Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Immediate Response to the H1N1 Influenza pandemic

Results achieved as of the end of the project (July 2011) include: Laboratory capacity to diagnose influenza and other respiratory viruses was strengthened in Mexico Peru Bolivia Honduras and El Salvador through the purchase of equipment and reagents; a guide for rotavirus surveillance was developed and disseminated; laboratory technicians from the Andean Region and Cuba were trained in diagnostic methods in indirect immunofluorenscence and molecular techniques; and target countries received technical assistance to develop pandemic risk communication strategies and to lay down longer term foundation to deal with other public health emergencies through a more generic plan for National Risk Communication Strategies. These have contributed to increasing the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean countries to respond to health outbreaks and crises while strengthening national health systems across the region. They have also contributed to strengthening the capacity of the Pan American Health Organization to provide policy guidance to its member states transfer and transform international practices into norms for the hemisphere and provide adequate and flexible technical assistance to the countries of the region.