Strengthening of regulatory systems for medicines
Health regulation is regarded as one of public health’s basic functions.
International Health Regulations, Ebola, and emerging infectious diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean
The World Health Organization’s determination of the Ebola virus disease outbreak as a public health event of international concern prompted non affected countries to implement measures to prevent, detect, and manage the introduction of the virus in their territories. The outbreak provided an opportunity to assess the operational implementation of the International Health Regulations’ core capacities and health systems’ preparedness to handle a potential or confirmed case of Ebola virus disease.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be an important global health problem despite significant progress since the declaration of TB as a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization in 1993. In the Region of the Americas, great progress has been made since the implementation of the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) Strategy in the 1990?s, and later by its successor Stop TB Strategy in 2006. However, despite progress toward TB control in the Region, challenges remain.
Series on equity in health and sustainable development
The Region of the Americas, together with the rest of the world, is preparing to face the major challenges presented by the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, whose 17 objectives include health and well-being, the reduction of inequity, and action on a wide range of social and environmental determinants of health.
Unravelling R0: Considerations for Public Health Applications
We assessed public health use of R0, the basic reproduction number, which estimates the speed at which a disease is capable of spreading in a population. These estimates are of great public health interest, as evidenced during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic. We reviewed methods commonly used to estimate R0, examined their practical utility, and assessed how estimates of this epidemiological parameter can inform mitigation strategy decisions.
Women’s health
This special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health on women’s health aims to identify and reflect on the main challenges that demographic, social, and epidemiological changes will pose to women’s health in the Region of the Americas in the coming years.
Eye health
Collecting and applying the evidence is the first step toward increasing coverage of eye health services; minimizing barriers; and reducing the eye health-related disease burden, dependency and disparity. Monitoring epidemiological trends in eye disease, evaluating eye care services, and reporting the results help provide evidence of each country’s progress in implementing the Plan and guide service and resource allocation. The Pan American Journal of Public Health Series on Eye Health reports recent data on eye health obtained in the Region of the Americas.
eHealth
FROM THE DIRECTOR
eHealth: Harnessing technology on the road towards universal health coverage
Carissa F. Etienne
EDITORIAL
eHealth initiatives to transform health in the Region of the Americas
Marcelo D’Agostino, Najeeb Al-Shorbaji, Patricia Abbott, Theresa Bernardo, Kendall Ho, Chaitali Sinha, and David Novillo-Ortiz
