Washington, DC, January 7, 2026 (PAHO) – The Pan American Journal of Public Health, the scientific publication of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recently published a special issue dedicated to strengthening primary health care to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Americas.
This article critically examines commensurability in public health – that is, the possibility of comparing phenomena according to a common standard, using indicators – as well as the scope and limits of such comparability when it is mistaken for complete understanding. It proposes a brief audit framework for constructing and interpreting indicators when commensurability is partial, using the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) as an example.
To apply the NOA method, which integrates the dimensions of need, opportunity, and accessibility, to evaluate the effectiveness of kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, and lung transplants in Brazil.
HEARTS Pharmacy, a project within the HEARTS in the Americas Initiative, provides a framework to integrate pharmacists into primary health care. Pharmacists are highly respected in health care but face challenges, such as limited scope of practice, regulatory barriers, and insufficient recognition, compounded by social norms that hinder their full potential. This paper presents compelling evidence that pharmacist-led interventions improve blood pressure control, lower cardiovascular risk, and reduce health care costs.
To analyze the roles, responsibilities and scope of current government chief nursing and midwifery officers or equivalent senior leaders in the Region of the Americas.
Spirometry is essential for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with noncommunicable chronic respiratory diseases; however, it was not available in primary health care in Brazil. This article describes the implementation of telespirometry in primary health care units across 163 Brazilian cities.
To assess exposure to lymphatic filariasis (LF), other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and malaria, as well as seroprotection against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), using a hotspot-based integrated serosurveillance approach in urban areas of Guyana.
Yellow fever is a viral zoonosis of variable geographic distribution in the Americas. With no specific treatment for this vector-borne disease, vaccination is the best prevention available. This flavivirus has been circulating in the Americas since the late 15th century, and over the past decades, the virus has reemerged and is now endemic in 13 countries in South and Central America. Ecosystem changes may have had a role in this reemergence.
To determine the current state of Honduras’ health financing system.
