Latin America and the Caribbean

More than 530 million people live in this developing region, which has the highest income per capita and the highest life expectancy. LAC is also the only region that enrolls more girls than boys in primary and secondary school (102 girls for every 100 boys).

However, LAC faces some critical challenges. While economic progress has been significant, it is uneven; the region has great inequalities in income and other social conditions across countries, ethnicities, and gender.

Publications

click to view chapters and sections

Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries (2nd Edition)
  1. 1. Investing in Health
    1. The 20th Century Takeoff in Human Health
    2. Child Health
    3. HIV/AIDS
    4. Health System Development and Finance
    5. Research and Development
    6. Development Assistance for Health
    7. Conclusions
  2. 3. Strengthening Health Systems
    1. History and Current Themes
    2. Assessment of Approaches to Strengthen Health System Capacity
    3. Research Priorities
  3. 4. Priorities for Global Research and Development of Interventions
    1. Needs, Context, Opportunities, and Major Challenges
  4. 5. Science and Technology for Disease Control: Past, Present, and Future
    1. Science, Technology, and Medicine in the Future
  5. 6. Product Development Priorities
    1. Introduction
    2. Intellectual Property
  6. 7. Economic Approaches to Valuing Global Health Research
    1. The Value of Health Research
  7. 8. Improving the Health of Populations: Lessons of Experience
    1. Research Methods
    2. Cases
    3. General Findings
    4. Intervention Type, Programmatic Characteristics, and Policies
  8. 9. Millennium Development Goals for Health: What Will It Take to Accelerate Progress?
    1. The Millennium Development Goals for Health: Progress and Prospects
    2. What Do Countries Need To Do?
    3. Costing and Financing Additional Spending for the MDGs
  9. 10. Gender Differentials in Health
    1. Antecedents
    2. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
  10. 11. Fiscal Policies for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
    1. Subsidies for Health and Health-Related Products
    2. Taxes and Tax Expenditures: Design and Outcomes
    3. Fiscal Policy to Promote Health
    4. Disclaimer and Acknowledgment
  11. 12. Financing Health Systems in the 21st Century
    1. Health Financing Systems
    2. Absorption, Effectiveness, and Sustainability of Donor Funds
    3. Health Financing Issues in MICs
  12. 13. Recent Trends and Innovations in Development Assistance for Health
    1. Trends and Gaps in Development Assistance for Health
    2. Making Development Assistance for Health More Effective: Lessons Learned
    3. Recent Innovations to Improve the Effectiveness of Development Assistance for Health
  13. 14. Ethical Issues in Resource Allocation, Research, and New Product Development
    1. Ethics in Research and New Product Development
  14. 15. Cost–Effectiveness Analysis for Priority Setting
    1. Determining Costs for Interventions
  15. 16. Tuberculosis
    1. Interventions against Tuberculosis
    2. Alternative and Complementary Approaches to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Active Disease
    3. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions against Tuberculosis
    4. Summary of Cost-Effectiveness Analyses
    5. Conclusions
  16. 17. Sexually Transmitted Infections
    1. Introduction
    2. Bacterial and Viral STIs and Their Sequelae
    3. Intervention Costs and Cost-Effectiveness
  17. 18. HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment
    1. Obstacles to HIV Control
    2. Action under Uncertainty
    3. Prevention in Theory and Practice: Using Epidemic Profiles and Contextual Factors to Inform Prevention Guidelines
    4. Care and Treatment
  18. 19. Diarrheal Diseases
    1. Public Health Significance of Diarrheal Illnesses
    2. Preventive Strategies
    3. Case Management
  19. 20. Vaccine–Preventable Diseases
    1. Causes and Epidemiology of Diseases Prevented by Vaccines Used in National Immunization Programs
    2. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Existing Vaccination Programs
    3. Cost-Effectiveness of Increasing Immunization Coverage for the Traditional EPI
    4. Conclusions
  20. 22. Tropical Diseases Targeted for Elimination: Chagas Disease, Lymphatic Filariasis, Onchocerciasis, and Leprosy
    1. Disease Characteristics and Transmission
    2. Disease Burden
    3. Interventions and Their Effectiveness
    4. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    5. Research Needs and Priorities
  21. 23. Tropical Diseases Lacking Adequate Control Measures: Dengue, Leishmaniasis, and African Trypanosomiasis
    1. Disease Characteristics and Transmission
    2. Disease Burden
    3. Management and Control Strategies
    4. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    5. Problems and Challenges for Disease Control
  22. 24. Helminth Infections: Soil–Transmitted Helminth Infections and Schistosomiasis
    1. Causes and Characteristics of Helminth Infections
    2. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Interventions
    3. Averted, Avertable, and Nonavertable Burden
  23. 25. Acute Respiratory Infections in Children
    1. Interventions
    2. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    3. Implementation of ARI Control Strategies: Lessons of Experience
  24. 26. Maternal and Perinatal Conditions
    1. Epidemiology of Maternal and Perinatal Conditions
    2. Interventions
    3. Lessons for Implementation
  25. 27. Newborn Survival
    1. Neonatal Deaths
    2. Interventions
  26. 28. Stunting, Wasting, and Micronutrient Deficiency Disorders
    1. Interventions
    2. Intervention Costs and Cost-Effectiveness
  27. 29. Health Service Interventions for Cancer Control in Developing Countries
    1. Burden of Cancer in Developing Countries
    2. Cost-Effectiveness of Cancer Control Interventions
  28. 30. Diabetes: The Pandemic and Potential Solutions
    1. Nature and Distribution of Diabetes
