PUBLICATIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ON PUBLIC HEALTH
Edited by
Anna Maria Rossi
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
Ryder J, Iddya K, Lahsen A. (Eds.) Assessment and management of seafood safety and quality. Current practices and emerging issues. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2014, 455 p. (FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper; 574) FAO number: I3215. This technical paper compiles the state of knowledge on seafood safety and quality with the aim to provide a succinct yet comprehensive resource book to seafood quality and safety managers, including topics on emerging issues such as new pathogens, the impact of climate change on seafood safety, and the changing regulatory framework. After introductory chapters about world fish production, trade, consumption and nutrition, and about the developments in safety and quality systems, the technical paper devotes a chapter to a detailed review of the hazards causing public health concerns in fish and fish products, covering biological (pathogenic bacteria, histamine, viruses, parasites and biotoxins), chemical (veterinary drugs, industrial organic contaminants, environmental inorganic contaminants and allergens) and physical hazards. This is followed by a chapter on seafood spoilage and quality issues, while a further chapter covers the likely impact of climate change on seafood safety. The latter chapter focuses on impacts on microbiological safety and on harmful algal blooms. A further chapter provides a detailed coverage of the implementation and certification of seafood safety systems covering risk mitigation and management tools. It concludes with a section on private labelling and certification schemes. The subsequent chapter details the international framework.
Residue evaluation of certain veterinary drugs. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 78th meeting 2013. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2014, 243 p. (FAO JECFA Monographs;15) ISBN 978 92 5108 301 7 FAO number: I3745. This document contains monographs on residue evaluations of certain veterinary drugs, prepared at the seventy-eight meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 14 November 2013. Four substances were evaluated for the first time - emamectin benzoate, gentian violet, lasalocid sodium and zilpaterol hydrochloride. Four additional substances were re-evaluated - derquantel, ivermectin, monepantel and recombinant bovine somatotrophins. The monographs provide information on chemical identity and properties of the compounds, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, residue depletion studies and analytical methods validated and used for the detection and quantification of the compounds. In addition, this document provides an overview of the pilot project to evaluate alternative approaches to estimate daily intakes of residues of veterinary drugs in foods and provides guidance on the extrapolation of MRLs to minor species and for the establishment of MRLs in honey.
World mapping of animal feeding systems in the dairy sector. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2014, 178 p. FAO number: I3913. Animal feeding is the first step in the production of milk and affects the rest of the production chain. Information on feeding systems is necessary for estimating the environmental impact of the livestock sector; for developing diets and feeding strategies to reduce the carbon footprint and to optimize milk composition; for enhancing animal productivity, health and welfare; for increasing the quality and safety of animal products; and for improving economic sustainability of milk production. Three partner organizations (IDF, FAO and IFCN) undertook separate but complementary approaches to map dairy feeding systems in the world. This report builds a knowledge foundation for animal feeding systems to serve as a valuable resource for the dairy sector and connected chain partners. It can be used both to compare and improve feeding systems already in use by examining the success of similar systems from around the world and for the development of new feeding systems.
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
Geographic variations in health care. What do we know and what can be done to improve health system performance? Paris: OECD. 2014, 416 p. doi:10.1787/9789264216594-en ISBN 978 92 6421 659 4 Variations in health care use within a country are complicated. In some cases they may reflect differences in health needs, in patient preferences or in the diffusion of a therapeutic innovation; in others they may not. There is evidence that some of the observed variations are unwarranted, signalling under- or over-provision of health services, or both. This study documents geographic variations for high-cost and high-volume procedures in select OECD countries. It finds that there are wide variations not only across countries, but within them as well. A mix of patient preferences and physician practice styles likely play an important part in this, but what part of the observed variations reflects over-provision, or whether there are unmet needs, remain largely unexplained. This report helps policy makers better understand the issues and challenges around geographic variations in health care provision and considers the policy options.
van Gool K, Pearson M. Health, austerity and economic crisis. Assessing the short-term impact in OECD countries. Paris: OECD. 2014, 55 p (OECD Health Working Papers; 76) doi:10.1787/5jxx71lt1zg6-en The economic crisis that started in 2008 has had a profound impact on the lives of citizens. Millions of people lost their job, saw their life-savings disappear and experienced prolonged financial hardship. The economic crisis has also led a number of OECD governments to introduce austerity measures to reduce public deficits. The health sector, like many other social welfare programmes, has witnessed extensive spending cuts and has also been the subject of substantial reforms. This paper looks at the impact of economic crisis on health and health care. It summarises findings from the published literature on the effects of economic crisis that took place over the past few decades and also describes recent health policy reforms, focusing on those countries where the economic crisis has hit hardest. Finally, this paper analyses the empirical relationship between unemployment and health care use, quality and health outcomes, using data from OECD Health Statistics. In doing so, it investigates whether the effects of unemployment on health outcomes have been extenuated by austerity measures.
