Establishing Surveillance and Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs)

 

Implementing an integrated program for the prevention and control of HAIs and judicious utilization of antimicrobials in Latin America and the Caribbean

Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a major cause of morbidity and a serious cause of mortality among affected individuals in hospitals and healthcare delivery settings. In addition to patient pain and suffering, HAIs increase healthcare costs due to the need of extended hospital stays, additional drugs, and other diagnostic and therapeutic measures. HAIs also generate indirect costs from loss of productivity for the patient and society as a whole.

SIREVA II: Improving Surveillance and Characterization of Meningococcal Disease in Latin America and the Caribbean Region

Phase II: Detection, Risk-Assessment, Information and Response

Since 2008, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) began collaborating with technical experts at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to strengthen successful regional surveillance systems such as the Antimicrobial Resistance Network or the Surveillance System for the Bacterial Agents Responsible for Pneumonia and Meningitis (SIREVA II), which is continuing to collect relevant laboratory and epidemiological data on Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis. The real extent of its devastation—the financial cost and the cost of lives—has yet to be truly identified—and you and your company can help us.

The multicultural and multilingual indigenous populations in the Americas face tremendous adversity and challenges, and social, cultural, and spiritual factors continue to result in significant health inequities. The poorest and most disadvantaged populations have poor access to needed services, and proven health approaches are often not culturally sensitive and thus fail in these communities. Working with nongovernmental organizations in the countries, PAHEF is providing health education in native languages and helping health care providers to learn how to overcome barriers to health care. Your gift can help make these inequities history.

During 2013-2014, PAHEF will raise money to support grants for the Americas to improve child and maternal health. Our first priority will be to fund those organizations directly impacting WHO’s Millennium Development Goals.

Our hope is to raise $5M and begin allocating the grants in late 2013.

This is a collaborative project with our colleagues from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a major problem for hospitals and other healthcare delivery settings in developed and developing countries throughout the world. The proposal has been offered through our standard, “call for tenders” process, but also invites you to personally invest in this initiative.

The total cost of the project is: $6,147,200.

PAHEF has embarked on an ambitious goal to raise $5M over the course of the next two years to distribute to our partners at PAHO as well as other Latin America NGO’s to help us achieve elimination of key infectious diseases in the region as well as support the tracking of dengue.

In Brazil, it is estimated that every 36 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.

There, 44% of all breast cancer cases are detected at an advanced stage, making it extremely difficult to treat and cure. As a result, death rates in Brazil are very high: 42% of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not survive.

How Américas Amigas Saves Women's Lives

Américas Amigas promotes activities in Brazil to reduce mortality from breast cancer. The organization helps low-income women receive mammograms.

To date, Américas Amigas has donated 10 mammography machines to institutions in the states of São Paulo, Amazonas, Pará, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Sergipe, and Rio Grande do Sul. Through these donations, the organization expects to reach approximately 45,000 women who otherwise would not have been able to receive mammograms.

Your unrestricted gift helps ensure the support of priority health needs in Latin America and the Caribbean. PAHEF accepts on-line donations from U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based donors via PayPal (on PayPal donors may use their credit card or PayPal account).

Your donation will support the following:

- preventing chronic disease
- fighting childhood obesity
- promoting healthy aging
- infectious diseases
- children and women's health
- health of indigenous peoples
- blood safety
- infection control
- violence prevention
- nutrition
- vaccination programs
- eradication of diseases such as intestinal worms and river blindness
- training of local health practitioners
- disaster recovery efforts