Please find here the latest daily updates of the PAHO Region
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) represent a range of physical, mental, and behavioral disabilities caused by alcohol use during pregnancy, or prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). FASDs are considered to be one of the leading preventable causes of developmental disability. Despite its high preval...ence, FASD is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, making interventions more challenging or delayed.
his publication was initially developed for use in Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas and is intended to serve as a training workbook for providers of various disciplines to learn about the fundamentals of diagnosing FASD and to apply them to several case scenarios. It also discusses ethical implications of diagnosing FASD to the mother and child. Target audiences include physicians, psychologists, allied health professionals, social workers, and other providers that may encounter individuals affected by FASD. It is ideally used as a supplement for in-person training by experts in the fields of dysmorphology, epidemiology, and neuropsychology.
more
Una guía para prevenir y abordar el estigma social
Social stigma in the context of health is the negative association between a person or group of people who share certain characteristics and a specific disease. In an outbreak, this may mean people are labelled, stereotyped, discriminated against,... treated separately, and/or experience loss of status because of a perceived link with a disease.
more
COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Readiness Assessment Tool (VIRAT2), developed by WHO-PAHO, UNICEF, World Bank, Gavi, and other partners is a tool to help prepare countries for the introduction a COVID-19 vaccine.
It provides a roadmap for introduction and a structured framework for countries to self-...monitor their readiness progress against key milestones. It includes an excel template for Ministries of Health to complete with support from partners and PAHO Country Offices.
The VIRAT dashboard helps countries highlight the critical activities and technical areas that should be initiated, continued, or strengthened. Also, it allows PAHO and partners to identify areas where support may be needed and identify alternative forms to mobilize resources.
more
3 February 2021
Vaccine- and vaccination-related crises require a communication response that is different from the communication strategies used to promote the benefits and importance of vaccines in general. This document presents the technical guidance needed to develop a communication plan that ...is appropriate for managing crises related to vaccine safety. This guidance will be useful for managers in the areas of immunization and vaccine and vaccination safety. They will also help preparedness and response teams working in safety crises to optimize their communication plans in order to regain, maintain, or strengthen trust in vaccines, vaccination, and immunization programs in general.
more
Fotonovela to promote COVID-19 vaccination. This comic-book style graphic tells the story of a daycare worker’s decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Sequencing SARS-CoV-2 in the Americas
The COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Regional Network was created in 2020 not only to strengthen the sequencing capacity in the participating laboratories, but also for them to establish a routine SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing, as a strategy to increase the amoun...t of genetic sequence data available to the global community, which is critical to support the development of diagnostic protocols, the information for vaccine development and to better understand the evolution and molecular epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2.
more
Methodology for evaluating national national arboviral disease prevention and and control of arboviral diseases in the Americas
List of essential medicines for the management of patients admitted in intensive care units with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID 19. Third version, 1 February 2022
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a major global threat across human, animal, plant food and environmental sectors, threatening the effective treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi, resulting in prolonged illness and increased mor...tality, often felt hardest by the most vulnerable populations. AMR also endangers the sustainability of agri-food systems and food safety.
Since 2010 there is a strong commitment from FAO, OIE and PAHO to fight AMR, working together to mitigate the risks in the interconnection among the human health, animal health and the environment. In this context, the organizations now joined forces in the implementation of the project ‘Working Together to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance’ to ensure a coherent “One Health” approach recognizing the multidimensionality and necessity of an intersectoral response that is needed to address the problem of AMR.
