Article from the CDC Health Alert Network
Over 22,000 medical professionals fled Venezuela from 2012-2017 and sought jobs in other Latin American countries.
The influx of specialists in places like Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru has helped address critical gaps in care—patients in poorer or rural communities wait months for special...ty care and surgeries have years-long waiting lists. But a talent inflow isn’t a quick fix for stressed systems. Nations must construct reasonable credentialing procedures—a process that can take years—and match specialists with jobs where they’re most needed.
Venezuela’s uncertain future also means questioning how countries will cope if doctors decide to return home
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The article "The Rising Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Americas and the Impact of Population Aging" examines how the aging population in the Americas is contributing to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), despite improvements in disease prevention and health care. Usi...ng data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations, the study analyzes trends in population growth, aging, and NCD-related mortality and disability rates from 2000 to 2019 across 33 countries.
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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.
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Over 6 million people worldwide are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan that causes Chagas disease. Endemic in 21 Latin American countries, the disease can be transmitted by vector insects called triatomines — also known as “kissing bugs” —, foods or beverages contaminated with th...e parasite, blood transfusions, organ transplants, or congenitally during pregnancy or delivery.
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2018 Progress Report
PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control (2017-2020)
This handbook reflects and updates the work that ECLAC has done in recent decades to establish a methodology for estimating the economic consequences of a disaster, and thus determine the financing required to rebuild and return the affected area to normal. The handbook's third edition strengthens p...rocedures for estimating the effects of disasters, for distinguishing between losses and additional costs and systematizing the links that exist between different sectors of the economy
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To support its R&D activities on Chagas disease, DNDi launched the Chagas Clinical Research Platform (CCRP). The platform brings together partners, experts, and stakeholders to provide support for evaluation and development of new treatments for Chagas disease. The patient-centred platform aims to f...acilitate clinical research, provide a forum for technical discussions, develop a critical mass of expertise, and strengthen institutional research capacities. In addition, it identifies and reviews priority needs, works towards standardization of methodology to assess drug efficacy and reviews alternatives for using current approved drugs (new schemes, doses, combination) and special scenarios (resistance).
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La enfermedad de Chagas es parasitaria y afecta a más de 6 millones
de personas en el mundo. Como normalmente es asintomática durante
años, los nuevos casos suelen no detectarse ni reportarse y la mayoría
de las personas con la enfermedad no tiene conciencia de su condición.
Se diagnostica ...a menos del 10% de las personas afectadas, y en su gran
mayoría estas no reciben el tratamiento que necesitan. Sin tratamiento,
la enfermedad de Chagas puede causar daños irreversibles al corazón y
otros órganos vitales, o la muerte.
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Accessed Online January 2019
Clinical Infectious Diseases
1586 - 1594 • CID 2016:62 (15 June) • HIV/AIDS
América Latina y el Caribe se ha convertido en el epicentro de la pandemia de enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) y encabeza las estadísticas mundiales de casos. La pandemia ha devenido en una inédita crisis económica y social y, si no se toman medidas urgentes, podría transformarse en una cr...isis alimentaria, humanitaria y política. Tanto para las acciones de control de la pandemia como para las etapas de reactivación y reconstrucción, es imprescindible aumentar la inversión pública en salud hasta alcanzar los parámetros recomendados, de modo de asegurar el fortalecimiento de los sistemas de salud, ampliando y reconfigurando los servicios de salud de calidad, con un enfoque de atención primaria de salud, y abordar de manera inmediata y acelerada las necesidades de salud insatisfechas, reducir inequidades y mejorar las condiciones de acceso a servicios esenciales, incluida la protección financiera.
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Health systems in Latin America face many challenges in controlling the increasing burden of diabetes. Digital health interventions are a promise for the provision of care, especially in developing countries where mobile technology has a high penetration. This study evaluated the effectiveness of th...e implementation of a Diabetes Program (DP) that included digital health interventions to improve the quality of care of persons with type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) in a vulnerable population attending the public primary care network.
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Worldwide, studies on asthma prevalence have shown major rises over the last 30 years. The impact on the burden of asthma is being increasingly recognised. In some countries in Latin America, the prevalence of asthma is among the highest in the world. Asthma admissions are very common in children, l...eading to high costs for the health systems of those countries. Unfortunately, Latin America has limited resources to pay for appropriate treatment. The main goals of the international guidelines for asthma treatment are not being met. However, asthma programmes operating in some countries are showing promising results in reducing asthma admissions and consequently decreasing the burden of asthma. Local adaptation of international guidelines must be implemented in order to decrease costs and optimise outcomes.
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