CDC in Guatemala

The following global programs and activities recieved CDC funding in Fiscal Year 2009. These activities are funded through several mechanisms including direct Congressional appropriations, transfers from other United States Government agencies, and various international partnerships.

Chronic Disease
CDC is collaborating with PAHO to conduct a situation analysis of cervical cancer and cancer surveillance, assess readiness for emerging screening technologies (such as HPV DNA testing), assess readiness regarding HPV vaccine implementation, and assess existing cancer surveillance systems (cancer registries).

Diabetes
To reduce the burden of diabetes among persons with type 2 diabetes in Central America, CDC s Central American Diabetes Initiative (CAMDI) phase I was a multi-center survey of the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and associated risk factors conducted in selected sites of the 7 Central American countries. Phase II, currently underway, uses the phase I findings to develop infrastructure for diabetes surveillance and more in-depth studies of the complications and economics of diabetes.
 

Global Disease Detection (GDD)

The GDD program was built from CDC s existing international expertise in public health surveillance, training, and laboratory methods, bringing together established, proven programs. The GDD program effectively coordinates these existing CDC resources to build in-country capacity and enhance rapid response capacity for emerging infectious diseases. The central focus of the GDD program is the establishment and expansion of GDD sub-regional Centers which focus on five key activities: 1) outbreak response, 2) surveillance, 3) pathogen discovery, 4) training, and 5) networking.For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/cogh/gdd.htm

Influenza - CDC contributes to the World Health Organization s Global Influenza Network, addresses US government strategy for preparedness, communication, surveillance, and response, and helps to build country capacity development for seasonal and pandemic influenza. In addition, CDC works with global governments and partners to identify and characterize circulating flu viruses and support early identification of novel influenza viruses such as avian influenza. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

International Emerging Infections Program - International Emerging Infections Programs (IEIPs) bring together leading experts and researchers in infectious disease epidemiology. IEIP staff integrates disease surveillance, applied research, prevention, control, and training activities to prevent and control infectious diseases of global public health importance. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/ieip/index.html

Public Health Systems & Workforce Development - CDC s capacity building activities include two key components: the Field Epidemiology (and Laboratory) Training Program (FETP)and the Sustainable Management Development Program (SMDP). FETP is a full-time, two-year postgraduate applied public health training program for public health leaders to help strengthen health system, train health professionals, build capacity to assess disease surveillance, and improve health interventions. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/cogh/dgphcd/default.htm

HIV/AIDS
The CDC Global AIDS Program is also beginning initial capacity building activities in Guatemala in 2008. In 2003, US President George W. Bush announced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Guatemala and CDC GAP became a part of this unified US Government effort to turn the tide against the epidemic. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/globalAIDS/default.html

Malaria
The past decade has witnessed a steady increase in malaria among the countries of the Amazon Basin region. To address this issue, CDC, USAID, PAHO and others developed and launched the Amazon Malaria Initiative (AMI) in 2001. The initiative is intended to improve malaria control at the sub-regional level and contribute to decreased morbidity and mortality at the national level. As part of this, CDC works with the University of Guatemala to implement and evaluate activities in the fields of entomology and molecular epidemiology in these countries involved in AMI: Brzil, Guatemala, Peru, and Colombia. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/malaria_worldwide/cdc_activities/index.html

Measles
CDC is a leading partner in the Measles Initiative, a partnership committed to reducing measles deaths globally, with the goal of cutting measles deaths by 90 percent by 2010. Through this initiative, CDC contributes to mass measles immunization campaigns, as well as additional health interventions such as Vitamin A, de-worming medicine, and insecticide-treated bed nets for malaria prevention. In 2007, for the first time, the Measles Initiative supported vaccination campaigns in all regions of the world. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/global/measlesinitiative.htm

Physical Activity
CDC, WHO Collaborating Center for Physical Activity and Health has developed a four-day training course for physical activity and public health. The international course is modeled on the very successful physical activity research and practice courses that CDC and the University of South Carolina have held in the United States since 1995. The international courses are supported through cooperative agreements with the IUHPE, WHO, and PAHO. Eleven courses have been held to date. Specific objectives include: 1) Elaborating a policy and programmatic framework for population-based physical activity promotion, 2)Reviewing the scientific, public health, and public policy bases for addressing physical inactivity, 3) Providing practical training in each of the key steps in developing a public health program for promoting physical activity, and 4) Discussing program implementation and presenting case studies from successful programs.

Neglected Tropical Diseases
The Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a cause of substantial morbidity for hundreds of millions of people. For 7 of these NTDs lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil transmitted helminths ( Ascaris, Trichuris, hookworm), and trachoma disease control or elimination is possible through a strategy of mass drug administration, with annual or semi-annual doses of safe and effective oral medicines. CDC provides technical assistance to NTD programs to assist in monitoring and evaluation including ensuring quality of program delivery (coverage); measure progress towards control or elimination targets; and document health impact. In addition, CDC conducts research, to optimize NTD policies and strategies and inform program scale up, and develops and improves epidemiologic and lab tools for monitoring and evaluation, where gaps exist. Several of the NTDs are candidates for regional elimination (onchocerciasis in the Americas) or global eradication (lymphatic filariasis) and achieving this permanent disease elimination is a hallmark of the Global Health initiative. The NTDs also provide excellent opportunities for integration and delivery of multiple interventions in a packet that can include immunizations, insecticide treated bednets, and micronutrients. CDC helps countries integrate WASH interventions into existing NTD programs. The successful and sustainable incorporation of WASH interventions into existing disease-focused programs requires evaluation of the effectiveness, cost, accessibility, and sustainability of different interventions. In Guatemala, CDC s work in NTDs focuses on surveillance of onchocerciasis elimination.

Reproductive Health
Through a partnership with USAID, CDC assists in population-based reproductive health surveys. Surveys provide family planning and reproductive health programs with information that is extremely useful for evaluating current programs and needed services, and for planning new services or improving existing ones. The CDC Reproductive Health Surveys collect information in the areas of family planning, fertility, infant and child health, maternal morbidity and mortality, young adult sexual behavior, HIV/STDs, health care issues, and intimate partner violence. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Global/index.htm

Water
Working with public health partners, CDC s Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene program promotes designs, participates in, and evaluates environmental public health service programs to prevent and control diseases related to water supplies, sanitation, and poor hygiene practices, including using an approached called a Water Safety Plan (WSP). WSP is a holistic, systematic, and integrated management approach used to identify and prioritize potential threats to water quality at each step in a specific system s water supply chain from catchment to consumer and implement best practices to mitigate those threats and ensure drinking-water quality. For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/GWASH/wsp.htm

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