The overall strategic objective of the three-year project (2020-22) supported and financed by the European Union (EU) is to contribute to tackle AMR through the implementation of National AMR Action Plans by working with seven Latin American partner countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
more
Biosafety involves the implementation of containment principles, technologies and practices to prevent unintentional exposure to biological agents. Biosecurity involves the protection, control and accountability of biological materials and information related to these materials and dualuse research,... to prevent their unauthorized access, loss, theft, misuse, diversion or intentional release.
more
Understanding and practicing health care that consciously adopts the point of view of individuals, caregivers, families and
communities as participants and beneficiaries of health systems that inspire confidence, are organized not so much according to specific diseases, but rather according to the ...comprehensive needs of the person, and respect the social preferences.
more
Front. Public Health, 02 July 2019 Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 7 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00166
Chagas disease (CD) is an anthropozoonosis caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, that affects about 6–8 million people worldwide (1) a...nd causes approximately 50,000 deaths per year. Another 65–100 million people are living in areas at risk for infection worldwide (2–4). Even though over a century has passed since its discovery, CD remains one of the leading public health problems for most Latin American countries
more
April 2022 Volume 35 Issue 2 e00152-21
Population movements have turned Chagas disease (CD) into a global public health problem. Despite the successful implementation of subregional initiatives to control vectorial and transfusional Trypanosoma cruzi transmission in Latin American settings where t...he disease is endemic, congenital CD (cCD) remains a significant challenge. In countries where the disease is not endemic, vertical transmission plays a key role in CD expansion and is the main focus of its control. Although several health organizations provide general protocols for cCD control, its management in each geopolitical region depends on local authorities, which has resulted in a multitude of approaches. The aims of this review are to (i) describe the current global situation in CD management, with emphasis on congenital infection, and (ii) summarize the spectrum of available strategies, both official and unofficial, for cCD prevention and control in countries of endemicity and nonendemicity. From an economic point of view, the early detection and treatment of cCD are cost-effective. However, in countries where the disease is not endemic, national health policies for cCD control are nonexistent, and official regional protocols are scarce and restricted to Europe. Countries of endemicity have more protocols in place, but the implementation of diagnostic methods is hampered by economic constraints. Moreover, most protocols in both countries where the disease is endemic and those where it is not endemic have yet to incorporate recently developed technologies. The wide methodological diversity in cCD diagnostic algorithms reflects the lack of a consensus. This review may represent a first step toward the development of a common strategy, which will require the collaboration of health organizations, governments, and experts in the field.
more
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a condition that causes gradual organ damage. Without treatment, it can be fatal.
This article explains where the T. cruzi parasite is most common and how it can spread. It also outlines the symptoms of Chagas disease and the treatment options avail...able.
more
Chagas is a parasitic disease that affects over 6 million people in the
world. As the disease typically remains asymptomatic for years, new cases
often go unnoticed and unreported, and most people with the disease
are unaware of their condition. Less than 10% of people affected are
diagnosed and... the vast majority do not receive the treatment they need.
If not treated, Chagas may cause irreversible, life-threatening damage to
the heart and other vital organs.
more
Information for the General Public
Epidemiological Update
Dengue
7 February 2020
Situation summary
In the Region of the Americas, between epidemiological week (EW) 1 and EW 521 of 2019, a total of 3,139,335 cases of dengue have been reported (321.58 cases per 100,000 population), including 1,538 deaths. Of the total cases, 1,367,...353 (43.6%) were laboratory-confirmed and 28,169 (0.9%) were classified as severe dengue. The case-fatality rate was 0.049%.
more
Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine 2022:13 25–40.
Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and it is endemic in Central, South America, Mexico and the South of the United States. It is an important cause of early mortality and morbidity, and it is associated with po...verty and stigma. A third of the cases evolve into chronic cardiomyopathy and gastrointestinal disease. This review proposes strategies to address challenges faced by non-endemic countries
more
Coherent Market Insights has announced the addition of Chagas Disease Treatment Market 2023 Forecast Analysis by Types, Applications, Size, Share, Key Players, and Regions. a new research report to its market research archive. The Chagas Disease Treatment Market has been thoroughly researched and an...alyzed by industry experts and researchers. The industry is examined at the global, regional, and national levels. The report highlights the primary revenue stream for the estimated year, along with sales volumes, growth patterns, and major industry market dynamics. The historical data is provided, as well as a comprehensive revenue analysis for the forecast period. The report focuses on the size, share, growth status, and future trends of the Chagas Disease Treatment Market, as well as recent business developments.
more