This paper summarizes the findings for the Latin American and Caribbean countries of the WPA Tas
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k 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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16 June 2020
PAHO’s Smart Hospitals Project started in 2009 and has been implemented across nine countries in the Caribbean Region. The onset of
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the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new lessons to be incorporated as part of Smart Retrofits. This document is intended to describe simple natural and mechanical ventilation measures which can be implemented as an extension of the PAHO Smart Retrofits with the aim of reducing the risk of transmission of viruses like COVID-19.
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In the face of rapid increases in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Latin America and the
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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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This fact sheet is based on a systematic review of the literature on HPV and cervical cancer epidemiology, and a survey on policies and practices related to the prevention and control of cervical ca
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ncer 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 technical note summarizes the consolidated guidelines and adapts them to the context of Latin America and the
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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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Version dated April 1st, 2020.
The flow of migrants and refugees from Venezuela constitutes the largest mobilization of people in the history of L
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atin 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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Message: The islands of The Bahamas and Haiti suffered severe impact from the passage of Hurricane Matthew,
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the 5th named Hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season. As a result, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) through the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) facilitated the coordination and deployment of regional specialized response teams to provide operational support and damage/needs assessments in the most affected areas in Haiti and The Bahamas. The Caribbean Community will also make targeted relief interventions in the affected Member States.
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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 Observatory to support review and follow-up over
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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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In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), one maternal death was registered every hour in 2020. That same year, the trend in
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the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for the Region of the Americas regressed alarmingly and unprecedentedly to the levels seen two decades ago. In addition to indicating a worsening of health outcomes, these figures also signal a deepening of inequalities, representing thousands of individual, unacceptable tragedies that in most cases could have been preventable. Maternal death is the result of a multifactorial process in which structural elements such as the economic system, environmental conditions, and culture interact. Other factors related to social inequality are also present, such as racism, poverty, gender inequality, and lack of access to the education system. The current situation calls for urgent mobilization of the health systems of LAC countries in order to strengthen efforts to combat maternal mortality, especially in countries that are still far from achieving the SHAA2030 regional target. For this reason, a preventive, health-promoting, life-course-based approach is needed, with models of care centered on women, families, and the community Scientific evidence shows that health systems with a solid foundation in primary health care (PHC) achieve better outcomes, greater equity, and reduced health expenditures. To address this, PAHO proposes a strategy, aimed primarily at women who are in the most vulnerable situation, who are the ones who represent the greatest burden of maternal mortality, to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality in the Region of the Americas, based on the expansion and strengthening of PHC.
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The current effort on fighting COVID-19 cannot conceal the fact that climatic and geological hazards affect Latin-America and the
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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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Most shelters in the Caribbean are community centers, schools, or churches that are limited in size. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) dista
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ncing requirements subsequently reduced the number of persons a shelter can accommodate during the hurricane season. This document reinforces some measures to follow per international emergency shelter protocols factoring in conditions for spacing between beds/cots, recreation areas and ventilation according to The Sphere Handbook, FEMA, and Australian Red Cross. Physical distancing and hygienic standards were modified highlighting that ideal requirements are not always feasible; therefore, we may choose realistic recommendations for practical purposes and suspected cases of COVID-19.
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Estimated number of pregnant women, number with access to at least four antenatal care visits, and those delivering in hospital settings in the Americas, 2019...
Sesame Street Muppets Elmo and Raya are taking on the Zika virus, helping to raise awareness and share critical information to reduce the spread of the
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mosquito-borne virus, now reported in 33 countries and territories of the Americas. The Muppet friends appear in two public service messages, sharing tips for avoiding mosquito bites with families in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a joint effort with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.
To view the video, please click on the external link.
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Sesame Street Muppets Elmo and Raya are taking on the Zika virus, helping to raise awareness and share critical information to reduce the spread of the
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mosquito-borne virus, now reported in 33 countries and territories of the Americas. The Muppet friends appear in two public service messages, sharing tips for avoiding mosquito bites with families in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a joint effort with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization. To view the video, please click on the external link.
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Article from the CDC Health Alert Network
All countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region are expected to report on these indicators for the year 2020.
All countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region are expected to report on these indicators for the year 2022.