Sustaining communicable disease elimination efforts in the Americas in the wake of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted implementation of health interventions and set back priority programs aiming to control and eliminate communicable diseases. At the same time, the pandemic has opened up opportunities to expedite innovations in health service delivery to increase effectiveness and position health on the development and political agendas of leaders and policy makers. In this context, we present an integrated, sustainable approach to accelerate elimination of more than 35 communicable diseases and related conditions in the region of the Americas. The Elimination Initiative promotes a life-course, person-centred approach based on four dimensions - preventing new infections, ending mortality and morbidity, and preventing disability - and four critical lines of action including strengthening health systems integration and service delivery, strengthening health surveillance and information systems, addressing environmental and social determinants of health, and furthering governance, stewardship, and finance. We present key actions and operational considerations according to each line of action that countries can take advantage of to further advance disease elimination in the region.

Determinants of tuberculosis in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Objectives To explore the relationships among social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants of tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality, and to identify the mechanisms that mediate such associations in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Methods This was an ecological study of 26 LAC countries that had accurate data available on 38 selected variables for the year 2010. The countries represented 99% of the TB burden in LAC. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify associations among determinants of health and TB morbidity and mortality. Results TB-HIV coinfection and multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in previously treated cases were found to be positively associated to TB morbidity and negatively associated to improved basic sanitation and water coverage-pointing to an increase of TB morbidity in the first two variables and a decrease of TB morbidity in the last two. Regarding TB mortality, indigenous people and MDR-TB in previously treated cases were positively associated. In contrast, literacy among women, basic sanitation, water coverage, and nutritional status were negatively associated to mortality, denoting that improvements in these areas could reduce TB mortality. Conclusions The study findings support intersectoral actions that address social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants within the Stop TB strategy. The mechanisms by which social determinants of health affect current trend outcomes extend beyond medical interventions to control TB, but more research is needed to understand how and to develop actionable recommendations.

Determinants of tuberculosis in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean / Determinantes de la tuberculosis en los países de América Latina y el Caribe

Objectives. To explore the relationships among social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants of tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality, and to identify the mechanisms that mediate such associations in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Methods. This was an ecological study of 26 LAC countries that had accurate data available on 38 selected variables for the year 2010. The countries represented 99% of the TB burden in LAC. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify associations among determinants of health and TB morbidity and mortality. Results. TB-HIV coinfection and multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in previously treated cases were found to be positively associated to TB morbidity and negatively associated to improved basic sanitation and water coverage—pointing to an increase of TB morbidity in the first two variables and a decrease of TB morbidity in the last two. Regarding TB mortality, indigenous people and MDR-TB in previously treated cases were positively associated. In contrast, literacy among women, basic sanitation, water coverage, and nutritional status were negatively associated to mortality, denoting that improvements in these areas could reduce TB mortality. Conclusions. The study findings support intersectoral actions that address social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants within the Stop TB strategy. The mechanisms by which social determinants of health affect current trend outcomes extend beyond medical interventions to control TB, but more research is needed to understand how and to develop actionable recommendations.

Determinants of tuberculosis in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean / Determinantes de la tuberculosis en los paÍses de América Latina y el Caribe

ABSTRACT Objectives To explore the relationships among social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants of tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality, and to identify the mechanisms that mediate such associations in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Methods This was an ecological study of 26 LAC countries that had accurate data available on 38 selected variables for the year 2010. The countries represented 99% of the TB burden in LAC. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify associations among determinants of health and TB morbidity and mortality. Results TB-HIV coinfection and multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in previously treated cases were found to be positively associated to TB morbidity and negatively associated to improved basic sanitation and water coverage—pointing to an increase of TB morbidity in the first two variables and a decrease of TB morbidity in the last two. Regarding TB mortality, indigenous people and MDR-TB in previously treated cases were positively associated. In contrast, literacy among women, basic sanitation, water coverage, and nutritional status were negatively associated to mortality, denoting that improvements in these areas could reduce TB mortality. Conclusions The study findings support intersectoral actions that address social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants within the Stop TB strategy. The mechanisms by which social determinants of health affect current trend outcomes extend beyond medical interventions to control TB, but more research is needed to understand how and to develop actionable recommendations.

RESUMEN Objetivos Explorar las relaciones que existen entre los determinantes sociales, económicos, ambientales y de los servicios de salud y la morbilidad y la mortalidad por tuberculosis, y examinar los mecanismos que median estas correlaciones en los países de América Latina y el Caribe. Métodos A partir de diferentes fuentes de datos del año 2010, se aplicó un análisis de regresión lineal multivariante con el propósito de revelar las asociaciones entre los determinantes de la salud y la morbilidad y la mortalidad por tuberculosis en 26 países de América Latina y el Caribe (99% de la carga de tuberculosis) que contaban con datos sobre las 38 variables escogidas. Resultados En el 2010, la coinfección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana y Mycobacterium tuberculosis y la presencia de tuberculosis multirresistente en los pacientes previamente tratados mostraron una correlación positiva con la morbilidad por tuberculosis y una correlación negativa con el progreso del saneamiento básico y la cobertura de los servicios de agua; esta observación revela un aumento de la morbilidad por tuberculosis asociado con las dos primeras variables y una disminución de la morbilidad que se asocia con las dos últimas. Con respecto a la mortalidad por tuberculosis, la población indígena y los casos de tuberculosis multirresistente en los pacientes previamente tratados revelaron una correlación positiva. Por el contrario, el alfabetismo en las mujeres, el saneamiento básico, la cobertura de los servicios de agua y el estado nutricional se asociaron negativamente con la mortalidad, lo cual indica que al mejorar los cuatro últimos determinantes se puede obtener una disminución de la mortalidad por tuberculosis. Conclusiones Los resultados de este estudio respaldan las iniciativas intersectoriales que asocian los determinantes sociales, económicos, ambientales y de los servicios de salud a la estrategia Alto a la Tuberculosis. Los mecanismos que median la influencia de los determinantes sociales sobre la evolución actual de los resultados de salud trascienden las intervenciones médicas de control de la tuberculosis y se precisan nuevas investigaciones que mejoren la comprensión de estos mecanismos y contribuyan a formular recomendaciones prácticas.

Interruption of vector transmission by native vectors and "the art of the possible".

In a recent article in the Reader's Opinion, advantages and disadvantages of the certification processes of interrupted Chagas disease transmission (American trypanosomiasis) by native vector were discussed. Such concept, accepted by those authors for the case of endemic situations with introduced vectors, has been built on a long and laborious process by endemic countries and Subregional Initiatives for Prevention, Control and Treatment of Chagas, with Technical Secretariat of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, to create a horizon target and goal to concentrate priorities and resource allocation and actions. With varying degrees of sucess, which are not replaceable for a certificate of good practice, has allowed during 23 years to safeguard the effective control of transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi not to hundreds of thousands, but millions of people at risk conditions, truly "the art of the possible."