This handbook for practitioners in environmental and public health, environmental management, toxicology and ecotoxicology has been prepared by an international group of experts from both developing and developed countries and covers a wide range of topics in both environmental impact assessment and environmental health impact assessment.

The second edition of this popular textbook provides an introduction to the principles and methods of epidemiology. Since publication of the first edition in 1993, Basic epidemiology has become a standard reference for education, training and research in the field of public health and has been translated into more than 25 languages. It is used widely, for training public health and environment professionals, undergraduate medical students, and students in other health professions. The second edition provides updated examples of how and why the basics of epidemiology are essential to anyone who is required to understand and apply the principles of disease causation and prevention. The book has a particular emphasis on modifiable environmental factors and encourages the application of epidemiology to the prevention of disease and the promotion of health, including environmental and occupational health. It prepares members of the health-related professions to respond to the need for health services to address all aspects of the health of populations, and to ensure that health resources are used to the best possible effect. It shows how good clinical practice is informed by clinical epidemiology; and its lively, concise style is designed to stimulate a continuing interest in the subject. This edition includes comprehensive chapters on the nature and uses of epidemiology; the epidemiological approach to defining and measuring the occurrence of health-related states in populations; the strengths and limitations of epidemiological study designs, causation, the contribution of epidemiology to the prevention of disease, the promotion of health and the development of health policy, and the role of epidemiology in evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of health care. It enables students to describe the common causes of death, disease and disability in her or his community; outline appropriate study designs to answer specific questions concerning disease causation, natural history, prognosis, prevention, and the evaluation of therapy and other interventions to control disease, and critically evaluate the literature.

This book describes a unique study on the usefulness of benzodiazepine tranquilizers given in conjunction with and compared to therapeutic counselling for the treatment of minor psychiatric disorders. International collaboration under the sponsorship of the WHO made this first cross-cultural comparative study possible. Important methodological findings about measurement instruments, as well as data about the effects of different treatments, resulted from the study. It also demonstrated the possibility of using quantitative scientific methods to measure milder forms of psychiatric disorders and their changes.

Provides clinical descriptions, diagnostic guidelines, and codes for all mental and behavioural disorders commonly encountered in clinical psychiatry. The book was developed from chapter V of the Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). The clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines were finalized after field testing by over 700 clinicians and researchers in 110 institutes in 40 countries, making this book the product of the largest ever research effort designed to improve psychiatric diagnosis. Every effort has been made to define categories whose existence is scientifically justifiable as well as clinically useful. The classification divides disorders into ten groups according to major common themes or descriptive likeness, a new feature which makes for increased convenience of use. For each disorder, the book provides a full description of the main clinical features and all other important but less specific associated features. Diagnostic guidelines indicate the number, balance, and duration of symptoms usually required before a confident diagnosis can be made.Inclusion and exclusion criteria are also provided, together with conditions to be considered in differential diagnosis. The guidelines are worded so that a degree of flexibility is retained for diagnostic decisions in clinical work, particularly in the situation where provisional diagnosis may have to be made before the clinical picture is entirely clear or information is complete. "...As befitting a publication of considerable influence, the amount of work that went into preparing ICD-10 has been formidable..." - The International Journal of Social Psychiatry

These specifications provide information on the identity and purity of food additives used directly in foods or in food production. The main objectives are to identify the food additives that have been subjected to testing for safety, to ensure that the additives are of the quality required for use in food or in processing, and to reflect and encourage good manufacturing practice. This publication and other documents produced by JECFA are is useful to all those who work with or are interested in food additives and their safe use in food.

Worldwide, the application of information and communication technologies to support national health-care services is rapidly expanding and increasingly important. This is especially so at a time when all health systems face stringent economic challenges and greater demands to provide more and better care, especially to those most in need.The "National eHealth Strategy Toolkit" is an expert, practical guide that provides governments, their ministries and stakeholders with a solid foundation and method for the development and implementation of a national eHealth vision, action plan and monitoring framework. All countries, whatever their level of development, can adapt the "Toolkit" to suit their own circumstances.Representing one of the most significant collaborations in recent years between the World Health Organization and the International Telecommunication Union, the "Toolkit" is a landmark in understanding what eHealth is, what it can do, and why and how it should be applied to health care today.

Since its first publication in 2002, the "WHO Model Formulary" has become an indispensable source of independent information on essential medicines for pharmaceutical policy-makers and prescribers worldwide. The "Model Formulary" is the authoritative guide on how to make effective use of the medicines on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, so improving patient safety, and limiting unnecessary medical spending. For each medicine the "Model Formulary" provides information on use, dosage, adverse effects, contraindications and warnings, supplemented by guidance on selecting the right medicine for a range of conditions.The new edition, "WHO Model Formulary 2008," details changes made to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in 2007, with updated therapeutic information on existing medicines reflecting new clinical knowledge.

