Caribbean data-sharing initiatives: activities of the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network

The dissemination of biomedical research data beyond academia remains limited. In response, funding agencies now regularly require that the projects they fund make research data openly available for reuse. This emerging open data movement aims to democratize data access, often guided by the FAIR data technical standards, requiring that data should be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Recently, participant communities have advocated the idea that improving data democracy does not address the inequities underlying the power dynamics of research enterprises.

Risk factors and control measures in measles outbreaks in countries of the Region of the Americas, 2017-2023

Objective

To document and compare risk factors and control measures for the largest measles outbreaks in the post-elimination era in the Region of the Americas. 

Methods

Description of risk factors such as vaccination coverage, notification rate of suspected cases, measles incidence, and a summary of control measures for major measles outbreaks in six countries from 2017 to 2023. The analysis also includes a review of outbreak characteristics (time, place, and person). 

Challenges and strategies in the response to the measles outbreak during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico, 25 Years after elimination

Objective

Identify the challenges that Mexico faced during the measles outbreak during the COVID-19 pandemic and describe the interventions to interrupt measles virus circulation. 

Methods

Descriptive, retrospective study of actions taken during the measles outbreak during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Good practices in epidemiological surveillance for the sustainability of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome elimination in El Salvador, 2019-2023

Objective

Describe good practices in epidemiological surveillance implemented in El Salvador between 2019 and 2023 to sustain the elimination of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome. 

Method

Special descriptive report on the implementation of good epidemiological and laboratory surveillance practices for measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome from 2019 to 2023. 

Rapid vaccination monitoring and its impact on vaccination coverage for high-quality catch-up campaigns in the Dominican Republic, 2023

Objective

To assess the contribution of rapid vaccination monitoring to the achievement of vaccination coverage targets in catch-up vaccination campaigns. 

Methods

Data on catch-up vaccination were obtained from the database of the Directorate of Vaccine- Preventable Diseases. Data analysis was performed in Stata V.15®. Frequency and summary statistics were calculated; the p value was used to determine statistical significance. The change in mean coverage between interventions was assessed with Student’s t-test. 

Digital transformation in Honduras: an information system for surveillance of ESAVI/AESI

In Honduras, health systems have been faced with a duty and a need to establish surveillance mechanisms in order to understand the pathways of health and disease in the population. The objective of this article is to describe the process of analysis and the strategies used during development of a robust information system for vaccine safety surveillance, which can also be replicated for other forms of surveillance.

Strategies and barriers to the implementation of continuing education in sentinel hospitals for the surveillance of COVID-19 vaccine safety in Honduras, 2022-2023

Objective

To describe the continuing education strategies implemented as part of the academic training of health workers; related barriers and facilitators; and the perceptions of health workers in sentinel hospitals in Honduras regarding changes in their knowledge. 

COVID-19 vaccine safety: results of active surveillance at a sentinel site in Argentina

Objective

To analyze the results of surveillance of adverse events of special interest (AESI) within the context of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign at a sentinel site in Argentina. The retrospective (pre-vaccination) period was compared with the prospective (vaccination) period to identify safety signals. 

Method

Retrospective and prospective search for AESI based on ICD-10 hospital discharge codes. A descriptive analysis, moving-averages trend smoothing, and control charts were used to detect changes in AESI behavior. 

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