Challenges And Successes Of One Health In The Context Of Planetary Health In Latin America And The Caribbean

There are notorious health inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean. A series of factors limit access to timely and quality medical care: scarcity of human resources, infrastructure, facilities and medicine, as well as low family incomes, physical and cultural distance between supply provided by the public sector and the population requiring care. Income levels, place of residence and ethnic origins are therefore variables that shape vulnerability and exclusion of millions of households throughout the region. This situation is accompanied by changes in health demand structure stemming from the fast speed of population aging and urban growth, especially in intermediate cities. On the other hand, increasing movement of people between countries, especially in border areas, poses the challenge of integrated strategies for epidemiological surveillance and healthcare. This situation is exacerbated by the rising cost of medical care, due -- among other reasons -- to the higher cost of health related technologies (medicine and equipment), and more commonplace chronic diseases because of the increasing number of older people. This scenario implies important challenges for the development of State policies and strategies that must include decisions regarding the incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The potential of these policies and strategies for reducing access limitations, improving efficiency in the health sector and in the quality of care and patient safety, are some of the elements that must be considered in order to decidedly face the difficulties and resistance that other sectors have already tackled. Major changes and increasing improvements for ICTs, as well as the breakneck development of bioengineering and technological convergence are changing the way we can work around the issue of health. The possible application of such technological innovation encompasses many, if not all activities related to health care, administration and education, offering opportunities to both increase coverage and improve the quality of care, as well as health system effectiveness and efficiency. The concept of electronic health (e-health) is used herein to encompass the multiple potential applications of ICTs in this field, regardless of whether they are aimed at health sector authorities, organizations providing care and health professionals, or used as customized systems for patients and citizens in general. This concept includes applications ranging from electronic medical records and various types of telemedicine to health portals and hospital management systems, among others. This basically refers to everything that uses ICTs in order to improve health actions in the sphere of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and management. However, limited institutional progress has been made despite several electronic health initiatives being implemented throughout the region. Consequently, most of these projects have limited scope and are not properly integrated into health policies or national ICT strategies. This document starts by identifying and describing the several benefits expected as a result of incorporating ICTs in health and goes on to summarize present and future challenges for health policies, especially inasmuch as the most vulnerable populations are concerned. Thirdly, the document showcases global progress made in several applications, strategies implemented and difficulties faced in some developed and LAC countries. The document finishes with generic proposals for the formulation of policies and strategies to be considered and adapted by countries throughout the region.

Globalization of the food supply has created conditions favorable for the emergence, reemergence, and spread of food-borne pathogens-compounding the challenge of anticipating, detecting, and effectively responding to food-borne threats to health. In the United States, food-borne agents affect 1 out of 6 individuals and cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths each year. This figure likely represents just the tip of the iceberg, because it fails to account for the broad array of food-borne illnesses or for their wide-ranging repercussions for consumers, government, and the food industry-both domestically and internationally. A One Health approach to food safety may hold the promise of harnessing and integrating the expertise and resources from across the spectrum of multiple health domains including the human and veterinary medical and plant pathology communities with those of the wildlife and aquatic health and ecology communities. The IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop on December 13 and 14, 2011 that examined issues critical to the protection of the nation's food supply. The workshop explored existing knowledge and unanswered questions on the nature and extent of food-borne threats to health. Participants discussed the globalization of the U.S. food supply and the burden of illness associated with foodborne threats to health; considered the spectrum of food-borne threats as well as illustrative case studies; reviewed existing research, policies, and practices to prevent and mitigate foodborne threats; and, identified opportunities to reduce future threats to the nation's food supply through the use of a "One Health" approach to food safety. Improving Food Safety Through a One Health Approach: Workshop Summary covers the events of the workshop and explains the recommendations for future related workshops.

This book provides readers with information on the factors underlying the emergence of infectious diseases originating in animals and spreading to people. The One Health concept recognizes the important links between human, animal, and environmental health and provides an important strategy in epidemic mitigation and prevention. The essential premise of the One Health concept is to break down the silos among the different health professions and promote transdisciplinary collaborations. These concepts are illustrated with in-depth analyses of specific zoonotic agents and with examples of the successes and challenges associated with implementing One Health. The book also highlights some of the challenges societies face in confronting several specific zoonotic diseases. A chapter is included on comparative medicine to demonstrate the broad scope of the One Health concept. Edited by a team including the One Health Initiative pro bono members, the book is dedicated to those studying zoonotic diseases and comparative medicine in both human and veterinary medicine, to those involved in the prevention and control of zoonotic infections and to those in the general public interested in the visionary field of One Health.