The objectives of this Code are to establish voluntary standards of conduct for all public and private entities engaged in or associated with the management of pesticides, particularly where there is inadequate or no national legislation to regulate pesticides.

The longstanding debate over the optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding has centered on the so-called "weanling's dilemma" in developing countries: the choice between the known protective effect of exclusive breastfeeding against infectious morbidity and the (theoretical) insufficiency of breast milk alone to satisfy the infant's energy and micronutrient requirements beyond 4 months of age. The primary objective of this review is to assess the effects on child health, growth, and development, and on maternal health, of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months vs exclusive breastfeeding for 3-4 months with mixed breastfeeding (introduction of complementary liquid or solid foods with continued breastfeeding) thereafter through 6 months.

The monographs in this volume summarize the safety data on 11 pesticides that could leave residues in food commodities. These pesticides are aminopyralid, atrazine, azinphos methyl, lamba-cyhalothrin, difenoconazole, dimethomorph, flusilazole, procymidone, profenofos, pyrimethanil and zoxamide. The data summarized in the toxicological monographs served as the basis for the acceptable daily intakes and acute reference doses that were established by the Meeting.This volume and previous volumes of JMPR toxicological evaluations, many of which were published in the "FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper" series, contain information that is useful to companies that produce pesticides, government regulatory officers, industrial testing laboratories, toxicological laboratories and universities.

A systematic authoritative classification of the many procedures used in different branches of medicine. Chapters cover procedures for medical diagnosis laboratory procedures preventive procedures surgical operations other therapeutic procedures and ancillary procedures. The volume, which follows the structure and system of coding used in the International Classification of Diseases, includes a tabular list of procedures followed by a detailed alphabetical index.

Lipid-based ready-to-use foods (RUFs) for the nutritional management of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are provided to children from 6 months to 59 months of age within the context of emergency feeding programmes supervised by governments. Based on the review, the expert committee considered that children with SAM have an increase in susceptibility to bacteraemia and sepsis that is probably between twofold and fivefold compared with children who are not malnourished and are of the same age and live in the same communities. On the basis of its common occurrence as a cause of infections and serious illnesses in children with SAM, and its documented ability to contaminate, survive in, and cause outbreaks of illness associated with low-moisture foods similar to RUFs, the expert committee concluded that Salmonella is the pathogen of most concern in lipid-based RUFs. Many outbreaks of foodborne salmonellosis have been determined to be associated with low-moisture foods that were contaminated at low levels. Therefore, the expert committee carefully considered the qualitative microbiological analyses of RUFs and the contamination levels that could be inferred, and entered into an extended deliberation of dose-response modelling to find a path toward a reasonable approximation of the likely morbidity and mortality in SAM children that could be anticipated from consumption of RUFs contaminated at the estimated levels and observed frequency. The expert committee described three approaches that purchasers of RUFs might use to establish microbiological criteria to assure the safety of RUFs and to communicate to manufacturers their safety expectations. These approaches are: (i) reference to existing standards established for similar low-moisture foods; (ii) determining an acceptable increase in risk over the pre-existing baseline of illness from other sources of exposure; and (iii) process verification sampling using the moving window technique. The microbiological criteria derived by each of these approaches accomplish different purposes, and which is most appropriate is determined by the conditions of manufacture and use

Diese definitive Anleitung wurde von Grund auf uberarbeitet und auf den neuesten Stand gebracht fur alle Laboratorien, die sich mit der Analyse des menschlichen Ejakulates beschaftigen. Das Handbuch liefert fundamentale Labortechniken fur die Diagnose der mannlichen Infertilitat. Der Text beschreibt die Zusammenstellung eines konventionellen Samenprofils anhand von standardisierten Protokollen fur verschiedene fakultative diagnostische Verfahren. Solche Techniken sind unentbehrlich fur die Evaluierung infertiler Paare sowie der Fertilitat von Mannern, deren Spermienproduktion durch potentielle mannliche Kontrazeptiva oder toxische Substanzen unterdruckt wird. Auch fur die Gerichtsmedizin und kunstliche Insemination sind sie von Interesse. Vorangehende Auflagen dieses Manuals haben sich auf dem Gebiet der Erforschung und Behandlung der mannlichen Fertilitat etabliert; diese Neuauflage fuhrt diese Tradition fort und wird als Standard fur zukunftige strengere Massstabe dienen."

This document contains monographs on residue evaluations of certain veterinary drugs, prepared at the seventy-fifth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which was held in Rome, Italy from 8 to 17 November 2011. Four substances were evaluated for the first time for the animal species concerned -- amoxicillin, apramycin, derquantel and monepantel. Three subtances were reassessed, monensin, narasin and triclabendzole. This publication and other documents produced by JECFA contain information that is useful to those who work with or are involved with recommending or controlling maximum residue limits for veterinary drugs in foods of animal origins.

