Transformations in Latin American Healthcare: A Retrospective Analysis of Hospital Beds, Medical Doctors, and Nurses from 1960 to 2022

Latin America's healthcare systems evolved nonlinearly, influenced by diverse models, historical events, and political regimes. Limited knowledge exists despite national-level efforts, indicating a need for long-term statistics to assess the effects of reforms and understand healthcare changes in the region. The article contributes to the Actor Network Theory (ANT) claim for better understanding of complex networks through a description of its main long term comparable components with a long term quantitative series for 20 Latin American countries, spanning from 1960 to 2020, on the number of hospital beds, physicians, and nurses (per capita) and healthcare expenditure (in US dollars per capita). The primary goal of this study is to showcase and describe the historical trends and patterns of these variables in the region. The results remain in purpose in this article in a descriptive level, due to the lack of reliable long term series that require in our view to disseminate the data so a broader scientific community may use them to obtain more contextualized interpretations in the different countries involved. The article, nevertheless, shows that there is a very convincing demonstration of the existence of an overall improvement in all the indicators considered and for most Latin American countries. They are leaders in most of the analyses and most of the time, Cuba, Argentina, and Uruguay. They are accompanied, depending on the indicator and the period, by Costa Rica and Panama. On the contrary, there are setbacks in Venezuela and minor progress or stagnation in most Central American countries

Human Resources for Health Migration: global policy responses, initiatives, and emerging issues

This report identifies and maps contemporary global policy responses to, and initiatives on, international HRH migration, with particular reference to low‐income source countries. It reports on a systematic review and analysis of the responses and initiatives of twelve multilateral organisations and global fora: European Union; Global Forum on Migration and Development; Global Health Workforce Alliance; International Labour Organization; International Organization for Migration; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; Pan‐American Health Organization; UN Global Migration Group; UN High‐Level Dialogue on Migration and Development; World Bank; World Health Organization; and the World Trade Organization. The report documents how these global policy actors are presently engaging with the HRH migration field through their activities, initiatives and policy responses. It situates this engagement within global policy initiatives spanning health, migration and development. In addition to reviewing and mapping current initiatives and policy responses and their outcomes, the report identifies emerging issues, upcoming promising initiatives and global policy scenarios

Current Status of the Insecticide Resistance in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from Mexico

The mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary vector of dengue in Mexico and lately virus Chikungunya, although Aedes albopictus is widely distributed; its role in both diseases’ transmission has not been confirmed. The control of mosquitoes in Mexico includes source reduction consisting in the elimination of containers that are favorable sites for oviposition and development of the aquatic stage. The use of insecticides is to control larvae and adulticides as outdoor ultra-low volume applications and indoor residual spray and more recently impregnated materials. The health department regulates the use of insecticides, and such regulations are revised and adapted over time. Since 1999, the vector control regulations gave preference to the use of pyrethroids, a permethrin-based formulation to control adult forms. This insecticide was used as the only adulticide in Mexico for more than 10 years. The consequences of this actions have evolved in a widespread and strong resistance to other insecticides, mainly pyrethroids. We include in this revision evidence of resistance reported in Ae. aegypti in Mexico

Children\u27s Health in Latin America: The Influence of Environmental Exposures

Background:Chronic diseases are increasing among children in Latin America. Objective and Methods:To examine environmental risk factors for chronic disease in LatinAmerican children and to develop a strategic initiative for control of these exposures, the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Collegium Ramazzini, and Latin American scientists reviewed regional and relevant global data. Findings: Industrial development and urbanization are proceeding rapidly in Latin America and environmental pollution has become widespread. Environmental threats to children\u27s health include traditional hazards such as indoor air pollution and drinking water contamination; as well as the newer hazards of urban air pollution; toxic chemicals such as lead, asbestos, mercury,arsenic, and pesticides;hazardous and electronic waste;and climate change. The mix of traditional and modern hazards varies greatly across and within countries reflecting industrialization, urbanization and socioeconomic forces. Conclusions: To control environmental threats to children\u27s health in Latin America, WHO, including PAHO will focus on the most highly prevalent and serious hazards - indoor and outdoor air pollution, water pollution, and toxic chemicals. Strategies for controlling these hazards include developing tracking data on regional trends in children\u27s environmental health(CEH); building a network of Collaborating Centres; promoting biomedical research in CEH;building regional capacity; supporting development of evidence-based prevention policies; studying the economic costs of chronic diseases in children; and developing platforms for dialogue with relevant stakeholders.

EMERGÊNCIA E RESSURGIMENTO DE DOENÇAS INFECCIOSAS: OS DESAFIOS DAS FRONTEIRAS SANITÁRIAS

O processo de globalização, o aumento do trânsito internacional de pessoas e mercadorias e a mudança contínua da situação epidemiológica mundial, trouxeram como consequência, o aumento da porosidade das fronteiras dos países para a entrada de doenças infecciosas emergentes e reemergentes. Esse estudo realizou uma revisão da importância das fronteiras sanitárias e suas particularidades, no contexto das doenças infectocontagiosas. Recentemente, além da COVID-19, a varíola do macaco, identificada em diversos países de forma simultânea, estão no centro das atenções da OMS. Além disso, crises humanitárias complexas ocorrem em diversos países, com uma convergência de doenças, seca, fome e guerra, alimentadas pelas mudanças climáticas, desigualdade e rivalidade geopolítica, criam um cenário global de difícil controle. A integração dos sistemas de saúde de países fronteiriços, a consolidação de redes de saúde assistencial organizadas e a capacitação das redes diagnósticas, qualificadas em responder rapidamente a possíveis eventos de risco em saúde, são aspectos importantes para o fortalecimento da saúde globa

Surveillance for the Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti in Tobago, West Indies

Volume: 1

J Am Mosq Control Assoc

Dengue viruses cause hundreds of millions of infections every year in tropical and subtropical countries. Unfortunately, there is not a single universal vector control method capable of suppressing Aedes aegypti (L.) populations. Amongst novel control tools or approaches are various types of traps targeting gravid females or their eggs. Here, we provide details of the operational use of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention autocidal gravid ovitrap (CDC-AGO trap) for the surveillance and control of Ae. aegypti. Adult mosquitoes were monitored every week in 2 isolated neighborhoods treated with 3 AGO traps per house in 85% of houses and in 2 reference neighborhoods without control traps. Between March 2013 and April 2015 we serviced the AGO traps 14 times in each community (every 2 months). Common trap problems were absent or broken trap tops (1-1.5%), flooded (0.1-0.7%) or dry (0.5-1.3%) traps, and missing (0.3-0.8%) or vandalized (0.5-1.4%) traps. Most traps kept a volume of infusion between 45% and 97% of their original volume (10 liters). Nontarget organisms captured in AGO traps were mostly small flies, and to a lesser extent ants, cockroaches, grasshoppers, butterflies, dragonflies, and lizards. Trap coverage ranged between 83% and 87% of houses in both communities throughout the study. We interpret such high levels of trap retention over time as an expression of acceptance by the community.CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHS/United States2020-03-10T00:00:00Z27802402PMC7063675734