Objective

To describe the Brazilian experience of responding to public health emergencies in 2023, the organizational structure, and epidemiological characteristics. 

Methods

Three emergencies (case studies) that occurred during the study year were analyzed according to the actions implemented during the response and the impacts on the population. The public health emergencies were summarized and analyzed through research on official documents and websites of the Ministry of Health and local health authorities. 

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a serious public health problem in South America, one that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has included in its Plan of Action for the Control of Neglected Infectious Diseases. A logical framework for CE control was defined: this includes establishing the objective to be achieved (eradication or elimination as a public health problem) and determining levels of endemicity which serve as a guide for establishing frequencies of intervention (high endemicity, endemic, and low endemicity, according to rates in the different hosts).

Objectives

To describe and analyze a community participation process to develop recommendations for adequate communication of mental health risks among the Wayuú people of Colombia. 

Objective

To provide an overview of hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA) activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the technologies assessed, resources utilized, evaluation methods employed, and challenges encountered. 

Methods

A scoping review focused on HB-HTA using frameworks from the Joanna Briggs Institute was conducted across databases and gray literature. 

This paper delineates the development of the Caribbean Research for Action Agenda which aims to empower Caribbean Small Island Developing States to reduce their vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change on health. The Caribbean Research for Action Agenda emerged from collaboration between nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and multilateral agencies that organized a conference on climate change and health in the Caribbean.

Objective

To document the actions taken by Brazil's National Immunization Program for the pharmacovigilance of COVID-19 vaccines. 

Methods

Documentary research on the period 2020 to 2023. Documentary sources from the national Ministry of Health during COVID-19 vaccination were used to analyze and interpret the actions taken. The analysis was split into two stages: preparation and operationalization. The publications were organized according to title, date of publication, description, and URL. 

Objective

To map the reasons why individuals oppose or refuse organ and tissue donation, from an international perspective.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted from May 2022 to February 2024 using a three-stage search strategy across five databases and Google Scholar. Data analysis involved categorizing information based on similarities and populations studied. 

The private health sector has expanded significantly in recent decades, both in Latin America and other regions. Governments and international organizations have dealt with this process in a heterogeneous manner. A policy approach and, above all, a regulatory framework, are required in order to put health objectives and the right to health above the profit motive that drives private sector participation. This paper reviews frameworks for analyzing the performance of health systems and the regulation of financing and service provision, primarily (but not exclusively) in the private sector.

Objective

Evaluate the differences in the dengue case fatality rate among the different subregions of the Americas in the period 2014-2023 and explore their relationship with the human development index (HDI) in each subregion. 

Methods

Longitudinal ecological study based on open-access data from each country, grouped into the corresponding subregions to calculate the different indicators. In addition, a linear regression was performed between the mean case fatality rate in each region and the weighted regional HDI.