Washington DC, USA - From August 12 to 15, the Department of Communicable Disease Prevention and Elimination (CDE) brought together regional and country experts from PAHO, and more than 15 representatives from ministries of health in the Americas at its headquarters to update the Integrated Management Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Arboviral Diseases (IMS-Arbovirus) for a new period from 2026 to 2030.
This strategy, in place since 2003 as IMG-Dengue and evolved since 2016 to IMG-Arbovirus, has been the regional reference framework for guiding the prevention and control response to diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, among others. However, the sustained increase in dengue cases and the emergence of new arboviral diseases such as Oropouche in areas without previous transmission have highlighted the need for periodic updates to this strategy and systematic reviews that incorporate the latest technological advances and lessons learned in the Americas and around the world.
The workshop is addressing the current epidemiological situation, preparedness and response to epidemics, the status of available vaccines, as well as the integration of work and the incorporation of new tools, technologies, and methodologies into the main components of the IMG-Arbovirus (management, patient care, integrated vector management, laboratories, epidemiology, communication, and community participation).
The update of the IMG-Arbovirus will enable countries in the Region to adjust their national and local strategies and strengthen their capacities for the prevention and control of these diseases over the next five years.
This strategy will serve to reaffirm itself as an integrated model that guides the response to the complex scenario of arboviral diseases in the Region.
