Regional Stories
With support from PAHO, Peru is implementing an intercultural health model for Indigenous Peoples based on knowledge dialogues and intercultural health brigades.— March 2026 —
Ancestral knowledge and modern tools come together for culturally safe childbirth in Panama’s Darién
In the remote communities of Darién and the Emberá-Wounaan Comarca, where travel depends on the river, women sustain life with courage and ancestral knowledge. They are traditional midwives, who accompany women during pregnancy, childbirth, and birth. They play a vital role, since reaching a health facility often involves a difficult and…
With strong surveillance, political commitment, and support from PAHO, Chile has become the first country in the Americas to achieve elimination status.— March 2026 —In Chile’s health system, leprosy has been out of sight, but it has not been out of mind.There have been no autochthonous cases for over 30 years, and unlike many diseases…
Across a vast network spanning the Americas, sentinel surveillance sites generate critical data to track the circulation of respiratory viruses, assess their severity, identify the most vulnerable populations, and evaluate how well vaccines and other preventive measures perform under real-world conditions.— February 2026 —At the San Luis…
For International Childhood Cancer Day, PAHO highlights the story of Camila, who overcame her fear of leukemia and chemotherapy thanks to Emely’s Suitcase, a resource created by the Organization together with the Ayúdame a Vivir Foundation that has supported more than 500 children in El Salvador, reducing treatment abandonment and reinforcing hope…
As soon as the vaccination brigade arrived in the remote community, some mothers hurried and closed their doors. From inside, voices could be heard—expressing fear: “I don’t want my child to get sick from that vaccine,” or “those vaccines don’t work.”— February 2026 —For licensed nurse Mariela López Román, who has spent a decade working…
PAHO is collaborating with the University of New Mexico and supporting public health officials in Puerto Rico to strengthen surveillance and move closer to verifying the elimination of the parasitic infection transmitted by freshwater snails from the island.January 2026
In Guyana, where fewer than 30 new leprosy cases are reported each year, consistent surveillance is telling a hopeful story: Even with low numbers of reported cases, the work is far from over.— January 2026 —Guyana has long shifted away from the days when people affected by leprosy were isolated in leprosariums. Today, Guyana is…
Across the Caribbean, the Fleming Fund’s support is transforming how laboratories detect, diagnose, and respond to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). From improved patient care to stronger national surveillance, frontline staff are already seeing measurable changes in their daily work. Staff from two laboratories - St. Vincent and the Grenadines and…