PAHO/WHO Media Center: news, features, multimedia

In the territory shared by Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, known as the South American Chaco, there are many issues, including a lack of access to health services. Since 2017, the Pan American Health Organization has implemented a project that seeks to strengthen health services for 400,000 people across seven departments of these three countries. Around 30% of these people belong to indigenous communities.

Miguel Ixtox is 82 years old and lives in the indigenous community of Guineales in the Boca Region of Guatemala, a humid area characterized by its high temperatures, poverty and isolation. Miguel has experienced problems with his eyes for the past five years that have left him unable to see properly. Something which began with an irritation, has today left him in permanent pain and on the verge of blindness.  

Due to advances in treatment and care, advocacy, health promotion and public education, people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are living longer than ever. However, this longevity also makes them susceptible to other illnesses including non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders. The need for other services such as mental and psychosocial support is therefore vital for this population.

Hantavirus (HV) is an emerging zoonotic disease transmitted by rodents such as mice and rats. It is characterized by symptoms of fever, myalgia, and gastrointestinal complaints, followed by sudden onset of respiratory distress and hypotension.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection, commonly referred to as intestinal worms, generally affects the poorest communities. Transmission occurs when eggs of the parasite are present in human feces and then contaminate the soil in areas with deficient sanitation systems.

La teniasis es una infección intestinal provocada por la tenia adulta. En el ser humano hay tres especies que la causan: Taenia solium, Taenia saginata y Taenia asiatica, si bien solamente T. solium es la especie que causa problemas graves de salud. Cisticercosis es la infección con la forma larvaria del parásito T. solium.