Global HIV/AIDS

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Central American Regional Office

(Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama)

Assets and Strategic Focus

Strategic Focus
Since 2003, CDC HIV/AIDS Regional Office has worked to help strengthen and coordinate strategic information and prevention strategies to respond to the epidemic in this region.

Strengthening Surveillance and Health Information Systems
CDC builds in-country capacity to design, implement, and evaluate HIV/AIDS-related surveillance systems and improves broader national health information systems within the region’s MoHs to collect, store, analyze, and use high-quality data essential to HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs.

Strengthening Laboratory Systems and Networks
CDC helps build in-country capacity for high-quality laboratory systems and workforce as well as a national reference laboratory service to assist with the rapid expansion of HIV treatment and leverage this capacity to provide laboratory services for other diseases.

Building Workforce Capacity
CDC supports the Central American (CA) - Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) which aims to build institutional capacity within each country (3-tier pyramidal training) for epidemiologic assessment, investigation, and surveillance and foster a scientific, data-based approach for implementing effective public health programs and policies.

Notable Accomplishments

Behavioral Surveillance Surveys (BSS)

CDC provided technical and financial assistance to implement BSS in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Results were disseminated by the MOH in each country. BSS will also be implemented in Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

Enhanced Laboratory Capacity

CDC has produced a panel of HIV-positive & negative samples to further enhance laboratory network quality & capacity will be used to standardize the validation of rapid test kits and by organizing training courses on HIV/AIDS laboratory technologies.
Regional laboratory personnel were trained in BED HIV-1 Capture EIA (BED) incidence testing and an introductory course for epidemiologists has been developed and is currently in use.

Enhanced TB/HIV Surveillance

CDC facilitated a Central America regional workshop in Atlanta to coordinate the FTBSS initiative*. Representatives from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, USAID, Pan American Health Organization, University Research Co. attended. This model focuses on improving the quality of care and health outcomes of patients with TB and HIV at the point of clinical service where TB patients are diagnosed and managed. The strategy will be implemented at a regional level.
CDC is also supporting a program for Multidisciplinary Facility-Based TB Strengthening for TB/HIV Surveillance