Continuous education of health teams is essential to ensure outcomes that have a positive impact on community health. In 2019, through an agreement with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MISPAS), the Dominican Republic began implementing HEARTS, an initiative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This aligned MISPAS with global best practices for the prevention and management of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, with a view to reducing mortality rates due to this noncommunicable disease (NCD).

Objective

To identify women’s technological capabilities and describe their appropriation and use of technology in a community in a vulnerable area of Colombia. 

Method

Observational cross-sectional study conducted in the subregion of Urabá, Colombia. A survey was conducted in primary health care centers, in which 1478 women between 18 and 49 years of age responded to questions about their technological capabilities, their experience with the use of web-based information, and their appropriation of technology. 

This letter is only available in Spanish.

Objective

To identify challenges that may raise pathogens’ resistance to antimicrobial drugs by exploring the private market for antimicrobials in two selected mining and frontier areas of Guyana. 

The World Health Organization Global Hearts initiative (HEARTS) and technical package aim to improve the primary health care management of hypertension and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease at the population level. This study describes the first HEARTS implementation pilot project in Guatemala’s Ministry of Health (MOH) primary health care system. This pilot began in April 2022 in six primary health care facilities in three rural indigenous municipalities. The project consisted of HEARTS-aligned strategies adapted to enhance program sustainability in Guatemala.

Objective

Based on a review of the literature, to create a map of the available evidence on the treatment methods for chikungunya. 

Objective

To describe the methodology of the intentional search and reclassification of maternal deaths (BIRMM, acronym in Spanish), which allows the identification and correction of misclassification and underreporting of maternal deaths. 

Objective

To identify and synthesize evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Wolbachia- Aedes methodology for reducing cases of arboviral infection. 

[Extract]

The identification of a new strain of the Mpox virus (clade Ib) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the alarming rise in cases across Africa linked to sexual activity, and the potential for a new pandemic led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14, 2024 (https://www.paho.org/en/mpox).

Objective

 To determine the prevalence and causes of vision loss and calculate the effective cataract surgery coverage (eCSC) in adults aged 60 years and older in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020.

Methods 

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Vision Atlas and the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness databases were used as data source. The collected data were used to estimate the prevalence and causes of vision loss in people aged 60 years and older, and to determine the eCSC.