In late 2015, an increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly in poor communities in northeast Brazil prompted investigation of antenatal Zika infection as the cause. Zika now circulates in 69 countries, and has affected pregnancies of women in 29 countries. Public health officials, policymakers, and international organizations are considering interventions to address health consequences of the Zika epidemic.
During the XXV Meeting of the Pan American Health Organization’s Directing Council in September 1977, Resolution CD25.R27 was issued with the objective to reduce morbidity and mortality from common childhood and vaccine-preventable diseases and to create and expand permanent vaccination services in the primary healthcare system.
Objectives. We analyzed a probability sample of Guatemalans to determine if a relationship exists between previous violent events and development of mental health outcomes in various sociodemographic groups, as well as during and after the Guatemalan Civil War.
Methods. We used regression modeling, an interaction test, and complex survey design adjustments to estimate prevalences and test potential relationships between previous violent events and mental health.
Objectives. To identify work-related factors associated with depressive symptoms and probable major depression in primary care teams.
Methods. Cross-sectional study among primary care teams (community health workers, nursing assistants, nurses, and physicians) in the city of São Paulo, Brazil (2011– 2012; n = 2940), to assess depressive symptoms and probable major depression and their associations with job strain and other work-related conditions.
Chikungunya, an arboviral disease previously unknown in the Americas, became an epidemic in the Region after its first indigenous circulation was reported in December 2013. From that point on, the epidemic spread throughout the Region at an unprecedented pace, and the generation of scientific knowledge that has an impact on public health has become a high priority.
In 2008, Ecuador’s Constitution recognized the right to health with an integrated vision that considers health vital to the exercise of other human rights. To accommodate this vision, and the increase in demand for health services, Ecuador initiated a comprehensive reform of its health system.
Implementation research is a crucial component of effective public health and clinical policies and programs. It promotes the generation and use of health policy and systems research (HPSR) as a means to improve health and health systems, and is particularly effective in low- and middle-income countries. HPSR, including implementation research, has been promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an effective mechanism with which to identify gaps in a health system’s capacity, efficient functioning, and sustainable use of funds.
This special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health on “HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in the Region of the Americas: achievements, challenges and perspectives” presents the current response to HIV/AIDS in the Region with a focus on three main areas: HIV prevention, HIV care and treatment, and the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis.
