The World Health Organization Global Hearts initiative (HEARTS) and technical package aim to improve the primary health care management of hypertension and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease at the population level. This study describes the first HEARTS implementation pilot project in Guatemala’s Ministry of Health (MOH) primary health care system. This pilot began in April 2022 in six primary health care facilities in three rural indigenous municipalities. The project consisted of HEARTS-aligned strategies adapted to enhance program sustainability in Guatemala.

Objective

Based on a review of the literature, to create a map of the available evidence on the treatment methods for chikungunya. 

Objective

To describe the methodology of the intentional search and reclassification of maternal deaths (BIRMM, acronym in Spanish), which allows the identification and correction of misclassification and underreporting of maternal deaths. 

Objective

To identify and synthesize evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Wolbachia- Aedes methodology for reducing cases of arboviral infection. 

[Extract]

The identification of a new strain of the Mpox virus (clade Ib) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the alarming rise in cases across Africa linked to sexual activity, and the potential for a new pandemic led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14, 2024 (https://www.paho.org/en/mpox).

Objective

 To determine the prevalence and causes of vision loss and calculate the effective cataract surgery coverage (eCSC) in adults aged 60 years and older in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020.

Methods 

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Vision Atlas and the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness databases were used as data source. The collected data were used to estimate the prevalence and causes of vision loss in people aged 60 years and older, and to determine the eCSC.

This letter to the editor is only available in Spanish.

Objectives
 To summarize available data on unit costs for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, prevention, and care interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Methods
We conducted a systematic literature review of costing studies published between 2012 and 2024, and selected those reporting empirically measured costing data. The available data were categorized according to predefined intervention categories and compared by time and place. We also explored variations in unit costs by intervention type.

Objective
To evaluate whether use of a culturally adapted mobile application (app) for adolescents with type 1 diabetes is associated with improved metabolic control.

The Region of the Americas has historically experienced social inequalities rooted in colonialism, which are reflected and reproduced in the area of health. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the entire Region, but the most socially disadvantaged groups were hit hardest, intensifying health inequities. Under the premise that pandemics are not socially neutral phenomena, this special report analyzes the unequal impacts of the pandemic from different perspectives: historical, epidemiological, political, social, economic, environmental, and population-related.