Mundo Sano Foundation: Research and innovation for disease elimination

Turning evidence into sustainable public health solutions

Together with PAHO, the Mundo Sano Foundation combines science, innovation, and action at the local level to strengthen capacities and move toward disease elimination in the Region of the Americas.

Founded in Argentina in 1993, the Mundo Sano Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of vulnerable populations. Its mission is to develop effective, replicable, scalable, and transferable management models for health issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, through public–private partnerships grounded in multidisciplinary scientific research and collaboration with the affected communities. With more than three decades of presence in Latin America, the Foundation has gradually expanded its reach: from direct on-the-ground action to participation in global decision-making bodies.

Its working model combines applied research, innovation, and action at the local level in collaboration with health authorities and academic institutions. This integration of science, public policy, and community engagement has enabled it to translate knowledge into practical solutions for health systems, bridging the gap between scientific evidence and its application in the Region’s most complex contexts.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Mundo Sano Foundation share a commitment to working toward the elimination of communicable diseases in the Region of the Americas through people-centered, evidence-based responses. This shared vision is reflected in a technical collaboration focused on knowledge-sharing and the development of joint initiatives to support countries in the Region. Reflecting this track record, in 2021 the Foundation was admitted by the PAHO Executive Committee as a non-State actor in official relations.

Promoting integrated approaches to accelerate disease elimination in the Region of the Americas

Chagas disease has been a major focus of this collaboration. In various Latin American countries, the Mundo Sano Foundation has promoted initiatives for surveillance and vector control, training for health care workers the strengthening of local capacities, and the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic tools, thereby expanding health care coverage for population groups affected by this disease. These experiences have provided insights into how barriers to care among vulnerable populations can be overcome by enriching the exchange of technical expertise in the Region and supporting countries’ efforts to eliminate Chagas disease.

The Foundation has also contributed to progress toward the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of certain communicable diseases. The Ibero-American initiative “Not a single baby with Chagas”, experiences with the implementation of the Framework for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and Chagas (ETMTCT Plus) in Paraguay, and the community-based and intercultural support processes in Guatemala have generated lessons on service coordination, the cultural adaptation of interventions, and improved access for the most marginalized population groups.

Innovation is another of the Foundation’s distinctive contributions. With regard to the control of soil-transmitted helminth infections, its work contributed to incorporating strongyloidiasis – a historically underestimated parasite infection – into regional control strategies and to the development of a coformulation of ivermectin and albendazole as a new treatment option for soil-transmitted helminth infections. This contribution illustrates the Foundation’s ability to transform applied research into solutions that expand the options available to national health programs.

In May 2026, PAHO and the Mundo Sano Foundation formalized this partnership by signing a technical cooperation agreement to exchange experiences on integrated approaches to accelerate the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease within the framework of ETMTCT Plus, and to explore opportunities for cervical cancer prevention in the Region.

Thanks to its ability to combine scientific rigor, innovation, and a strong local presence, the Mundo Sano Foundation has become an outstanding partner for PAHO. Its contribution to regional knowledge-sharing, multisectoral collaboration, and the advancement of people-centered approaches makes this organization a strategic partner in accelerating progress toward disease elimination goals in the Region of the Americas.

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