WHO Study Group | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Malaria vector control and personal protection.

Malaria transmission rates and risks can be greatly reduced by vector control, mitigating high malaria incidence and prevalence rates. Methods and strategies for malaria vector control (MVC) have been well documented by WHO, although its implementation varies widely. Technical guidelines for MVC strategies and materials are readily available, but the status and role of MVC have not been reviewed and redefined in terms of programme management and resource allocation. There are huge changes since November 1993 when the last WHO Study Group reviewed vector control for malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, following the 1992 adoption of the Global Malaria Control Strategy. Operationally, with reform of the health sector in many countries, the centrally managed and vertically structured malaria control programme (MCP) has been superseded by a community-based and decentralized one. This poses challenges for effective implementation of MVC strategies. Therefore it became evident that the role of vector control in malaria control needs to be reconsidered to develop a strategic framework for MVC implementation by national malaria control programmes and other partners. This report of a WHO Study Group on Malaria Vector Control and Personal Protection reviewed the current vector control strategies and their effectiveness in various operational and eco-epidemiological settings, and identified challenges for implementation in different health systems. An outline strategic framework for strengthening malaria vector control implementation was developed. The process of deciding about which mosquito control method is appropriate in a given situation should be guided by an analysis of the level of malaria endemicity and vector bionomics, the eco-epidemiological setting, the health management system and an estimate of the programme sustainability. This report also provides a basis for the development of a strategic framework for strengthening malaria vector control implementation.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Home-based long-term care.

Life expectancy is increasing in many parts of the world. Not only are more people living to old age, but more are also being enabled to live with disabling conditions that once might have been fatal. People who are chronically ill, those with serious disabilities, people with HIV/AIDS, mentally ill individuals, the victims of accidents and disasters, the elderly--many of these, and others, need continuing care and support. As the number of people in need of long-term care continues to grow worldwide, consideration of the best way to meet this need is receiving much more focus. The aim of such care is not simply to look after the sick but to enable those with long-term illnesses or disabilities to live their lives as fully and as rewardingly as possible. Such care is not just a social responsibility; it is a vital element in development. Institutionalization is often not the most suitable form of long-term care. The home, where the patient lives with family members, and where friends and other members of the community are not far away, is frequently more appropriate. This report by an international WHO Study Group examines the options. It points clearly to the benefits that home-based care offers to the patient, while stressing that the personal and health needs of caregivers in the home must not be compromised. Home-based long -term care has been practised by families for centuries, and family members will always remain a valuable resource for care. This report argues that it is time for health systems to take responsibility for providing caregivers in families and communities with the support they need both to help make their tasks more bearable and to bring a greater share of benefit to the patient.

Community Health Services↗