scholarly journals The burden of cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Ecuador (2014-2018), a national registry-based study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aquiles R. Henríquez-Trujillo ◽  
Marco Coral-Almeida ◽  
Manuel Calvopiña Hinojosa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cumulative Incidence ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
Spatial Clusters ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Years Lived With Disability ◽  
Latin American Countries

AbstractBackgroundCutaneous (CL) and mucocutaneous (MCL) leishmaniasis remain as endemic tropical diseases in several Latin American countries. This study aimed to estimate the burden of CL and MCL in Ecuador for the period 2014-2018, in order to inform decision-making and resource allocation to tackle this neglected disease.MethodsAmbulatory consultations, hospitalizations, and reported cases of Leishmaniasis registered by the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Census and the Ministry of Public Health were used to estimate the burden of CL and MCL during a five-year period. Case estimations were stratified by prevalence of acute and long-term sequelae, to calculate Years Lived with Disability (YLD) by sex and age group using the DALY package in R. Spatial analysis was conducted to identify statistically significant spatial clusters of leishmaniasis.ResultsBetween years 2014 and 2018, a total 6,937 cases of leishmaniasis were registered, with an average of 1,395 cases reported per year, 97.5% of them were CL and 2.5% MCL. The average cumulative incidence for the study period corrected for underreporting was estimated in 21.98 to 36.10 per 100 thousand inhabitants. Health losses due to leishmaniasis reach 0.32 DALY per 100,000 people per year (95% CI 0.15 – 0.49). The most affected by the disease were men between 15 to 64 years old living below 1,500 m.a.s.l. in sub-tropical and tropical rural communities on both slopes of the Andes mountains. Cantons with the highest cumulative incidence of CL and MCL were Pedro Vicente Maldonado, San Miguel de Los Bancos, and Puerto Quito, in the Pichincha Province; Taisha and Aguarico in the Morona Santiago and Orellana provinces respectively.ConclusionCompared to previous reports, in the past five years CL and MCL persist as a public health problem in Ecuador. There is a need for more comprehensive and robust data sources to track leishmania cases in Ecuador.Author summaryCutaneous (CL) and mucocutaneous (MCL) leishmaniasis remains as an endemic neglected tropical disease in several Latin American countries, including Ecuador. Both CL and MCL can produce disfiguring lesions on exposed parts of the body like face and extremities, and permanent scars, contributing to the burden of the disease due to stigma. In order to inform health authorities in their efforts to improve the control of the transmission of the Leishmaniases in the Ecuadorian population, we estimate the burden of CL and MCL for Ecuador in the period 2014-2018, calculating the years lived with disability due to acute and chronic sequelae. We also look for geographical regions within Ecuador with significant clusters of people with the disease, and we found 17 spatial clusters in sub-tropical and tropical rural communities below 1,500 m.a.s.l. on both slopes of the Andes mountains.

scholarly journals Smoking in Latin America: a major public health problem

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (suppl 3) ◽  
pp. S109-S115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva ◽  
Sergio Koifman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Lung Cancer Mortality ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
Latin American Countries

Smoking has become a major public health problem in Latin America, and its scope varies from country to country. Despite difficulties in obtaining methodologically consistent data for the region, we analyzed the results from prevalence surveys in 14 Latin American countries. Smoking prevalence among men varied from 24.1% (Paraguay) to 66.3% (Dominican Republic) and among women from 5.5% (Paraguay) to 26,6% (Uruguay). By applying point prevalence data to the stage model of the tobacco epidemic in developed countries, we concluded that the Latin American countries are in stage 2, i.e., with a clearly rising prevalence among men, a prevalence for women that is beginning to increase, and mortality attributable to smoking among men still not reflecting peak prevalence. None of the countries analyzed appeared to have reached stage 3, in which one observes a downward trend in prevalence of smoking among men and peak prevalence among women, with broad impact on tobacco-related mortality. The only exception appears to be Paraguay, which is still emerging from stage 1, i.e., with low prevalence rates among men, too. Nevertheless, high lung cancer mortality rates in Uruguay and Argentina are comparable to those of the developed countries.

