Southern Cone Project for Hydatidosis Surveillance and Control:
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay

Annual Meetings (documentation in Spanish unless otherwise specified, PDF, titles translated for user orientation)

Fourth Meeting (2007)
- Conclusions & Recommendations
(in English)
- Agenda | List of Participants
- Estimate of the Economic Impact of Cystic Echinococcosis in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay) (FAO)

Third Meeting (2006) Central Focus: "Theorical Framework Aimed at the Ecology and Economy in the Epidemiology, Prevention, Clinical and Laboratory Diagnosing, Control, and Treatment of the Echinococcosis-Hydatidosis Complex"
Invited Countries: Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru
- Agenda & List of Participants
- Final Report

2004 Activities

PAHO Links
- Zoonoses / Animal Health
- Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PANAFTOSA)

- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)

Hydatidosis, or cystic echinococcosis, is an important zoonotic disease in the Americas, because it is registered with a significant frequency in many countries of the Hemisphere, with a diverse burden of presentation, affecting mainly dogs (as a definitive host), cattle, sheep, and pigs (as intermediary hosts) and is of particular concern to the health of humans. Its impact, although manifest, is not sufficiently measured. Its presentation, in each latitude, is very influenced not only by differences in their ecosystems, but also by the form and intensity in how the problem is addressed, usually precluding transnational interdependence in border areas.

The realization of this Subregional Southern Cone Project for Hydatidosis Surveillance and Control: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay is part of a mandate to PAHO/WHO by its Member States, based on the Twelfth Inter-American Meeting, at Ministerial Level, on Health and Agriculture (RIMSA 12), held in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2001.

The fact that several meetings have already held in itself expresses the importance and represents the efforts that the countries are making in this area. However, there exist other aspects that are worth pointing out, such as an adequate vision for recognizing the problem from a pluralistic viewpoint, with a need for joint integrated efforts among countries, sectors, and disciplines and supported by technical cooperation agencies with complementary functions.

There have been achievements. However, we would like to point out some of them, precisely because of their importance, as fundamental points for the adaptation and orientation of interventions and future initiatives to combat hydatidosis in the Region:

• Recognizing and acting on need to strengthen the participation of civil society in process of fighting the disease, which are frequently perceived as and assumed to be the exclusive responsibility of the authorities and public decision-makers.
• Improving the level of knowledge and evidence of the economic impact of hydatidosis on both health and society.
• Initiating activities across borders.
• Educating a sufficient number of human resources.
• Recognizing and acting on the need to adopt rigorous evaluations of plans, especially with external evaluations (i.e. with evaluators from outside the services being evaluated.
• Using powerful communications instruments to mobilize society.

PAHO supports the application of new lessons encourages new initiatives to strengthen the responsibility of each country and incorporate effective and innovative proposals.