Addressing the emergence and spread of leishmaniasis in the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

QUINTANA MG; SANTINI MS; BRITEZ N; ROJAS DE ARIAS A; THOMAZ-SOCCOL V; YADON Z; SALOMÓN OD

Simposio; VIII International Symposium on Phlebotominae Sandflies; 2014

Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical, MSN

In the border region of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay , cutaneous leishmaniasis generates rural and peri-urban outbreaks strongly associated with environmental and anthropogenic change s, while visceral leishmaniasis is emergent and spreading in urban and periurban areas. Therefore, different forms of transmission ofleishmaniases occur in a diversity of settings, ranging from forest to urban, and from work to peri-domestic associated risks. The region also has a wide diversity of human populations, including different cultural backgrounds, as native peoples, migrants (transient and permanent settlements), and tourists. In order to address the emergence and spread of leishmaniasis a project was designed to identify the main biological, environmental and social drivers associated with parasite transmission risks in different landscapes, within the theoretical frame of Eco-Health. This project engages researchers and decision makers from the three countries to respond to the explicit demand of public health authorities to improve the effectiveness of leishmaniasis control programs. The design involves ?mirror? activities in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, anditerative/successive feedbacks instead of simultaneous analysis between the results of the dialectic sciences (social) and cumulative ones (bio-ecological). Up to now the project team consolidated the historical information about the leishmaniases, and the sociohistorical context that allowed the transmission in the region, the social scientists performed a base-line perception study , and the three countries multidisciplinary specialists gathered in a workshop to establish a common epistemological background and to refine the field designs. The antecedents included the previous studies on distribution in time and space of Phlebotomine, and its relation with outbreaks and/or humans activities. In each country a specific set of interventions will be developed. The participation of decision makers from the local, subnational and national levels, the technical collaboration of the Pan-American Health Organization and the partnership of the International Development Research CentreCanada, will promote the uptake of results and implementation of the proposed multi-sectorial prevention and control strategies, as well as their eventual replication in other areas. Financial Support IDRCCanada Project #107577, Ministry of Health of Argentina, Brazil Paraguay; P AHO.