Revista panamericana de salud pública = Pan American journal of public health
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Jan 2017
Progress towards a comprehensive approach to maternal and neonatal immunization in the Americas.
Maternal and neonatal immunization (MNI) is a core component of the new immunization model in the Americas, which transitioned from immunization of children to that of the entire family. Immunization during pregnancy protects the mother and the fetus by providing the neonate with maternal antibodies against disease. It has the potential to impact early childhood morbidity and mortality, and thus MNI has gained visibility and priority on the global health agenda. ⋯ This paper describes the status of MNI in the Americas and identifies gaps in the evidence, obstacles to optimal implementation, and opportunities for future improvements. Catalysts for MNI in the Region have been political commitment, endorsement by scientific societies, an established "culture of vaccination," widespread access to antenatal care, and context-specific communications; however, universal and equitable access for pregnant women and their newborns continues to be a formidable challenge, and additional vaccine safety and effectiveness evidence is needed. Continued efforts to integrate MNI with maternal and child health services will be critical to furthering the MNI platform as well.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Oct 2016
Increasing excise taxes in the presence of an illegal cigarette market: the 2011 Brazil tobacco tax reform.
The Brazilian cigarette excise tax reform of 2011 increased tax rates significantly in the presence of a high proportion of illegal and cheap cigarettes contributing to total consumption. Prior to 2011, tobacco tax policy in Brazil had reduced excise tax share on consumer prices, for fear of smuggling. This report examines two hypotheses explaining why tax authorities changed direction. ⋯ The second hypothesis regards inconsistent industry assessments of the size of the illicit market, which ultimately undermined the credibility of the industry with tax authorities. The author concludes that the 2011 reform was designed to revert the weakness of previous policies, and did indeed succeed. The post-2011 experience in Brazil indicates that increased cigarette excise taxes can increase government revenues and reduce smoking prevalence and consumption despite widespread smuggling of tobacco products.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Mar 2016
[International Health Regulations, Ebola, and emerging infectious diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean].
The World Health Organization's determination of the Ebola virus disease outbreak as a public health event of international concern prompted non affected countries to implement measures to prevent, detect, and manage the introduction of the virus in their territories. The outbreak provided an opportunity to assess the operational implementation of the International Health Regulations' core capacities and health systems' preparedness to handle a potential or confirmed case of Ebola virus disease. A public health framework implemented in Latin America and Caribbean countries encompassing preparatory self-assessments, in-country visits, and follow-up suggests that the region should increase efforts to consolidate and sustain progress on core capacities and health system preparedness to face public health events with national or international repercussions.