The vast majority of people with Chagas disease (CD) are undiagnosed and untreated. Improving access to diagnosis and treatment for CD involves confronting a wide range of barriers. This report discusses a collaborative approach to eliminate barriers and increase the availability of CD testing and treatment. Potential areas for intervention are selected based on burden of disease, support of local champions, and commitment from national and local authorities. A 4D approach (diagnose, design, deliver, and demonstrate impact) is then implemented.

Objective.

To identify evidence from the literature regarding interventions related to preparedness and response
of primary health care (PHC) teams in situations of natural disaster.

Method.

Systematic review of the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Lilacs, Disasters,
and Google Scholar. Quantitative case-control, cohort, or cross-sectional studies reporting interventions in the context of PHC on populations exposed to natural disaster were selected.

Objective.

Describe sociodemographic characteristics, health needs, effective referrals, and immediate evaluation of international migrants who participated in the Initial Care for Migrants program during its first year of implementation (May to December 2016) at the Ignacio Domeyko Family Health Center in Santiago, Chile.

To the editor:
Dengue, zika, and chikungunya outbreaks in Central and South America countries have presented significant challenges related to their prevention and control. From the virologic point of view, the possibility has been raised that the co-circulation of the three viruses could generate cross-protection between the three alphaviruses. 

To the Editor:

Objective.

Determine the mortality from neglected tropical diseases (NTD) in Argentina from 1991 to 2016, their overall temporal trend and the trend for the most frequent causes by age and sex.

Methods.

Argentina’s crude age-specific and age-adjusted mortality from NTDs were calculated for the period 1991-2016. The temporal trend was analyzed using joinpoint regression models.

Objective.

Explore the effect of the implementation and strengthening of the primary care strategy (PHC) on hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (HACSC).

Objective.

To identify gaps in postgraduate training and options for building capacity in noncommunicable disease (NCDs) research in Latin America.

This document presents a Latin American consensus to standardize definitions of different levels of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of public health importance. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are described for antibiotics to include (availability, relevance, and existence of cut-off values) and for methodologies to use. Three gram-negative microorganisms with a great impact in the hospital environment (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter spp.) were selected as a pilot proposal.

This article describes the regulatory changes and procedures introduced in Colombia that created favorable  technical conditions for clinical trials of drugs in the country. The impact of these measures was measured in terms of the number of research centers certified in good clinical practice, the time taken to evaluate clinical trial protocols, and the quality of the concepts developed.