Sets out internationally agreed diagnostic criteria specifically designed for use when conducting research on mental and behavioral disorders. Deliberately restrictive, the criteria are intended to facilitate the selection of groups of individuals whose symptoms and other characteristics resemble each other in clearly stated ways, and thus to maximize the homogeneity of study groups and the comparability of findings in multi-centre and international studies. The book, which covers over 300 disorders, is derived from chapter V(F) of the Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). The research criteria were developed in collaboration with the world's leading experts and finalized after testing by researchers and clinicians in 32 countries, representing all the major traditions and schools of psychiatry. Descriptions of clinical concepts upon which the research criteria are based are contained in the companion volume "Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines." For each disorder, criteria are labeled with letters or numbers to indicate their place in a hierarchy of generality and importance. This hierarchy includes general criteria, which must be fulfilled by all members of a group of disorders, obligatory criteria for individual disorders, and further groups and sub-groups of characteristics, of which only some are required for the diagnosis. Where appropriate, the most commonly used exclusion clause is also listed. A number of disorders of uncertain or provisional status are described in two annexes. The first covers affective disorders that have been the subject of recent research, together with certain personality disorders. The second describes several disorders that seem to appear almost exclusively in particular cultures.

This annual edition presents the most recent statistics of over 50 health indicators for WHO's 193 Member States. It includes an expanded set of core statistics and a section with 10 highlights in global health statistics for the past year. This book has been collated from publications and databases of WHO's technical programmes and regional offices. The core set of indicators was selected on the basis of relevance for global health, availability and quality of data, and accuracy and comparability of estimates. The statistics for the indicators are based on an interactive process of data collection, compilation, quality assessment, and estimation between WHO technical programmes and its Member States. In this process, WHO strives to maximize accessibility, accuracy, comparability, and transparency of country health statistics. In addition to national statistics, this publication presents statistics on the distribution of selected health outcomes and interventions within countries, disaggregated by gender, age, urban/rural setting, wealth/assets, and educational level. Such statistics are primarily derived from the analysis of household surveys and are only available for a limited number of countries.

Adherence to therapies is a primary determinant of treatment success. Poor adherence attenuates optimum clinical benefits and therefore reduces the overall effectiveness of health systems. Medicines will not work if you do not take them. Medicines will not be effective if patients do not follow prescribed treatment - yet in developed countries only 50% of patients who suffer from chronic diseases adhere to treatment recommendations. In developing countries, when taken together with poor access to health care, lack of appropriate diagnosis, and limited access to medicines, poor adherence is threatening to render futile any effort to tackle chronic conditions such as diabetes, depression and HIV/AIDS. This report is based on an exhaustive review of the published literature on the definitions, measurements, epidemiology, economics, and interventions applied to nine chronic conditions and their risk factors. These are: asthma, cancer (palliative care), depression, diabetes, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, tobacco smoking, and tuberculosis. Intended for clinical practitioners, health managers and policy-makers, this report provides a concise summary of the consequences of poor adherence for health and economics. It also discusses the options available for improving adherence, and demonstrates the potential impact on desired health outcomes and health care budgets. It is hoped that this report will lead to new thinking on policy development, and action on adherence to long-term therapies.

Reference to Medical Technology and Radiation Medicine, including radiatiion dosage, protection, quality control and adverse effect levels; a manual of radiography standards.

This volume distills what is known about environmental health during an emergency or disaster. It draws on results from the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, and on experience with sustainable development between the two Earth Summits, in Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg. It is intended for practitioners, as well as for policy-makers and researchers, and thus covers both general and technical aspects of environmental health. In Part I of this volume, a conceptual framework is presented for understanding environmental health issues in the context of disaster management. The framework covers the entire disaster-management cycle, from preparedness and warning, to recovery and prevention. Guidelines are also suggested for planning and reducing the effects of extreme events on public health, and practical guidance is given in organizational and logistical matters. Throughout, the need for flexibility and innovation at the local level is emphasized, combined with solid advance planning. There is also a focus on the vulnerability of populations during an emergency or disaster, with the implication that such people have capacities and local knowledge that should be integrated into efforts to secure both environment and development against extreme events. The creative potential of balancing "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches is emphasized in chapters on health promotion and community participation, and on human resources. Part II of this book is a detailed compendium of best practices and strategies for risk reduction and response in the fields of: * Shelter and emergency settlements; * Water supply; * Sanitation; * Food safety; * Vector and pest control; * Control of communicable diseases and prevention of epidemics; * Chemical incidents; * Radiation emergencies; * Mortuary service and handling of the dead; * Health promotion and community participation; and * Human resources. This book will be useful in planning for, responding to, and recovering from the movements of displaced persons and refugees in humanitarian crises, as well as the floods, storms, earthquakes and other extreme events that could confront health workers in the first decade of the 21st century. Given trends in the 1990s, it is unlikely that humanity has seen the last of these challenges.