"The presence, or absence, of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can be seen as a proxy for poverty and for the success of interventions aimed at reducing poverty. Today, coverage of the public-health interventions recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) against NTDs may be interpreted as a proxy for universal health coverage and shared prosperity - in short, a proxy for coverage against neglect. As the world's focus shifts from development to sustainable development, from poverty eradication to shared prosperity, and from disease-specific goals to universal health coverage, control of NTDs will assume an important role towards the target of achieving universal health coverage, including individual financial risk protection. Success in overcoming NTDs is a "litmus test" for universal health coverage against NTDs in endemic countries. The first WHO report on NTDs (2010) set the scene by presenting the evidence for how these interventions had produced results. The second report (2013) assessed the progress made in deploying them and detailed the obstacles to their implementation. This third report analyses for the first time the investments needed to achieve the scale up of implementation required to achieve the targets of the WHO Roadmap on NTDs and universal coverage against NTDs. INVESTING TO OVERCOME THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES presents an investment strategy for NTDs and analyses the specific investment case for prevention, control, elimination and eradication of 12 of the 17 NTDs. Such an analysis is justified following the adoption by the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly in 2013 of resolution WHA6612 on neglected tropical diseases, which called for sufficient and predictable funding to achieve the Roadmap's targets and sustain control efforts. The report cautions, however, that it is wise investment and not investment alone that will yield success. The report registers progress and challenges and signals those that lie ahead. Climate change is expected to increase the spread of several vector-borne NTDs, notably dengue, transmission of which is directly influenced by temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and climate variability primarily through their effects on the vector. Investments in vector-borne diseases will avoid the potentially catastrophic expenditures associated with their control. The presence of NTDs will thereby signal an early warning system for climate-sensitive diseases. The ultimate goal is to deliver enhanced and equitable interventions to the most marginalized populations in the context of a changing public-health and investment landscape to ensure that all peoples affected by NTDs have an opportunity to lead healthier and wealthier lives."--Publisher's description.

Environmental Resilience and Transformation in Times of COVID-19: Climate Change Effects on Environmental Functionality is a timely reference to better understand environmental changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns. The book is organized into five themes: (1) environmental modifications, degradation, and human health risks; (2) water resources—planning, management, and governance; (3) air quality—monitoring, fate, transport, and drivers of socioenvironmental change; (4) marine and lacustrine environment; and (5) sustainable development goals and environmental justice. These themes provide an insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the environment and vice versa, which will help improve environmental management and planning, as well as influence future policies. Featuring many case studies from around the globe, this book offers a crucial examination of the intersectionality between climate, sustainability, the environment, and public health for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in environmental science. Features global case studies to illustrate themes and address issues to support environmental management Offers fundamental and practical understanding of ways to improve and validate predictive abilities and tools in addition to response Examines climate-related trends in the spread of the pandemic Presents different ways forward in order to achieve global goals with a specific focus on SDGs

This handbook presents the great contemporary challenges facing cities and urban spaces in Latin America and the Caribbean. The content of this multidisciplinary book is organized into four large sections focusing on the histories and trajectories of urban spatial development, inequality and displacement of urban populations, contemporary debates on urban policies, and the future of the city in this region. Scholars of diverse origins and specializations analyze Latin American and Caribbean cities showing that, despite their diversity, they share many characteristics and challenges and that there is value in systematizing this knowledge to both understand and explain them better and to promote increasing equity and sustainability. The contributions in this handbook enhance the theoretical, empirical and methodological study of urbanization processes and urban policies of Latin America and the Caribbean in a global context, making it an important reference for scholars across the world. The book is designed to meet the interdisciplinary study and consultation needs of undergraduate and graduate students of architecture, urban design, urban planning, sociology, anthropology, political science, public administration, and more.