Archive for the ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’ category

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Global Network, IDB, and PAHO Discuss Elimination of NIDs in Latin America and the Caribbean

May 18th, 2012

On Tuesday, May 15, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Global Network, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), got together with close to 100 international NTD experts, members of Latin American civil society and private sector stakeholders to celebrate the work that has been done to address neglected infectious diseases (NIDs)* in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and invigorate energy for the path that lies ahead.

The LAC region has had incredible success in the control and elimination of NIDs. This is no small part due to the region’s culture of prevention, which has lead to historical success in combating polio, measles and rubella.  LAC governments have also had major success in prioritizing immunization—to great economic benefit.  Where 15 years ago many countries could not afford immunization programs, the region now averages between 77 and 96% coverage of various vaccines.

Spirits were high as Honduran Ambassador to  the U.S.  Jorge Ramón Hernández Alcerro joined Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director of the Global Network for NTDs; Dr. Jon Andrus, Deputy Director of the PAHO; and Dr. Ferdinando Regalia, Social Protection and Health Division Chief at the IDB as a featured speaker. » Read more: Global Network, IDB, and PAHO Discuss Elimination of NIDs in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Posted in Global Health, IDB, Latin America and the Caribbean, NIDs, PAHO, WHO

Honduras becomes first Latin American country to launch integrated plan to combat NTDs

April 17th, 2012

A major milestone was achieved on April 12, 2012 when Honduras became the first country in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region to officially launch an integrated national plan to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, applauds the leadership of the Ministry of Health to control and eliminate NTDs in Honduras, as well as the Pan American Health Organization, U.N. agencies, and other international and local non-profit partners.

Seated at the table from left to right, Dr. Gina Watson, PAHO Representative in Honduras, Vice Minister Mirian Yolanda Paz and Dr. Luis Castellanos, Coordinator, Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases, PAHO

Dr. Mirian Yolanda Paz, Vice Minister of Health, led the activities and laid out the path to end nine NTDs endemic to Honduras (soil-transmitted helminths, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, leptospirosis, cysticercosis, neonatal and nonneotal tetnus, congenital syphilis and rabies).  The plan includes a budget for proposed activities and is estimated at $20 million (USD) over a five year period.  Honduras’s plan will increase the cost-effectiveness sustainability of its existing NTD programs by integrating the various control and elimination activities, and by promoting NTD awareness and partnerships in the country.

In October 2009, the Latin American and Caribbean Member States of PAHO passed Resolution CD49/1R19, Elimination of Neglected Diseases and other Poverty-Related Infections, at their 49th Annual Directing Council meeting. This Resolution, adopted by Ministers of Health, was a critical call to action necessary to build political will and leadership around strengthening efforts to combat NTDs in the region, setting common goals to eliminate 10 of them and drastically reduce the burden of two others by 2015. » Read more: Honduras becomes first Latin American country to launch integrated plan to combat NTDs

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Posted in Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs

You Give Me Fever….

December 5th, 2011

Today we feature a repost from from  the blog Global Health Policy at NYU-Wagner. Maintained by the students of Karen Grepin’s global health policy course at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, today’s contributor writes about dengue in Latin America, as well as including an overview of the seven most common neglected tropical diseases:

Two years ago, my co-worker traveled to Colombia. She was so excited to go and talked about it for weeks. Her plans entailed hiking on a hidden track through the jungle, touring the countryside and having amazing food. The day she was due to come back to work from her vacation, she was a no show. I was informed that she had contracted dengue while in Colombia and was out sick all week. My head was racing with questions: What? How was that even possible? What EXACTLY was dengue? I knew absolutely nothing about this disease, but it sounded worse than anything I could possibly imagine.

Aedes aegypti - vector for dengue fever

My research informed me that dengue is a mosquito borne infection that causes a severe flu-like illness and can potentially lead to deadly complication called dengue hemorrhagic fever. Mosquitoes became a huge concern for me especially because of my impending trip to Dominican Republic. Dengue was on a rise that year and I was prepared to fight that battle with bug repellant.  The entire vacation I reeked of bug repellent, but I didn’t get one mosquito bite.  Contracting dengue was my biggest fear and it still is. Dengue is officially on my radar!

The seven most common Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are ascariasis, hookworm, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schstosomiasis, trachoma and trichuriasis. I thought dengue sounded scary, but the top seven sounded worse. Click here to continue reading.

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Posted in Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs

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Good News on River Blindness

November 23rd, 2011

By: Alanna Shaikh

Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala are making huge progress against river blindness, aka onchocerciasis. Colombia has eliminated river blindness from within its borders, the first country in Latin America to do so. Mexico and Guatemala have broken the cycle of transmission, and they’re ready to stop mass drug administration next year.

Elimination is a pretty clear term. It means that the disease, while still present on our planet, is down to zero in one particular region; in this case, Colombia. But what does it mean to break the cycle of transmission? Well, onchocerciasis is a tiny parasitic worm[1] that has a pretty complicated life cycle, and one particular kind of fly is essential to the survival of the disease. Without those flies, the disease is not transmitted and dies out.

Photo Credit: The Carter Center

To break the cycle of transmission, you spray insecticide in the areas of fast moving rivers where the flies breed. No more flies, no more onchocerciasis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it takes fourteen years of spraying to totally eliminate the reservoir of adult onchocerciasis worms and therefore make sure that the disease is gone. Once you’ve reached that point, it takes three more years of close monitoring to ensure that the disease really is gone. If there really are no cases in those three years, then, like Colombia, your country can be certified as having eliminated the disease. » Read more: Good News on River Blindness

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Posted in Blindness, Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs, Onchocerciasis, Vision

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