This report aims to outline the current available knowledge on the health and wellbeing of older persons in the Region of the Americas during the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030). It also seeks to guide political actions towards e
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nsuring the human rights of older persons, and describes the negotiation and drafting process behind the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons. It reports on the doctrinal and legal developments that led the Region of the Americas to draft the Convention and describes its action areas and guaranteed rights, as well as the obligations assumed by the States Parties. The Convention is an essential tool to advance the strategies of the Decade of Healthy Ageing. This publication reflects on the importance of having a major legal instrument for this purpose at the international level. The demographic transition in Latin America and the Caribbean will continue to shape the ability of countries and health systems to respond to the needs of the population. Given this reality, international instruments will be needed to guarantee the full enjoyment of the human rights of older persons. In order to design inclusive and sustainable systems, accurate, updated, and effective information is required. The Decade of Healthy Ageing––the initiative that constitutes the framework for this document––is a strategic period in which to focus on data generation and monitoring.
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Trachoma is one of oldest infectious diseases known to humans. It is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, which is transmitted through contact with eye secretions of infected people (shared use of towels and handkerchiefs, contact with fingers, etc.), as well by flies that help spread it.
This publication presents a framework to implement the Agenda for the Americas on Health, Environment, and Climate Change 2021–2030 (the Agenda) that is structured around essential public health f
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unctions focused on environmental determinants of health. The Agenda is a call to action to the health sector to lead the charge to address environmental determinants of health in the Americas. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will work with Member States to achieve its goal and objective to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages using a sustainable and equitable approach that places a priority on reducing health inequity. The Agenda was developed under the umbrella of the WHO Global Strategy on Health, Environment, and Climate Change, and builds upon the commitments set forth in the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas 2018–2030 and the PAHO Strategic Plan 2020–2025.
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This document provides countries with recommendations for structuring a public health entomology laboratory network. The document will help countries to identify their areas of need and determine how the entomology network can be strengthened, espec
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ially in the context of a decentralized health system. The recommendations also consider the different degrees of development and different entomological research needed to support disease prevention and control activities.
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In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, constituted a pandemic, given the speed and scale of its transmiss
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ion. The Region of the Americas is characterized by its rich multi-ethnic and multicultural heritage. Nonetheless, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and other ethnic groups are often subject to discrimination and exclusion, resulting in health inequities. COVID-19 may have a greater impact on certain populations, such as indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants.
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n recent decades, a significant improvement in people’s general health conditions has occurred, leading to an increase in life expectancy at birth in most countries in the Region of the Americas. This progress has been the result of both
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health technology advances – antibiotics, vaccines, and other treatments – and improvements in the conditions in which people live, including increased access to improved drinking water and sanitation, and health services. Nevertheless, progress has slowed in recent years, and achievements have varied among countries and territories, as well as within them. In the journey toward universal health, it is essential to have the ability to monitor and assess progress in terms of the ultimate goal of health systems: improving the health and well-being of populations. To this end, this edition of Health in the Americas analyzes the standardized rate of potentially avoidable premature mortality as an indicator of health system performance, considering both its preventable component through public and intersectoral health interventions, as well as the treatable component, related to the effectiveness of health services, that is, the quality of health care. The analysis of potentially avoidable premature mortality provides a metric for comparing and tracking performance over time.
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This brief presents the guidelines and agreements in the information document Status of access to sexual and reproductive health services, prepared by the Pan
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American Health Organization (PAHO) at the request of its Member States at the 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference. It was presented and unanimously approved by the countries of the Region of the Americas at the 60th Meeting of the Directing Council, 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Americas, held in Washington, D.C., USA, September 25-29, 2023. Its objective is to describe the status of access to sexual and reproductive health services in the Americas region, identify health responses and barriers to access, and suggest recommendations for countries. It was developed based on a review and systematization of data, plans and initiatives, scientific papers, United Nations reports, and legal and regulatory frameworks on sexual and reproductive health.
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Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil y Paraguay
PAHO advocates for countries to comply with the international conventions they have signed and ratified on health-related issues, and in this specific case, to promote and protect the human rights o
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f people with mental health problems.
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Resultados de Encuestas en Hogares y Establecimientos de Venta, 2007
Presentation Ernesto Bascolo, Advisor on Health Governance, Leadership, Policy and Planning. Pan American
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Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) In: 20 - 24 June 2022, Brazil. "Conversaciones Técnicas Preliminares sobre la Adhesión de Brasil a OCDE"
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This infographic includes the question why we should include children in health research
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 81% of all deaths in the region of the Americas, of which 34% befall prematurely in people between 30- 69 years old. The burden of theses diseases and their common risk factors jeopardize the health
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systems to provide adequate management, as well as to implement customized policies and interventions. The PAHO/WHO STEPwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance (STEPS) is a simple, sequential, standardized method for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data on key NCD risk factors in countries in adults from 18 to 69 years old. This survey covers key modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, alcohol use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet, as well as key biological risk factors: overweight and obesity, raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, and abnormal blood lipids. STEPS is a household survey that gathers information on the risk factors through a face-to-face interview (step 1), simple physical measurements (step 2), and collection of urine and blood samples for biochemical analysis (step 3). Every step has a core set of questions, measurements, and expanded sets depending on the countries' needs and interests. It also has optional modules. Implementing STEPS allows the comparability of data within and between countries due to its standardized data collection. It also helps health services plan public health priorities and monitors and evaluates population-wide interventions. It is designed to help countries build and strengthen their capacity to conduct surveillance. STEPS captures 11 of the 25 indicators outlined in the NCD Global Monitoring Framework relating to 7 of the nine global targets.
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This booklet presents data on NCD mortality and prevalence of NCD risk factors, by country, for the Region of the Americas. The focus is on the 5 x 5 NCD agenda which includes the main NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases), and mental
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health (suicide); as well as the main NCD risk factors (tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity), along with air pollution. It includes information on the number and percentage of deaths, age-standardized death rates, premature death from NCDs and the prevalence of NCD risk f actors.
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The concentration of sodium hypochlorite available in the country must be used to prepare the disinfecting solution according to the intended use, following the indications presented in this document.
Este guia de treinamento explica como identificar os sinais e sintomas das doenças tropicais negligenciadas da pele por meio de suas características visíveis. Contém ainda informações sobre métodos de diagnóstico e manejo de problemas cutâneos comuns que os profissionais de saúde da linha
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de frente podem encontrar.
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En la presente guía de capacitación se explica cómo reconocer los signos y los síntomas de las enfermedades tropicales desatendidas de la piel a partir de sus características visibles. También contiene información sobre cómo diagnosticar y tratar los problemas frecuentes de la piel que puede
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encontrar el personal de salud de primera línea.
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