention and treatment in Mozambique and Uganda. ICCM is an approach where community-based health workers are trained to identify, treat, and refer complex cases malaria (and other diseases) in children"
The Learning Series Papers

Disability and HIV policy brief

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (OHCHR)
April 2009

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This policy brief discusses the actions needed to increase the participation of persons with disabilities in the response to HIV and to ensure that they have access to HIV services which are both tailored to their diverse needs and equal to the services available to others in the community. Recommendations of actions for governments, civil society and aid agencies are provided, having been defined in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders including people living with HIV and persons with disabilities. An example from South Africa is highlighted. This document is beneficial for anyone working in disability and development with HIV and AIDS

Malaria treatment in Nigeria : the role of patent medicine vendors

OLADEPO, Oladimeji
et al
March 2009

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"This scoping study provides a quick assessment of the malaria treatment markets and the role played by patent medicine vendors in Nigeria, and offers ways to improve the regulation and provision of anti-malarial drugs. It documented the sources of drugs in the three states and people’s problems in getting access to appropriate treatment for malaria"

Policy brief : HIV, food security and nutrition : expanded version

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
May 2008

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This policy brief focuses on the interrelationship between food security, nutrition and HIV, and highlights the actions that governments, civil society and international partners can take to promote food security and nutrition in the context of the AIDS epidemic

Best practices in the socio-economic rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy and other marginalised people in their communities: findings from nine evaluations in Bangladesh, India and Africa

VELEEMA, Johan P
2008

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This paper presents an overview of findings from the formal evaluation of 9 socio-economic rehabilitation programmes (SER), in 4 countries in Africa, in Bangladesh and in India from 2002-2005. Bringing together the recommendations resulted in a description of best practices in the implementation of socio-economic rehabilitation programmes, derived from actual experiences in different contexts.

All the 9 programmes focused on supporting individual leprosy-affected beneficiaries or their families. Four projects also supported other marginalised clients. The usual interventions were micro-credit, housing and sponsoring of education for the children.

The recommendations touched upon each of the five steps in individual rehabilitation: Selection of clients, needs assessment, choosing an intervention, monitoring / follow--up of clients during rehabilitation, and separation at the end of the rehabilitation process. The evaluators also suggested ways in which participation of the client in their own rehabilitation might be boosted, made recommendations for the organisational structure of programmes, on maximising community involvement and emphasised the importance of information systems and of investing in the programme staff. A number of recommendations were specific to the types of interventions implemented i.e, housing, education or micro-credit.

Evidence of the impact of SER on the quality of life of clients is limited, but suggests increased self-esteem and increased respect/status in the family and community.

 

Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal, vol.19, no.1, 2008

Scaling up memory work : the example of KIWAKKUKI in Tanzania

WARD, Nicola
ITEMBA, Dafrosa
2006

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Scaling up the memory work and extending it from Uganda to other African countries involved many challenges due to the wide range of different contexts, different types of implementing organisations and different cultures. This edition of Health Exchange gives an example from Tanzania where the organisation KIWAKKUKI, has developed a memory project based on experience and learning from NACWOLA in Uganda, but adapted to its specific cultural and organisational context

Guidelines for inclusion of individuals with disability in HIV/AIDS outreach efforts

GROCE, Nora
TRASI, Reshma
YOUSAFZAI, Yousafzai
2006

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The strategies for interventions proposed here can provide a framework upon which disability advocates and HIV and AIDS advocates, educators and policy makers can begin to build interventions and support mechanisms for ‘at-risk’ disabled populations. To date, there have been few HIV and AIDS interventions that have directly targeted (or indirectly included) individuals with disability and almost none of these interventions have been systematically monitored or evaluated. The framework proposed here therefore, is intended only as a ‘first step’ in a series of publications on various aspects of disability-inclusive HIV and AIDS interventions and tool kits

Participatory communication in malaria control : why does it matter?

DUNN, Alison
October 2005

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This paper reviews current approaches to malaria control, focusing on effective ways of engaging with local communities in participatory ways. It argues for considering human behaviour as well as mosquito behaviour in malaria control efforts. Engaging with people at community level is critical to developing interventions that are appropriate to the local context. Complex social and environmental factors, such as gender relationships, the cost of drugs, and the appropriateness of services mean that communication processes are vital, and will require sustained and coordinated international support and commitment

Malaria over-diagnosis in Africa

HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
2004

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'In Africa, 70 per cent of fever cases in children are diagnosed in the home and treated with traditional remedies or drugs bought from local shops. These fevers are presumed to be due to malaria, but comparison of accurately diagnosed cases of malaria with presumed cases of malaria reveal shockingly high rates of over-diagnosis'

Challenges in leprosy rehabilitation

THOMAS, Maya
THOMAS, MJ
2004

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‘Multiple drug Therapy’ (MDT) has transformed the outcome of leprosy in people affected by it. Leprosy affected persons develop much less disfiguring disabilities after use of MDT. As a result leprosy services are now becoming integrated into general health services. When this integration becomes stronger, leprosy rehabilitation is also likely to adopt methods followed by general health services. Vertical, stand-alone services, based on single aetiology like leprosy, will require some adaptation to fit in with the environment of general health services. The authors speculate that changes in leprosy rehabilitation could make ‘community based rehabilitation’ (CBR) an important method for the vast majority of leprosy patients who need rehabilitation. This paper discusses some of the concerns regarding the suitability of CBR for leprosy rehabilitation.

 

Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal, Vol 15, No 1

A framework for conceptualising and reviewing vulnerability to malaria, TB and HIV

TOLHURST, R
THEOBALD, S
June 2003

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This policy brief aims to define vulnerability in the context of infectious disease and provide a framework for analysis. The framework can be used to identify factors that influence vulnerability to infectious disease, including vulnerability to exposure, infection, progression to disease, progression to severe disease, and the effects of disease. The paper identifies strategic areas for further research, the implications for policy makers and future directions for research, interventions and policy

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