Objective

Dengue virus is an endemic now ravaging the MERCOSUR region. The objective of this research is to assess the epidemiological situation caused by dengue in the MERCOSUR Member States and Associate States.

Methods

Statistical data were used (estimated dengue morbidity rates for the period 1980-2015, with particular focus on 1991-2015), together with a corpus of health legislation, commercial law, arbitration awards, executive reports, and subject-specific literature.

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis among incarcerated populations.

Objective. The Perinatal Information System (SIP) represents a milestone in the use of systematized information in the Region of the Americas. What has been learned from the system has contributed to the development of a model based on a set of core indicators (SCI). The objective of the study was to describe the historical and methodological process involved in the development, implementation, and territorial scaling-up of an SCI to monitor and evaluate women’s and perinatal health policies, programs, and services geared to management (SIP-GESTIÓN).

Objective. To describe health care workers’ practical recommendations for strengthening adherence to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection control practices in their health institutions and elsewhere across the Dominican Republic.

The articles published in this series show that it is possible to create fiscal space for health in the countries. This requires specific decisions since economic growth is not enough to generate the additional resources needed. The studies analyze the benefit of reviewing the tax expenditures to identify exemptions — generally outdated and of low benefit for the countries —; arguments to increase taxes on products harmful to health; and credits and donations, which do not result in a viable source of income for governments.

Chile is facing changes associated with the demographic transition. So far, these challenges have been framed as age related. This has contributed to approaching a broad set of issues from a narrow perspective. The focus on aging has fragmented a multidisciplinary problem into different parts—particularly health and social policies—with different actors dealing with it from the perspective of their own sector. This process has generated an incomplete picture, preventing the definition and measurement of dependency and long-term care, and hindering a coordinated response to these issues.

Objective. To use a newly developed framework to assess the contribution that eHealth makes to closing gaps in primary health care (PHC) and to providing person-centered, integrated PHC services in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Men’s health as an issue warranting specific attention has begun to attract more notice as growing evidence emerges of differential epidemiological trends between men and women (1), particularly with respect to men’s premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and morbidity linked to poor health-seeking behaviors, mental health and violence, including homicide and injuries.

Objective. To describe, based on the perceptions of adolescents and health service staff, the ways in which adolescent boys interact with sexual and reproductive health services, the changes perceived in this area over time, and the Espacios Amigables strategy (‘Friendly Spaces’ for adolescent health) to reach out to boys.

Objective. To investigate the perception of male users of a home care service (Programa Melhor em Casa, PMC) provided by the Unified Health System (SUS) in Brazil regarding the fulfilment of their health needs.