Some 20-million low-birth-weight babies are born each year because of either preterm birth or impaired prenatal growth mostly in less developed countries. For many small preterm infants receiving prolonged medical care is important. However kangaroo mother care is an effective way to meet baby's needs for warmth breastfeeding protection from infection stimulation safety and love. Kangaroo mother care is care of preterm infants carried skin-to-skin with the mother. It is a powerful easy-to-use method to promote the health and well being of infants. This document describes the kangaroo mother care method for care of stable preterm/low-birth-weight infants who need thermal protection adequate feeding frequent observation and protection from infection. It provides guidance on how to organize services at the referral hospital and on what is needed to introduce and carry out kangaroo mother care focusing on settings where resources are limited. Evidence for the recommendations are provided whenever possible. This book has been prepared for health professionals in charge of low-birth-weight and preterm newborn infants in first referral hospitals in settings with scarce resources. It is also aimed at decision-makers and planners at national and local levels.

Given the impact that good nutrition and keeping fit have on health and well-being in later life, WHO, in collaboration with the Tufts University USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, organized a consultation to review the scientific evidence linking diet and other factors - especially exercise - affecting nutritional status, disease prevention and health promotion for older persons. The consultation focused primarily on practical issues, including the establishment of explicit recommendations to improve the health and nutritional status of older persons in a wide variety of socioeconomic and cultural settings. During the production of a comprehensive report, representing the outcome both of the preparatory work and of the consultation itself, it was recognized that new information emerging in several key areas should also be included. The combined results presented here are intended as an authoritative source of information for nutritionists, general practitioners, gerontologists, medical faculties, nurses, care providers, schools of public health and social workers.The specific recommendations concerning nutrient intakes, food-based dietary guidelines, and exercise and physical activity should also interest a larger audience, including the general reader. The main body discusses the epidemiological and social aspects of ageing, health and functional changes experienced with ageing, the impact of physical activity, assessment of the nutritional status of older persons, and nutritional guidelines for healthy ageing. Additional material covers food-based dietary guidelines for older adults - with particular emphasis on healthy ageing and prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases - and guidelines for promoting physical activity among older persons. "...This report is significant, representing an authoritative consensus related to the epidemiological and social aspects of ageing, health and functional changes experienced with age, and the impact of physical activity. This valuable source of information is relevant to a wide range of health professionals; the clear and specific recommendations concerning food/nutrient consumption and physical activity for older adults should also interest a larger audience."- The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health "...The book is a timely publication, which provides an exhaustive review of studies...This publication will certainly serve as a reference manual for all those involved in nutrition, gerontology and geriatrics. " - Indian Journal of Medical Research

WHO in collaboration with the International Commission for Radiologic Education (ICRE) of the International Society of Radiology (ISR) and the other members of the Global Steering Group for Education and Training in Diagnostic Imaging is creating a series of "Manuals of Diagnostic Imaging." The full series of manuals will primarily cover the examination techniques and interpretation of conventional diagnostic X-ray procedures. These manuals will replace and update the WHO Manual of Radiographic Interpretation for General Practitioners and the WHO Manual of Radiographic Technique.The present volume in this series, the manual Radiographic Anatomy and Interpretation of the Musculoskeletal System, provides an exhaustive description of radiographic normal anatomy as well as pathologic changes most frequently seen in musculoskeletal system including trauma, infections in bone and joints, metabolic, endocrine, and toxic disorders, tumours, congenital and developmental disorders. Backed by high-quality reproduction of radiographs, this manual will prove essential reading to general practitioners, medical specialists, radiographers and radiologists in any medical settings, although focusing specifically on needs in small and mid-size hospitals.

Various types of traditional medicine and other medical practices referred to as complementary or alternative medicine are increasingly used in both developing and developed countries. In order to promote safe and appropriate use of these medicines and practices, as well as to ensure the quality of service and practitioners, national regulations are vital. Establishing national policies on traditional medicine, and/or complementary/alternative medicine and their medical practices, should therefore include creation of legal frameworks. This review summarizes the legal status of several major practices in traditional medicine and complementary/alternative medicine in 123 countries. It includes data on: the use of traditional and complementary/alternative medicine; the regulatory situation of traditional and complementary/alternative remedies and practitioners; health insurance coverage of traditional and complementary/alternative medicine; education and training of practitioners of traditional and complementary/alternative medicine. Information provided in this review will be useful not only to policy makers, but also to researchers, universities, the public, insurance companies and pharmaceutical industries.