Fifth Regional Meeting of Managers of National Programs for the Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem in the Americas. (Lima, August 1-3 2018)

Abstract

The Fifth Regional Meeting of Managers of National Programs for the Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem in the Americas brought together collaborators, strategic partners, and representatives of the countries that are implementing activities for trachoma control and elimination in the Region: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela...This meeting addressed topics including global, regional and country-specific advances toward elimination of the disease. There was special emphasis on the challenge of incorporating trachoma into countries’ political and development agendas, since the disease usually occurs in areas where social determinants converge, intensifying gaps in care and inequity in health. Participants underscored the need for integrated efforts using intersectoral interventions, joining together the efforts of the ministries of health with those of other ministries, and transborder efforts to define and carry out joint actions to continue to move forward as a Region in the process of eliminating the disease.