Objective. To define the essential content and design elements for hypertension support delivered by community health workers (CHWs) in Puno, Peru, aligned with the HEARTS Initiative. 

Methods. We applied a human-centered design approach to co-create strategies for a CHW-led hypertension intervention through five interactive workshops with 24 CHWs, 32 healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, and administrators), and 18 community members with hypertension. 

Yellow fever activity in the Americas Region has intensified over the past two years, with 2025 recording the highest annual number of confirmed cases since 2020 (Figure 1). This resurgence follows major outbreaks reported in 2017 and 2018 and is notable for cases in areas without a historical record of transmission, including outside of the Amazon Region. Preventing further spread of the virus requires maintaining strong surveillance systems, sustaining high vaccination coverage in populations living in high-risk areas, and ensuring a timely detection and coordinated response. 

Objective 
To assess the prevalence and risk factors of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among adolescent offenders held in correctional facilities.

Methods 

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality globally, with hypertension as their main modifiable risk factor. In Latin America and the Caribbean, hypertension affects more than 30% of adults, yet control rates remain alarmingly low. The HEARTS in the Americas Initiative, led by the Pan American Health Organization, promotes a model of team-based care to enhance risk management for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases within primary health care.

Objectives

To independently evaluate the World Health Organization (WHO) Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) application, focusing on the diagnostic performance of its underlying artificial intelligence model for leprosy detection. The primary objective was to determine the proportion of images in which leprosy appeared among the model’s Top-5 diagnostic predictions. The secondary objective was to qualitatively analyze diagnostic error patterns. 

Objective

To monitor compliance with national sodium reduction targets for prepackaged foods marketed in Costa Rica, and to compare it with current international standards. 

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.

Objective

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.

Objective

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.