Disease Elimination Initiative - Stories
Trachoma has been eliminated as a public health problem in Mexico, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today. Mexico becomes the first country in the Americas and the third in the world after Oman and Morocco to receive validation from WHO for having eliminated this disease.
Related Links
Health Topic: Trachoma
Destination…
For 20 years, Nicaragua has served as an example for efforts to combat helminths. The country’s Ministry of Health reaffirms this, pronouncing the country “highly committed to improving the population’s health,” particularly the health of children under age 15, the group at greatest risk. Nicaragua has been at the forefront of integrating various…
Thanks to the international agreements established by PAHO/WHO, and the efforts of the countries in the Americas, the Region’s performance in combating malaria has been outstanding compared with other regions of the world. Malaria success stories in the Americas include the formation of partnerships to accelerate the control and elimination of the…
Given that Haiti has the highest poverty index and the worst health indicators in the Western Hemisphere, it is not surprising that the country has the highest burden of lymphatic filariasis in the Americas. “Filariasis is associated with extreme poverty,” Steven Ault, Ex Senior Advisor of the PAHO Regional Neglected Infectious Diseases Program,…
In 1985, a Hepatitis B seroprevalence study conducted in St Kitts and Nevis revealed high prevalence rates of Hepatitis B infection (HBV) with the highest risk of acquiring the infection occurring during the perinatal period and in early school years.