The cost of air pollution. Health impacts of road transport. Paris: OECD. 2014, 80 p. ISBN 978 92 6421 044 8 - € 16.00 / US $ 23.00 OECD Code: 972014031E1 Outdoor air pollution kills more than 3 million people across the world every year, and causes health problems from asthma to heart disease for many more. This is costing societies very large amounts in terms of the value of lives lost and ill health. Based on extensive new epidemiological evidence since the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study, and OECD estimates of the Value of Statistical Life, this report provides evidence on the health impacts from air pollution and the related economic costs.
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)
UNEP Year Book 2014: emerging issues in our global environment. Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme Nigeria. 2014, 71 p. Job Number: DEW/1793/NA Ten years after the first Year Book in this series appeared, a special e-book anniversary edition - UNEP Year Book 2014 - presents a fresh look at ten issues highlighted over the past decade. The publication takes advantage of the latest technology, providing a multimedia experience that helps illustrate the environmental challenges we face today and some of the innovative solutions that have been created to solve those challenges. Videos, animations, data visualization and stunning images from around the world help tell the stories. The publication can be downloaded on iPADs and Android tablets. It can be also accessed through UNEP Live (www.unep.org/uneplive).
Costs of inaction on the sound management of chemicals. Geneva: United Nations Environment Programme. 2013, 88 p. Job Number: DTI/1551/GE This publication provides a practical and useful assessment of the current state of knowledge of the economic costs of inaction on the sound management of chemicals. It makes available early research findings and the evidence needed to support the argument for enhanced political actions. This report shows that these costs - borne by all segments of society, including business, from the production, use, and disposal of harmful chemicals - are too high. To reduce these costs and more effectively achieve national development planning goals, improvements in chemicals management are required. The report includes an extensive literary review in order to identify economic information on the health, environmental, and development planning effects of harmful chemicals. Chemicals reviewed within the scope of study include commodity, high production volume (HPV), industrial, specialty, minerals and metals, agricultural, household chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
Preventing suicide: a global imperative. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2014, 89 p. ISBN 978 92 415 6477 9 - Sw.fr.25.00/ US $ 30.00 Order no. 11500872 Suicide impacts on the most vulnerable of the world's populations and is highly prevalent in already marginalized and discriminated groups of society. It is not just a serious public health problem in developed countries; in fact, most suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries where resources and services, if they do exist, are often scarce and limited for early identification, treatment and support of people in need. These striking facts and the lack of implemented timely interventions make suicide a global public health problem that needs to be tackled imperatively. This report is the first WHO publication of its kind and brings together what is known in a convenient form so that immediate actions can be taken. The report aims to increase the awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts and to make suicide prevention a higher priority on the global public health agenda. It aims to encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive suicide prevention strategies in a multisectoral public health approach. In particular, there are evidence-based and low-cost interventions that are effective, even in resource-poor settings.
Understanding and using tuberculosis data. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2014, 204 p. ISBN 978 92 415 4878 6 - Sw.fr.40.00/ US $ 48.00 Order no. 11500873 Country health information systems provide a rich source of data on the burden of disease caused by tuberculosis (TB) and the effectiveness of programmatic efforts to reduce this burden, both of which are crucial for public health action. However, the available data are often underused, or not used at all. At least in part, this may reflect the absence of clear guidance on recommended approaches to the analysis of such data. This handbook is designed to address this gap through detailed practical examples of the analysis of TB surveillance data, in particular TB notification data, data from surveillance of anti-TB drug resistance, and mortality data compiled in national vital registration systems. It starts from the most basic kinds of analyses, and progresses to the description of more challenging topics such as the estimation of disease burden using multiple sources of evidence, including data from special surveys.
From malaria control to malaria elimination. A manual for elimination scenario planning. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2014, 53 p. ISBN 978 92 415 0702 8 - Sw.fr.10.00/ US $ 12.00 Order no. 19300289 The main purpose of this manual is to raise awareness of the sorts of technical, operational, and financial resources that would be required to reduce and eventually eliminate malaria, the timelines over which such reductions are likely to be achieved, and how they can be sustained. This knowledge is essential in order to plan strategically for long-term success. More detailed, context-specific planning will be an important next step after working through the general approach set out in the document. This document aims to assist malaria programmes in evaluating whether elimination, or other reductions in malaria, represents a feasible and appropriate goal in a defined area, based on careful consideration of what reductions in transmission are likely to occur given the intrinsic malaria burden, the levels of programme coverage that can be reached, and the financial investment available.