scholarly journals Treadmills of Production and Destruction in the Anthropocene

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-262
Author(s):  
Chad L. Smith ◽  
Gregory Hooks ◽  
Michael Lengefeld
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Economic ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Latin American Countries ◽  
Realist Perspective

Human activities in Latin American countries have resulted in past and ongoing deforestation located in the Amazon and the Andes.  Demonstrative of this new Anthropocene Epoch, the illegal production of cocaine stands as a major driver of these environmental outcomes in these countries; however, in recent years the extraction of illegal gold has yielded larger export values than that of cocaine.  The consequences of these practices have far-reaching environmental, economic, and social consequences.  Using a critical realist perspective, we investigate and analyze how, when, and under what conditions the treadmills of production and destruction are absent, present, and thriving in Colombia and Peru.  The implications of these relationships are grave as both the Amazon and the Andes are undergoing extensive transformations – damage that represents the Anthropocene Epoch in which human activities are driving ecological systems toward “tipping points”.  We find that the two treadmills operate differently within each country and that treadmills are not ubiquitous but are, instead, contingent.  We underscore the fact that when present, both types of treadmills have the ability to engage in social and environmental destructions, sometimes violently so.

scholarly journals Infoveillance to Analyze Covid19 Impact on Central America Population

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josimar Edinson Chire Saire ◽  
Roselyn Lemus-Martin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Central America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Latin American Countries

AbstractInfoveillance is an application within the Infodemiology field with the aim of monitoring public health and create public policies. Latin American countries have a different context about economics and health, so Infoveillance can be a useful tool to monitor and improve the decisions and be more strategical during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how data generated through Twitter can be used to help the implementation of strategies to address pandemic emergence in countries with Spanish as a native language in Central America by using a Text Mining Approach with Twitter as a data source in the capital of those countries.

Introduction: Indigeneity and Latin American Anarchism

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-18
Author(s):  
Geoffroy de Laforcade ◽  
Steven J. Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Latin American ◽  
English Language ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Labour Movement ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Sensitive Question ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Simple Question ◽  
The Subject

The articles in this special issue frame the question of anarchism and indigeneity as historiography, but also as a commentary on the ways in which examining Latin American pasts can inform contemporary understandings of social movements in the region and beyond. In particular, our hope is that they will provoke further interest and research into how history reflects on the ongoing efforts by revolutionaries today, and by the diverse communities with which they engage, to imagine a future devoid of authoritarian and instrumentalist discourses and practices that continue to reproduce the inequities of state power, capitalist oppression, and colonial domination. The case can be made that while its historiography is in its early stages, anarchists in Latin America historically engaged the communities in which they immersed, in some localities more successfully than others. This issue of Anarchist Studies will show that Bolivia - largely ignored in the English-language literature on the subject - and Peru demonstrated early and ongoing efforts to approach indigeneity among Aymara and Quechua peoples in urban and rural settings (see de Laforcade and Hirsch). In Guatemala, however, which is at the heart of a vast regional geography of diverse Mayan peoples ranging from Honduras to Mexico, and in which the white and mestizo populations are a distinct minority, no such tradition emerged (see Monteflores). Raymond Craib has noted that in Chile, a country on the southern reaches of the Andes that produced a vibrant anarchist culture in the early 20th century, the anarchist archives show virtually no connection between the labour movement and the southern Mapuche peoples of Araucania. Beyond the simple question of whether anarchists acknowledged and engaged in solidarity with indigenous communities, however, there is the more sensitive question raised by Mexican sociologist Josué Sansón on the 'translatability' of anarchist ideas and practices among Peruvian rural communities, which he studied. Sansón argues that the transmission was not 'unidirectional', but rather a 'space of encounter in which some Aymara and Quechua communities received and appropriated them, reinterpreting and adapting them to them their own idioms of resistance in the creation of their own autonomous movements.'

scholarly journals “Vivir Mejor”:Radio Education in Rural Colombia (1960–80)

