PAHO: Four health emergencies threaten Americas

The director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Carissa Etienne has warned of four health emergencies threatening the Americas: the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti, cases of monkeypox, COVID-19 infections, and low polio vaccination rates.

"Our region is under pressure," she said, as she called on countries to "work quickly with the tools they have at their disposal" in an attempt to control the scenario. "Parallel health emergencies and fragile social, political and natural environments show the importance of investing in and strengthening health systems," she added.

Cholera

After more than three years, Haiti last week reported a cholera outbreak just as it was about to be declared free of the disease. As of last Sunday (Oct 9), the country had confirmed 32 cases and 18 deaths, in addition to 260 suspected cases in the capital Port-au-Prince region.

According to PAHO, it is likely that the cases are more numerous than the official figures, as "escalating street violence and criminal activity limit access and mobility in affected areas.”

Monkeypox

Data from the Organization show that the Americas have recorded 45,000 cases of monkeypox, which corresponds to 63 percent of the total number reported worldwide. About 95 percent of the infections occur in men. Last week alone, 2,300 new cases were registered in the region, mainly in the United States, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

PAHO has begun distributing monkeypox vaccines in the Americas. Brazil and Chile were the first countries to receive the doses delivered last week.

COVID-19

PAHO`s director evaluated that the downward trend in cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including in the Americas, shows a possible transition from the pandemic's acute phase to a sustained control phase. Last week, the region recorded 178,000 new cases of the disease.

However, Etienne advised that this transition scenario will only be achieved through continued testing, and increased vaccination. Although more than 70 percent of the population in the Americas are immunized against COVID, ten countries and territories, according to PAHO, have not yet reached 40 percent of vaccination coverage.

Polio

Etienne made a new appeal to countries to increase polio vaccination coverage and monitoring. She said four countries in the Americas - Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Peru - are classified as "at very high risk" of experiencing an outbreak of the disease, while eight nations are considered "high risk."

"Polio, a disease for which there is no cure or treatment, must become a thing of the past," stressed the PAHO director. "With effective vaccines and decades of immunization experience, we have the power to keep it at bay," she added.