World Health Organization, 218 pp, $36, ISBN 92-4-156336-2, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2006.
Copyright 2008 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use.
The recent publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) monograph Neurological Disorders: Public Health Challenges may mark a lasting change in the way health care planners view the prevention and treatment of disorders of the nervous system. It deserves to be read by neurologists and neuroscientists around the world.
When The Global Burden of Disease1 was published by WHO and Harvard in 1996, its demonstration of the high prevalence and impact of diseases of the nervous system put neurology firmly at the center of global health planning. Its authors’ estimate that more than 10% of all deaths and disability are due to neurological disorders motivated WHO to start its Global Initiative on Neurology and Public Health, which
“revealed a paucity of information on the burden of neurological disorders and a lack of policies, programmes and resources for their management.”(page 1)
In addition, the US Institute of Medicine assumed the task of analyzing some of the reasons for the “epidemic” of global neurological disorders and cost-effective ways to prevent and treat them.2
With the collaboration of the World Federation of Neurology, WHO then assessed the strength and distribution of relevant health care resources.3 This study, and another carried out by the World Federation of Neurology, revealed that many developing countries have no neurologists at all and that many more have alarmingly inadequate numbers of neurologists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, neurological training programs, neurological hospital beds, neurorehabilitation services, and other subspecialty resources.4
Neurological Disorders: Public Health Challenges is the logical next step. It is the result of a groundbreaking partnership between WHO and several important international neurological organizations including the World Federation of Neurology, the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, the International League Against Epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s Disease International. The goal of the project is to
“facilitate increased cooperation and innovation and inspire commitment to preventing these debilitating disorders and providing the best possible care for people who suffer from them.” (page viii)
The book will be distributed to ministries of health of all WHO member countries.
After an introductory essay on “Public Health Principles and Neurological Disorders,” the book uses several of the most highly prevalent and serious neurological disorders to demonstrate how public health policies and actions can help prevent and deal with them. The concluding recommendations may be adapted or prioritized as appropriate for individual countries and within various types of health care systems.
Gaining commitment from local decision makers.
Increasing public and professional awareness of the problems and solutions.
Removing stigma and discrimination.
Strengthening neurological care within existing health care systems.
Incorporating neurorehabilitation into all planning.
Developing both national capacities and international collaboration.
Establishing links between health care and other social sectors, eg, education, housing, and transport.
Defining priorities for neuroscience research.
The WHO is a powerful force for setting the agendas of health planners, ministers of health, nongovernmental organizations, and granting agencies. Its current spotlight on diseases of the nervous system is a welcome and hopeful development.
A PDF of the publication is available free through the WHO Web site (http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/neurodiso/en/index.html) or you can order a copy of the book for $36 from the WHO online bookshop (http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/flyer_neurological_report.pdf).
Prose ★★★★ Illustrations ★★★★ Science ★★★★ Usefulness ★★★★
Correspondence: Dr Bergen, Rush-Presbyterian–St. Luke's Medical Center, 1725 W Harrison St, Suite 1106, Chicago, IL 60612 (dbergen@rush.edu).
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Additional Information: Dr Bergen reviewed an early version of the manuscript of the book for WHO.
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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