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-600
Author(s):  
Anna Cant
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Radio Station ◽  
Communication Style ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Religious Organization ◽  
Commercial Radio ◽  
Latin American Countries

ABSTRACTFounded in 1947 by a Catholic priest, Acción Cultural Popular (ACPO) was a pioneer in radio education. Offering a radio station (Radio Sutatenza), study manuals, and a newspaper, ACPO provided basic education and encouraged campesinos to seek personal development and to “vivir mejor”--to live better. From 1947 to 1994, it attracted over four million subscribers and became a model in 13 Latin American countries. In this article I show how ACPO's approach to rural development and communication style evolved between 1960 and 1980. As a consequence of technological, economic, and cultural developments, Radio Sutatenza, a station with a more or less captive audience of illiterate peasants, changed as it was forced to respond to rural Colombians’ shifting aspirations and competition from commercial radio. While the organization's founding principles remained constant throughout this period, its articulation of what it meant to “live better” changed over time, reflecting the struggles of a religious organization to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. While ACPO saw itself as the bearer of modernity, it was often confronted by independent processes of change already occurring in rural communities.

scholarly journals Monopolizando el derecho a la vida: Un estudio sobre las injusticas del sistema de salud mexicano y cómo otras países latinoamericanos están aborando generaciones de inequidad

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Molina ◽  
Class of 2020
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
The Public ◽  
Security Services ◽  
Mexican Government ◽  
America Latina ◽  
Health Legislation

El propósito de este estudio es resaltar el efecto de las décadas de inequidad que han sobrecargado al sistema de salud mexicano y por consiguiente, las consecuencias que tienen en los individuos quienes sufren como resultado. A través de la privatización de los sectores públicos en el país, ahora es más difícil que nunca para los ciudadanos mexicanos recibir una de las formas más básicas de derechos humanos: los servicios de salud pública y seguridad social. Y como resultado de esta problemática, las comunidades rurales sufren una gran falta de acceso a los recursos adecuados y como consecuencia nutren las tasas de mortalidad sin precedentes en todas las edades. El gobierno mexicano ha fallado a su gente y esto se puede observar, destaca en informes de agencias como la Medicina Social y la Salud Colectiva de América Latina (LASM / CH) y la Administración de Salud Pública. Sin embargo, a la luz de estas circunstancias, numerosos países latinoamericanos están dando un paso hacia un futuro mejor a medida que buscan aprobar reformas y legislaciones de salud pública más efectivas y eficientes. Esta mejora en base a la atención médica que ha provocado un impulso en la salud de la población mayoritaria. Además, a partir del uso de artículos académicos y datos primarios y secundarios, esta investigación proporcionada tiene como objetivo arrojar luz sobre lo que depara el futuro para la salud pública mexicana. ____________________________________________________________________________   The purpose of this study is to highlight the effects of the decades of inequity that has burdened the Mexican health system and, consequently, the effects it has on the individuals who suffer as a result. Through the privatization of the public sectors in the country, it is now more difficult than ever for Mexican citizens to receive some of the most basic forms of human rights: public health and social security services. And as a result of this problem, rural communities suffer from a great lack of access to adequate resources, and, as a consequence, feed unprecedented mortality rates at all ages. The Mexican government has failed its people, and this can be observed, as it is highlighted in reports from agencies such as Social Medicine and Collective Health of Latin America (LASM/CH) and the Public Health Administration. However, in light of these circumstances, many Latin American countries are taking a step toward a better future, as they seek to pass more effective and efficient public health legislation and reforms. This improvement based on medical care has caused a boost in the health of a majority of the population. In addition, from the use of academic articles, as well as primary and secondary data, this research aimed to shed light on what the future holds for Mexican public health.

