The second coming of urban yellow fever in the Americas: looking the past to see the future

Yellow fever (YF) epizootics in South America during the 21st century have an unprecedented recorded magnitude and geographical dispersion. The YF spread progressively involved areas considered previously free of risk reaching the edge of cities with large unvaccinated populations, and urban outbreaks were frequently forecasted. We critically reviewed the initial stages and enhancing contexts of YF urban epidemics since the 17th century in the Americas, and the modeling attempts of YF epidemic risk by of Aedes-Human transmission, to find common factors that increase the probability of these events in the current scenarios. The YF urban outbreaks of the past showed as necessary conditions the multiple introduction by viremic carriers clustered in time and space, coincident with population peaks of Aedes. These conditions are not met in the current outbreaks in the Americas by sylvatic YF cycles, besides the protective impact of vector control campaigns, vaccination coverage, improved surveillance, and case management. Therefore, urban Aedes-Human YF outbreaks in the Americas are still possible but with low probability or very focal transmission, while the conditions reported in the past were avoided, and the surveillance and control measures sustained, including the vaccination of the population at risk.Fil: Salomón, Oscar Daniel. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Rojas de Arias, Antonieta. Centro Para Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica; Paragua

Vinculando la InvestigaciAn Con La Sociedad a Travs de Los Living Labs. Una Experiencia Paraguaya

El modelo de los Laboratorios Ciudadanos o Vivientes concentran su esfuerzo por apoyar a los actores ofreciendo un espacio neutral en el que los interesados puedan conocer y co-desarrollar innovaciones en contextos del mundo real Para ello autores como Etzkowitz 2003 e Irizar y MacLeod 2008 mencionan la concurrencia de la triple h lice la administraci n el sector universitario y la empresa Esta experiencia que se presenta a continuaci n se basa en la vinculaci n de cuatro sectores y que constituye un cambio de modelo en los sistemas de innovaci n Arnkil et al 2010 Kaivo-oja 2011 y Serra 2013 en los que interviene adem s de los tres sectores anteriormente citados la comunidad El objetivo del este art culo es mostrar una experiencia de vinculaci n y de gesti n de proyectos a partir de los interesados reales siguiendo las orientaciones del nuevo modelo de la cu druple h lice considerando al Centro de Desarrollo para la Investigaci n Cient fica CEDIC como n cleo propiciador de esta experienci

Algunas consideraciones sobre el cambio climático y la pobreza en el Paraguay

En el Paraguay las poblaciones más pobres no poseen la capacidad para reaccionar oportunamenteante los cambios, ni tampoco disponen de ahorros para las emergencias, por lo tanto son las másvulnerables al cambio climático. La economía del país es altamente dependiente de la agricultura yla ganadería, por lo que eventos extremos como fuertes tormentas, inundaciones y sequias, afectaríanlas infraestructuras sanitarias y de respuesta para apoyar a las poblaciones más desposeídas, asícomo el acceso al alimento; la pobreza se ha urbanizado en cinturones de gran marginalizaciónentorno a los grandes centros urbanos del país, es una pobreza amparada en el subempleo y conprecario acceso a infraestructura y servicios básicos excepto electricidad. La extrema pobreza semantiene como un fenómeno rural con una alta dependencia de esos hogares de las actividadesagrícolas. Un aumento de los parámetros climáticos como la temperatura y la humedad, incrementarálas poblaciones de vectores de importantes enfermedades como la fiebre amarilla, hantavirus, virusdel Nilo, las leishmaniosis y otras enfermedades transmitidas por vectores como el dengue, así comolas enfermedades vehiculizadas por el agua. En un esfuerzo por adaptarse al cambio climático esperentoria la información y capacitación de las poblaciones más vulnerables, del fortalecimiento delas infraestructuras y del saneamiento básico, así como de la vigilancia en los servicios de salud. Laadaptación al cambio climático debe llevarnos a obtener respuestas concretas ante el irreversibleimpacto climático previsto para la región

Comparative evaluation of pyrethroid insecticide formulations against Triatoma infestans (Klug): residual efficacy on four substrates

