COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is currently one of the main obstacles to worldwide herd immunity and socioeconomic recovery. Because vaccine coverage can vary between
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and within countries, it is important
to identify sources of variation so that policies can be tailored to different population groups. In this paper, we analyze the results from a survey designed and implemented in order to identify early adopters and
laggers in six big cities of Latin America. We find that trust in government and science, accurate knowledge about the value of vaccination and vaccine effects, perceived risk of getting sick, and being a student
increase the odds to get vaccinated. We also identify potential laggers as women and populations between 20 and 35 years old who are not students. We discuss specific strategies to promote vaccination among
these populations groups as well as more general strategies designed to gain trust. These findings are specific to the context of Latin America insofar as the underlying factors associated with the choice to be
vaccinated vary significantly by location and in relation to individual-level factors.
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According to the latest available estimates, more than 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10–19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder globally. Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among
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the top five causes of death for their age group. Meanwhile, wide gaps persist between mental health needs and mental health funding. The report finds that about 2 per cent of government health budgets are allocated to mental health spending globally.
The full report , excecutive summary, brief reports are available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic athttps://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=sowc-web
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May 9, 2022.Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of clinical trials have been planned and developed to assess
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the effectiveness and safety of various interventions that could prevent hospitalizations and progression to severe disease in people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Currently, the WHO and the PAHO recommend the use of corticosteroids, tocilizumab, baricitinib, and casirivimab e imdevimab (the latter in seronegative COVID-19 patients) and propose the use of sotrovimab, casirivimab/imdevimab, and molnupiravir in patients with non-severe illness who are at high risk for complications
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Advances in the treatment of pediatric cancer have made it possible to expand initiatives beyond cure and cover aspects such as early detection, continuity of treatment
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and reduction in toxicity. All this has paved the way for a more comprehensive vision of patient care, which means better chances of healing and a fuller life - objectives of the World Initiative against Childhood Cancer. Within this comprehensive care, psychosocial care includes the social, psychological, spiritual and functional dimensions of the disease process of patients. This series includes guidelines and standards based on evidence that guarantee the quality of said care. The standards are the result of discussion and review by different professionals from Latin America and the Caribbean. Module 1 focuses on psychosocial evaluation as a strategy to support the objectives of the World Initiative against Childhood Cancer, and as a tool for health professionals to gather the necessary information to offer these patients a comprehensive approach focused on well-being, adaptation to the disease process, and adherence to treatment.
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Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2018;42:e45. https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.45
This fact sheet is based on a systematic review of the literature on HPV and cervical cancer epidemiology, and a survey on policies
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and practices related to the prevention and control of cervical cancer among women living with HIV (WLHIV) to PAHO Member States. It details scorecards on the advances of countries against WHO recommendations and international commitments for cervical cancer prevention and control among WLHIV.
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This paper summarizes the findings for the Latin American and
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Caribbean countries of the WPA Task Force on Steps, Obstacles and Mistakes to Avoid in the Implementation of Community Mental Health Care. It presents an overview of the provision of mental health services in the region; describes key experiences in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Jamaica and Mexico; and discusses the lessons learned in developing community mental health care.
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In the face of rapid increases in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Latin America
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and the Caribbean, coupled with shortages of human and material resources, including medical equipment and gases, there is a need to redesign models of care in the Region to optimize available resources and ensure that more patients receive the quantity and quality of oxygen they need. Oxygen is included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines and is used to care for patients at all levels of integrated health services networks. The efficacy of oxygen use in the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions caused by COVID-19 has been demonstrated, but there is great opportunity to improve the effectiveness of its use if it is used in a rational, sustainable, and safe way. Bearing in mind that the efficacy of a health technology is measured by its benefit under actual conditions of use, practical actions can be taken to improve the use of medical oxygen and avoid oxygen shortages. A drug is considered to be used rationally when patients receive it according to their clinical needs, in doses appropriate to their individual needs, for an appropriate period, and at a low cost to them and their community. By providing instruction on the rational use of oxygen and promoting it, negative repercussions can be avoided, such as loss of efficacy as a result of activities related to oxygen storage, distribution, and administration. Rational use of oxygen also involves controlling waste due to leaks in storage and distribution systems, use of gas at incorrect pressures, use of incorrectly adjusted flowmeters, and disconnections, among other problems. Another aspect to consider is the provision of adequate technical support for all oxygen production systems, in terms of maintenance and calibration, availability of electrical energy, and specific knowledge about these systems. For these reasons, a set of guidelines has been put together for the development of an efficient management system to deal with situations of oxygen scarcity, both now and in the future.
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Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected infectious endemic disease that is transmitted through the bite of a vector insect (sandfly) of the Lutzomyia genus,typical of rural geographical territor
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ies, and causes disfiguring skin ulcers and disabilities. It is estimated that CL affects between 600 000 and 1 000 000 people a year around the world, mainly in the America s, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and Central Asia. Eighteen of the 21 countries that make up the Latin American (LA) region are considered endemic areas for this neglected tropical disease. Colombia is one of the countries that reports the majority of global cases with 6161 in 2020 and has the second highest number of cases in the Americas, after Brazil.
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Protecting Migrants or Reversing Migration? COVID-19 and the risks of a protracted crisis in Latin Amer
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ica
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This manual has been prepared by the Group on Agriculture of the FAO Regional Office for Latin America
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and the Caribbean. The purpose of this work is to spread the basic concepts of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)in order to: guide the production systems towards a sustainable agriculture and ecologically safe, obtain harmless products of higher quality, contribute to food security generating income through the access to markets and improve working conditions of producers and their families.
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The new global scenario in times of COVID-19 makes it necessary to take urgent measures and assess the impacts they will have. ECLAC has built this
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Observatory to support review and follow-up over the medium and long terms and at the request of CELAC. The Observatory tracks the public policies that the 33 countries of the Latin America and Caribbean region are implementing to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers analyses of the economic and social impacts that these policies will have at the national and sectoral levels.
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The Region of the Americas comprises 46 countries and territories and Brazil
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and Peru are among the WHO high- TB burden
countries. T o illustrate the recent increase in TB incidence in the region, we selected 12 countries from Latin America (Argentina,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela), which account for approximately 80% of the total estimated TB cases in the region.
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ACAPS Briefing Note: Zika virus epidemic
The current effort on fighting COVID-19 cannot conceal the fact that climatic and geological hazards affect
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Latin-America and the Caribbean every year. At a time when countries of the region are actively responding to the pandemic, they also need to prepare for and implement actions to mitigate the potential impacts of other recurrent hazards. For instance, countries like Guatemala and El Salvador have been recently hit by tropical storm Amanda and, as the Caribbean region faces its annual hurricane season, countries are enhancing climate-hazard preparedness. Many countries are bracing for a two-tier crisis as they grapple with complicated logistics, limited resources and scant supplies.
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Version dated April 1st, 2020.
The flow of migrants and refugees from Venezuela constitutes the largest mobilization of people in
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the history of Latin America. By March 2020, more than 4.9 million Venezuelans have left their country and from these, more than 4.1 million have been mobilized to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The motives for this mobilization are diverse, but those related to health care issues stand out, among which is the condition of living with HIV/AIDS. In the situation of demand for medical care that COVID-19 has generated, it is much more difficult to receive attention for people who are not included in the health systems of countries that are recipient due to the limitations that their migratory status may impose.
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This technical note summarizes the consolidated guidelines and adapts them to the context of Latin
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America and the Caribbean, in order to adequately monitor the number of people on ART. For this purpose, guidance is presented on the indicators and the methodology to know more precisely the number of people who are in ART.
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