World Health Organization

About: World Health Organization is a government organization based out in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 13330 authors who have published 22232 publications receiving 1322023 citations. The organization is also known as: World Health Organisation & WHO.

The Melamine Incident: Implications for International Food and Feed Safety

Abstract: BackgroundA major food safety incident in China was made public in September 2008. Kidney and urinary tract effects, including kidney stones, affected about 300,000 Chinese infants and young childr...

The impact of Vision 2020 on global blindness.

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Recent data suggest that there are 37 million blind people and 124 million with low vision, excluding those with uncorrected refractive errors. The main causes of global blindness are cataract, glaucoma, corneal scarring (from a variety of causes), age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSION: It would appear that the global Vision 2020 initiative is having an impact to reduce avoidable blindness particularly from ocular infections, but more needs to be done to address cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

Leptospirosis in the Asia Pacific region

Abstract: Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic infection that has been recognized for decades, but the problem of the disease has not been fully addressed, particularly in resource-poor, developing countries, where the major burden of the disease occurs. This paper presents an overview of the current situation of leptospirosis in the region. It describes the current trends in the epidemiology of leptospirosis, the existing surveillance systems, and presents the existing prevention and control programs in the Asia Pacific region. Data on leptospirosis in each member country were sought from official national organizations, international public health organizations, online articles and the scientific literature. Papers were reviewed and relevant data were extracted. Leptospirosis is highly prevalent in the Asia Pacific region. Infections in developed countries arise mainly from occupational exposure, travel to endemic areas, recreational activities, or importation of domestic and wild animals, whereas outbreaks in developing countries are most frequently related to normal daily activities, over-crowding, poor sanitation and climatic conditions. In the Asia Pacific region, predominantly in developing countries, leptospirosis is largely a water-borne disease. Unless interventions to minimize exposure are aggressively implemented, the current global climate change will further aggravate the extent of the disease problem. Although trends indicate successful control of leptospirosis in some areas, there is no clear evidence that the disease has decreased in the last decade. The efficiency of surveillance systems and data collection varies significantly among the countries and areas within the region, leading to incomplete information in some instances. Thus, an accurate reflection of the true burden of the disease remains unknown.

Systems for grading the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations II: Pilot study of a new system

Abstract: Background Systems that are used by different organisations to grade the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations vary. They have different strengths and weaknesses. The GRADE Working Group has developed an approach that addresses key shortcomings in these systems. The aim of this study was to pilot test and further develop the GRADE approach to grading evidence and recommendations.

Use of injections in healthcare settings worldwide, 2000: literature review and regional estimates

Abstract: Objective To describe injection practices worldwide in terms of frequency and safety. Design Literature review. The global burden of disease project of the World Health Organization defined 14 regions on the basis of geography and mortality patterns. Data sources included published studies and unpublished WHO reports. Studies were reviewed by using a standardised decision making algorithm to generate region specific estimates. Setting Healthcare facilities, both formal and informal. Data sources: General population and users of healthcare facilities. Main outcome measure Annual number of injections per person and proportion of injections administered with syringes or needles, or both, reused in the absence of sterilisation. Results The analysis excluded four regions (predominantly affluent, developed nations) where reuse of injection equipment in the absence of sterilisation was assumed to be negligible. In the 10 other regions, the annual ratio of injections per person ranged from 1.7 to 11.3. Of these, the proportion administered with equipment reused in the absence of sterilisation ranged from 1.2% to 75.0%. Reuse was highest in the South East Asia region “D” (seven countries, mostly located in South Asia), the eastern Mediterranean region “D” (nine countries, mostly located in the Middle East crescent), and the western Pacific region “B” (22 countries). No information regarding injection safety was available for Latin America. Conclusions Overuse of injections and unsafe practices are still common in developing and transitional countries. An urgent need exists to use injections safely and appropriately, to prevent healthcare associated infections with HIV and other bloodborne pathogens.