Mental health of Guatemalan health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: baseline findings from the HEROES cohort study

Objectives

To assess the baseline prevalence of mental health conditions and associated exposures in a cohort of health care workers (HCWs) in Guatemala.

Methods

We analyzed baseline information from 2020 Web-based COVID-19 Health Care Workers Study (HEROES)–Guatemala. Outcomes included mental distress and depressive symptoms. Exposures included COVID-19 experiences, sociodemographic characteristics, and job characteristics. We used crude and adjusted Poisson regression models in our analyses.

Health insurance scheme: main contributor to inequalities in COVID-19 mortality in Colombia

Objectives

To quantify socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 mortality in Colombia and to assess the extent to which type of health insurance, comorbidity burden, area of residence, and ethnicity account for such inequalities.

Methods

We analyzed data from a retrospective cohort of COVID-19 cases. We estimated the relative and slope indices of inequality (RII and SII) using survival models for all participants and stratified them by age and gender. We calculated the percentage reduction in RII and SII after adjustment for potentially relevant factors.

Digital transformation for more equitable and sustainable public health in the age of digital interdependence

This article describes eight guiding principles for the digital transformation of the health sector and identifies their relationship with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as highlighting their importance to countries undergoing digital transformation processes. In the Region of the Americas, among other gaps, 30% of people do not have access to the Internet, which is why it is mandatory to develop policies and actions to deliver public health interventions equitably and sustainably to ensure that no one is left behind.

Emergency preparedness in the Americas

The COVID-19 pandemic clearly showed that health systems need to be well-prepared to deal with emergencies and disasters. Epidemics, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, among other emergencies, require concerted action not only within countries but also between countries. An adequate and timely response to emergencies includes research, human resources for health, equipment, supply chains, laboratory support and adequate and timely communication of information to the population, among other aspects.

Prioritizing noncommunicable diseases in the Americas region in the era of COVID-19

This article describes the situation of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Americas, implementation of NCD interventions according to key progress indicators, the impact of COVID-19 on NCD services, and ways to reprioritize NCDs following COVID-19. Information was retrieved from institutional data and through a supplementary

Evidence synthesis: guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of dengue, chikungunya, and zika in the Region of the Americas

Introduction

Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are viral diseases that pose a constant threat to public health. These three arboviruses can produce very similar clinical pictures, which represents a challenge to achieving an accurate clinical diagnosis and can lead to inadequate management and even fatal outcomes.

COVID-19 in Brazil: trends, challenges, and perspectives after 18 months of the pandemic

Objective

To analyze the incidence and mortality trends from COVID-19 in Brazil as well as in federation units and their capitals.

Method

An ecological study was performed using COVID-19 incidence and mortality data covering the period from 25 February 2020 (first case recorded in Brazil) to 31 July 2021. Data were grouped by month for calculation of crude rates (by 100 000 population) and assessment of time trends in federation units and capitals. Significant changes in time trends were analyzed by joinpoint regression.

La aprobación de CoronaVac en Brasil y Chile: algunas lecciones sobre los retos regulatorios de vacunas

Este análisis compara y sistematiza algunos hitos de la aprobación en Brasil y Chile de la vacuna CoronaVac del laboratorio chino Sinovac, desde diciembre 2020 hasta octubre 2021, respecto de cómo se fundamentó su eficacia e inmunogenicidad. A tal fin se realizó un análisis exhaustivo de la documentación oficial pública sobre la aprobación de la vacuna en ambos países; asimismo, se consideraron artículos técnicos pertinentes sobre la materia, y la divulgación y discusión realizada en los medios de comunicación.

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