Tuberculosis prevention and control in indigenous populations in the Region of the Americas

Abstract

The member states of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recognized the need for differentiated approaches to address the health situation of indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant populations, and other ethnic groups by adopting the first Policy on Ethnicity and Health in 2017. PAHO has prepared the “Guidelines for the prevention and control of tuberculosis in the indigenous peoples of the Americas region”, a practical tool to help implement the End of TB Strategy, which guides the approach to TB in the world, from an intercultural approach.

For an adequate implementation of the guidelines, it is essential to link various actors who work in a coordinated way with the leaders and female representatives of indigenous peoples at the national and sub-national levels. Currently, Paraguay is one of the pioneer countries in the implementation of the guidelines.

The Bill "That establishes the rights and obligations in prevention, comprehensive health care and social protection of people affected by tuberculosis" recently sanctioned by the Chamber of Deputies, a powerful regulatory framework that becomes a great opportunity for the Programa Nacional de Crontrol de Tuberculosis (PNCT) and the health system in general, to reverse the effects produced by the pandemic. In addition, it provides adequate support for the implementation of the "Guidelines for the prevention and control of TB in indigenous peoples of the Americas region" in the interior of the country, which will allow progress towards the future elimination of this disease that It is among the first causes of death, not only in Paraguay but in the entire world.