Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the Region of the Americas, and hypertension represents its main risk factor. However, population hypertension control rates in the Region are poor. Global Hearts is the World Health Organization's flagship initiative to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases. HEARTS in the Americas Initiative is its regional adaptation that seeks to be the cardiovascular disease risk management model, including hypertension and diabetes, in primary health care throughout the Americas by 2025.

This study aims to assess coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance methods, health resources, vaccination coverage and income stratification and quantify burdens of disease and death in children and adolescents in the Caribbean. The investigation was a descriptive, cross-sectional study that included 15 Caribbean countries/territories and utilized surveys and secondary data sources. Quarantine and isolation measures were robust and surveillance strategies were similar.

Objective

Cancer mortality in the central region of Argentina is among the highest in the country. Two possible environmental factors could explain this situation: agricultural activity and drinking water quality. The objective of the study is to evaluate the interaction between these variables.

Objectives

To present the state-of-the-knowledge on the epidemiology of tungiasis in the Region of the Americas.

Methods

A search of publications on the epidemiology of tungiasis in the Americas was performed in PubMed and LILACS databases from January 2007 to June 2021. In addition, a manual literature search on articles on the epidemiology of tungiasis was performed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed several dilemmas for managers in the public sector, with school reopening being among the most complex decisions. The present article presents a microsimulation model of the pandemic course considering various scenarios within the confines of a classroom in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. For that, a susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model was integrated with a random graph model, associating epidemiological characteristics with sociometric and sociodemographic factors.

Objective

To report the risk from alcohol, cannabis, and their combined use for non-fatal road traffic injuries for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

Methods

Risk was estimated using the case-crossover method. Participants (N= 306) were injured patients from an emergency department in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Objectives

To map the timing and nature of regulatory reliance pathways used to authorize COVID-19 vaccines in Latin America.

Methods

An observational study was conducted assessing the characteristics of all COVID-19 vaccine authorizations in Latin America. For every authorization it was determined whether reliance was used in the authorization process. Subgroups of reference national regulatory authorities (NRAs) and non-reference NRAs were compared.

Objective

To summarize the results of research conducted in Costa Rica in which mathematical and statistical methods were implemented to study the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases.

Methods

Three articles with mathematical and statistical analysis on vector-borne diseases in Costa Rica were selected and reviewed. These papers show the value and relevance of using different quantitative methods to understand disease dynamics and support decision-making.

Objective

Reconstruct the experience of the Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) from 2012 to 2019 in Colombia.

Methods

The experience of public health training through the VCPH in Colombia in the period 2012-2019 was systematized. The information is presented in cross-section time series to show the evolution of the VCPH in Colombia over time.

Objective

To investigate whether structural aspects of primary care units (PCUs) and the work processes of primary care teams are associated with the rate of hospitalizations for primary care-sensitive conditions (HPCSC) in children younger than 5 years of age in Brazil.