Panama City, 9 December 2013 (PAHO/WHO) — In order to strengthen the capacity of Central American countries in the coordination and operational aspects of cholera prevention and control in the Subregion, the Regional Water and Sanitation Team (ETRAS, for its acronym in Spanish) of the Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis Department at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO / WHO), held in Panama City the Central American Subregional Meeting "The Focus of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for the Prevention and Control of Cholera: A common strategy, impact actions", from December 5th through 7th, 2013.
Representatives from the Ministries of Health, the Water and Sanitation sector, and PAHO officers from Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama attended the event.
Additionally, Advisors from PAHO-Haiti and the Regional Program of Emergencies and Disasters (PED) participated in the meeting, as well as a representative from the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS, for its acronym in Spanish) from Mexico to facilitate the workshop sessions and share some of the countries' experiences in preparedness and response of cholera in the Region.
The development of the workshop content allowed participants to a) understand the integration degree of the water and sanitation sector into the strategies of the national health sector in order to prepare and respond against the possible reintroduction of cholera in the Subregion, b) increase knowledge about mechanisms of sectoral and intersectoral coordination and tools available that allowed the definition of guidelines for a Subregional strategy for water, sanitation and hygiene for the prevention and control of cholera, and c) develop a commitment at national level to develop operational plans in strategic lines which include improvements on the infrastructure of drinkable water and sanitation, strengthening the control and monitoring of water quality, monitoring of environmental risks associated with water and sanitation, food handling, hygiene promotion, information-communication-social mobilization, and strengthening of environmental laboratories.
