Washington, D.C., 24 August 2026 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has made the training materials for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Essential Newborn Care (ENC) course available in Spanish, aimed at strengthening the competencies of health teams to provide quality care to newborns from the moment of birth.
More than three-quarters of preterm babies can be saved through essential care, such as quality care during childbirth and the postnatal period, the "kangaroo mother care", and specific interventions implemented in a timely manner.
The course offers theoretical and practical training on essential interventions for newborn care and seeks to help health professionals develop and strengthen the competencies needed to respond to newborns' needs. The materials are aimed at midwives, nursing professionals, general practitioners, pediatricians, obstetricians, and other members of teams that provide maternal and newborn care.
The package which is now available in Spanish includes action plans, flipcharts, provider guides, and simulation practice cards, designed to support both initial training and continuing education for health personnel who care for newborns. Its practical approach facilitates learning and the application of knowledge and skills in health services.
The Essential Newborn Care (ENC) course is organized into two parts: ENC 1, focused on essential newborn care from birth to 60 minutes of life, and ENC 2, which addresses care between 60 and 90 minutes after birth and beyond.
This second edition of the ENC course focuses on the fundamentals of essential care for every newborn, newborn rights, nurturing care, and strengthened links to community-based care; it also addresses the essential interventions and care needed to respond to the leading causes of mortality, illness, and disability affecting newborns, families, and communities.
ENC 1 and ENC 2 update and integrate three existing courses used worldwide —Helping Babies Breathe, Essential Care for Every Baby, and Essential Care for Small Babies— aligning them with WHO recommendations and quality standards.
PAHO provides technical cooperation for the implementation of training workshops and invites countries to strengthen actions aimed at promoting essential, quality care for every newborn, and their mothers and families, based on the knowledge and skills the course promotes.
The materials are currently available in English and Spanish, with French to follow soon.
A complementary tool: the eCBB app
As a complement to these resources, PAHO also offers eCBB (Electronic Care for Babies), a free mobile app that puts evidence-based information on newborn care directly in the hands of families and health teams. The app includes content ranging from breastfeeding and hygiene to growth, development, and warning signs. It is available free of charge for mobile devices in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