We investigated the residual efficacy of four insecticide formulations used in Chagas disease vector control campaigns: cyfluthrin 12.5% suspension concentrace (SC), lambda- cyhalothrin 10% wettable powder (WP), deltamethrin 2.5% SC, and 2.5% WP on four types of circular blocks of wood, straw with mud, straw with mud painted with lime, and mud containing 5% of cement. Three concentrations of these insecticides were tested: the LC90 (previously determined on filter paper), the double of the LC90, and the recommended operational dose. For each bioassay test, 15 third-stage nymphs of Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) were exposed for 120 h to each treatment at 24 h, 30, 60, 90, and 180 days post-spraying. Mortality rates, moulting history and behaviour were recorded at 24, 48, 72, and 120 h of exposure. Mortality rates were highest during the first 30 days post-spraying. Highest mortality rates (above 50%) were observed for deltamethrin 2.5% SC and lambda-cyhalothrin 10% WP on wood blocks up to three months post-spraying. Mud was the substrate on which treatments showed lowest persistence, with the other two substrates showing intermediate residual efficacy of all treatments. During the first 30 days WP formulations were not as effective as SC flowable formulations but, overall in the longer term, WP gave grater mortality rates of T. infestans nymphs exposed at up to six months post-spraying. Porous surfaces, especially mud, showed most variability presumably due to absorption of the insecticide. In contrast the less porous surfaces (i.e. wood and lime-coated mud) kept mortality rates high for longer post-treatment, irrespective of the insecticide concentration used

Correlation between normalized difference vegetation index and malaria in a subtropical rain forest undergoing rapid anthropogenic alteration

Time-series of coarse-resolution greenness values derived through remote sensing have been used as a surrogate environmental variable to help monitor and predict occurrences of a number of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, including malaria. Often, relationships between a remotely-sensed index of greenness, e.g. the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and disease occurrence are established using temporal correlation analysis. However, the strength of these correlations can vary depending on type and change of land cover during the period of record as well as inter-annual variations in the climate drivers (precipitation, temperature) that control the NDVI values. In this paper, the correlation between a long (260 months) time-series of monthly disease case rates and NDVI values derived from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) data set were analysed for two departments (administrative units) located in the Atlantic Forest biome of eastern Paraguay. Each of these departments has undergone extensive deforestation during the period of record and our analysis considers the effect on correlation of active versus quiescent periods of case occurrence against a background of changing land cover. Our results show that time-series data, smoothed using the Fourier Transform tool, showed the best correlation. A moving window analysis suggests that four years is the optimum time frame for correlating these values, and the strength of correlation depends on whether it is an active or a quiescent period. Finally, a spatial analysis of our data shows that areas where land cover has changed, particularly from forest to non-forest, are well correlated with malaria case rates

Phlebotominae Sand Flies in Paraguay. Abundance Distribution in the Southeastern Region

From September 1993 to August 2001, 7,190 phlebotomine were collected with CDC light trap in an endemic area for human leishmaniasis, in the departments of Misiones and Itapúa, Paraguay. Eleven species were identified: Lutzomyia neivai (93.7%), L. whitmani (4.1%), and L. fischeri, L. shannoni, L. migonei, L. misionensis, L. cortelezzii, L. pessoai, L. alphabetica, Brumptomyia avellari and B. guimaraesi (less than 1%). The last three species are new records for the country. The biodiversity and phlebotomine abundance were associated with the proximity to primary forest or gallery forest, but L. neivai was also found in peridomestic periurban environment. L. neivai was found throughout the year, and showed a period of higher activity from September to April (spring to fall) with a unimodal or bimodal pattern in relation to the annual rainy peaks during the summer. Background literature about phlebotomine from Paraguay has been reviewed.Fil: Salomón, Oscar Daniel. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Gustavo Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Cousiño, Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ParaguayFil: Spinelli, Gustavo Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología ; ArgentinaFil: Rojas de Arias, Antonieta. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ParaguayFil: López de Puerto, Delfin G.. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ParaguayFil: Ortiz, Arnaldo J.. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Paragua