Leishmaniases. Epidemiological Report of the Americas, December 2020

Abstract

In the Americas, leishmaniasis are a public health problem due to their magnitude and geographic distribution and because they produce clinical forms that can cause death, disability, and mutilation. In recent years, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)—in accordance with the mandate conferred in the PAHO initiative for disease elimination: policy for an Integrated Sustainable Approach to Communicable Diseases in the Americas (Resolution CD57/7, approved by the Directing Council of PAHO in 2019) and in line with the roadmap for neglected tropical diseases 2021-2030 (published by the World Health Organization in 2020)—has supported endemic countries, with which it has developed joint initiatives in favor of strengthening surveillance and control actions, with the goal of reducing severe forms of the disease, through access to early diagnosis, adequate treatment of cases and reduction of contact between people and vectors. The organization of services, the strengthening of knowledge and the technical capacity of professionals in diagnosis and treatment, as well as the strengthening of entomological capacities and the surveillance system to provide updated information, are measures that have been implemented and promoted in the Americas. This report presents the epidemiological situation of leishmaniasis in the Region, through a detailed analysis of the data corresponding to 2019, reported to the Regional Information System of Leishmaniasis in the Americas (SisLeish), as well as infographics of the endemic countries.