Radio Education in the Andes During the Second Half of the 20th Century

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Cant
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Radio Station ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Catholic Organizations

In 1947, a Colombian priest, Padre José Joaquín Salcedo Guarín, established a small radio station in Sutatenza, Boyacá to provide basic literacy education for poor peasants. Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, Salcedo’s pioneering example gave rise to hundreds of similar initiatives across the Andes. Amid widespread illiteracy, entrenched poverty, and a mountainous terrain that limited access to state institutions and the mainstream media, radio was seen as a technology of immense promise that could increase education levels and stimulate development. The escuelas radiofónicas (radio schools) were an innovative form of distance learning designed to be followed in groups within the home or in a community building. In other parts of the world, radio education was largely delivered by secular agencies, but in the profoundly Catholic Andean region they had a strongly religious character, being operated by priests and funded by international Catholic organizations. Although hailed by many for their transformative impact on rural communities, others criticized their “developmentalist” assumptions and tendency to spread anticommunism. Initially focused on basic numeracy and literacy, radio schools later included programs on agricultural techniques, health, family relationships, music, and spiritual guidance, which were accompanied by newspapers, pamphlets, and readers. Peasant leaders and so-called auxiliaries were recruited and trained to promote radio school attendance and reinforce new ideas and practices. As the tenets of liberation theology filtered out through the Latin American clergy in the 1970s and 1980s, radio education acquired a more activist tone and moved away from didacticism toward community participation, often having a cultural and political impact far beyond that intended in the 1960s. Cultural and economic changes of the late 20th century brought an end to many such radio schools, but a number persist and radio continues to be vitally important among rural Andean populations.

Latitudinal prevalence gradient of multiple sclerosis in Latin America

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1055-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Risco ◽  
H Maldonado ◽  
L Luna ◽  
J Osada ◽  
P Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Latin American Countries ◽  
Crude Prevalence ◽  
Scarce Data

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a unique geographical distribution that reflects both genetic and environmental factors. Many studies have shown a positive correlation between MS frequency and latitude across both large and small geographical regions. However, scarce data have been published on the epidemiology of MS in Latin America and no study has evaluated latitudinal variation. Objective: To evaluate the effect of latitude on MS prevalence in Latin America. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of MS prevalence during January 2011. Prevalence rates were collected from eligible publications. The effect of latitude on prevalence was analyzed using linear regression. Results: A total of ten studies were eligible for analysis, corresponding to six countries, spanning from Panama to Argentina. The crude prevalence of MS ranged from 0.75 to 21.5 per 100,000. We found a strong and significant association between prevalence and latitude ( r2 0.8; p < 0.001) and determined an increase in prevalence of 0.33 per 100,000 per degree latitude. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a latitudinal prevalence gradient of MS in Latin American countries between Panama and Argentina.

scholarly journals Development of a Standardized Sanger-Based Method for Partial Sequencing and Genotyping of Dengue Viruses

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilberto A. Santiago ◽  
Glenda L. González ◽  
Fabiola Cruz-López ◽  
Jorge L. Muñoz-Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Universal Primers ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Dengue Viruses ◽  
Genetic Lineages ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Global Presence

ABSTRACTThe global expansion of dengue viruses (DENV-1 to DENV-4) has contributed to the divergence, transmission, and establishment of genetic lineages of epidemiological concern; however, tracking the phylogenetic relationships of these virus is not always possible due to the inability of standardized sequencing procedures in resource-limited public health laboratories. Consequently, public genomic data banks contain inadequate representation of geographical regions and historical periods. In order to improve detection of the DENV-1 to DENV-4 lineages, we report the development of a serotype-specific Sanger-based method standardized to sequence DENV-1 to DENV-4 directly from clinical samples using universal primers that detect most DENV genotypes. The resulting envelope protein coding sequences are analyzed for genotyping with phylogenetic methods. We evaluated the performance of this method by detecting, amplifying, and sequencing 54 contemporary DENV isolates, including 29 clinical samples, representing a variety of genotypes of epidemiological importance and global presence. All specimens were sequenced successfully and phylogenetic reconstructions resulted in the expected genotype classification. To further improve genomic surveillance in regions where dengue is endemic, this method was transferred to 16 public health laboratories in 13 Latin American countries, to date. Our objective is to provide an accessible method that facilitates the integration of genomics with dengue surveillance.

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