Access to medicine is a central component of the right to health. Exponential increases in the price of medicines and the emergence of high-priced innovative therapies on the market have put the sustainability of the system at risk. For this reason, the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) changed its drug policy from historically decentralized management by each health care provider to a policy based on centralized procurement, integrated processes, increased public production of medicines, and the development of information systems.

Objective

To present the background, results, contributions, challenges, future prospects of the Regional Network of Focal Points for Prevention, Detection, and Response to Substandard and Falsified Medical Products (SF Network) in the Americas during the two decades of its existence. 

Method

A documentary review was conducted to identify the background, results, and future prospects of the SF Network. The time horizon considered was 1999 -2025. The data are presented in narrative form. 

Vector-borne diseases continue to pose significant and evolving public health threats in the Caribbean. The compounded effects of human travel and migration, climate variability, ecological change, and structural vulnerabilities are intensifying transmission risks. However, preparedness efforts across the region remain largely reactive, with limited investment during the inter-epidemic periods, the interval between recognized outbreak waves when risk drivers persist but attention often declines, despite their potential as a strategic window for resilience-building.

HEARTS in the Americas is the largest-scale implementation of the WHO’s global initiative, with 33 countries participating, 28 having adopted standardized clinical pathways, and about 10 000 primary healthcare facilities engaged. Despite progress, fragmented care, limited availability of validated blood pressure devices, restricted access to essential medicines, and weak quality assurance systems continue to hinder hypertension control and cardiovascular risk management. In response, PAHO and participating countries co-developed the HEARTS Quality Framework.

Intra and after action reviews (IARs and AARs) are essential for the management of public health emergencies. This article reports on the experience of developing an IAR and AAR method by the Ministry of Health in Brazil, highlighting its conceptual and organizational foundations and its application in different public health emergency contexts from 2023 to 2025, a period during which 10 evaluations were conducted nationwide.

Older people have the highest suicide rates in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, policies and prevention strategies continue to neglect social and structural factors specific to aging. In this context, ageism in health care acts as a critical barrier that affects access to and the quality and relevance of mental health care and influences the risk of suicide in old age. This article aims to analyze ageism in health as a critical social determinant of suicide risk among older adults in Latin America.

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among the family members of positive index cases referred to a specialized center in Peru and its distribution by type of relationship and presence of diseases associated with the infection. 

The growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cannot be addressed through clinical interventions alone. Population-level regulatory interventions—such as fiscal measures, marketing restrictions, and labeling regulations—are central to effective NCD prevention and control. This article addresses the role of regulatory policies in preventing NCDs, with a focus on progress and implementation gaps in the Americas.

Objective

To identify spatiotemporal patterns and clusters of tuberculosis (TB) in Brazil between 2001 and 2023, assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB trends, and provide recommendations for targeted interventions. 

[EXTRACT] 3 February 2026, WASHINGTON, D.C. —