    2. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions and Priorities
    3. Lessons and Experience
  29. 31. Mental Disorders
    1. Cost-Effectiveness Methods and Results
    2. Conclusion: Public Support for a Cost-Effective Intervention Package
  30. 32. Neurological Disorders
    1. Epilepsy
    2. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions in Developing Countries
  31. 33. Cardiovascular Disease
    1. Burden of Disease
    2. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    3. Conclusions: Pitfalls and Promises
  32. 34. Inherited Disorders of Hemoglobin
    1. Introduction
    2. Burden of Disease
    3. Costs and Effectiveness of Diagnosis and Management
  33. 36. Diseases of the Kidney and the Urinary System
    1. Global Perspectives in Relation to RRT
    2. Economic Benefits of Intervention
    3. Implementation of Control Strategies: Lessons of Experience
    4. Research and Development Agenda
    5. Conclusions: Promises and Pitfalls
  34. 37. Skin Diseases
    1. Patterns of Skin Diseases at the Community Level
    2. Skin Diseases
    3. Economic Assessments and Skin Diseases in Developing Countries
  35. 38. Oral and Craniofacial Diseases and Disorders
    1. Dental Caries
  36. 39. Unintentional Injuries
    1. Burden and Causes of Unintentional Injuries
    2. Interventions
    3. Costs, Cost-Effectiveness, and Economic Benefits of Intervention
    4. Implementation of Prevention and Control Strategies
  37. 40. Interpersonal Violence
    1. The Nature, Burden, and Causes of Interpersonal Violence
    2. Economic Impact of Violence
    3. Implementation of Prevention Strategies
  38. 41. Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Promotion
    1. Water Supply
    2. Excreta Disposal
  39. 42. Indoor Air Pollution
    1. Nature, Causes, and Burden of Condition
    2. Intervention Costs and Effectiveness
    3. Implementation of Control Strategies: Lessons from Experience
    4. The Research and Development Agenda
  40. 43. Air and Water Pollution: Burden and Strategies for Control
    1. Nature, Causes, and Burden of Air and Water Pollution
    2. Economic Benefits of Interventions
    3. Implementation of Control Strategies: Lessons of Experience
  41. 44. Prevention of Chronic Disease by Means of Diet and Lifestyle Changes
    1. Chronic Disease Prevention
  42. 45. The Growing Burden of Risk from High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Bodyweight
    1. Burden of the Disease, Condition, or Risk Factor
    2. Interventions
    3. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
  43. 47. Alcohol
    1. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    2. Implementation of Control Strategies: Lessons of Experience
  44. 48. Illicit Opiate Abuse
    1. Nature, Causes, and Health Consequences of Illicit Opioid Use
    2. Annex 48.A: Prevalence of Use, Adverse Health Effects of and Interventions for Cannabis, Cocaine, Amphetamines, and MDMA Use and Dependence
  45. 49. Learning and Developmental Disabilities
    1. Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
  46. 50. Loss of Vision and Hearing
    1. Nature, Causes, and Epidemiology of Vision Loss
  47. 51. Cost–Effectiveness of Interventions for Musculoskeletal Conditions
    1. Research and Development
  48. 52. Pain Control for People with Cancer and AIDS
    1. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness
  49. 53. Public Health Surveillance: A Tool for Targeting and Monitoring Intervention
    1. Surveillance as a Tool to Improve Public Health
    2. Selected Surveillance Strategies
    3. Surveillance for Specific Conditions
  50. 54. Information to Improve Decision Making for Health
    1. Systems and Supply of Health Information
    2. Benefits, Costs, and Cost-Effectiveness of Improved Information
  51. 56. Community Health and Nutrition Programs
    1. What Is Known about Efficacy and Effectiveness
    2. Community-Based Programs—What Are They?
    3. Programmatic Factors
    4. Contextual Factors
    5. Results
    6. Future Applications
  52. 57. Contraception
    1. Nature, Causes, and Burden of the Conditions That Can Be Addressed
    2. Interventions
    3. Organization of Family-Planning Programs
    4. Intervention Cost and Cost-Effectiveness
    5. Economic Benefits of Intervention
  53. 58. School–Based Health and Nutrition Programs
    1. Malnutrition, Noninfectious Disease, and Health and Education
    2. Economic Benefits of Intervention
  54. 59. Adolescent Health Programs
    1. Nature and Causes of the Burden of Disease in Young People
    2. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    3. Economic Analysis
    4. Program Implementation and Lessons of Experience
  55. 60. Occupational Health
    1. Global Burden of Disease from Occupational Health Risks
    2. Interventions
    3. Economic Aspects of Intervention
    4. Implementation
    5. Research Agenda
  56. 61. Natural Disaster Mitigation and Relief
    1. Disasters as a Public Health Condition
    2. Interventions: From Response to Prevention
    3. Intervention Cost, Cost-Effectiveness, and Economic Benefits
    4. Implementation of Control Strategies: Lessons of Experience and Challenges Faced
    5. Conclusions
    6. Acknowledgments
  57. 62. Control and Eradication
  58. 63. Integrated Management of the Sick Child
    1. Interventions
    2. Intervention Cost and Cost-Effectiveness
    3. Implementation of Programs: Lessons of Experience
  59. 64. General Primary Care
    1. Scaling Up
  60. 65. The District Hospital
    1. Economics of District Hospitals: A Summary of Reported Experience
    2. Effecting Change with Cross-Cutting Interventions
  61. 66. Referral Hospitals
    1. Functions and Benefits
    2. Determinants of an Appropriate Balance of Referral-Level Care
    3. Current Balance of Care in Practice
    4. Getting Better Value for Money from the Hospital System
  62. 67. Surgery
    1. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions
    2. Research and Development Agenda
  63. 68. Emergency Medical Services
    1. Interventions for Emergency Care: Systems, Structures, and Organization
    2. Conclusions: Promises and Pitfalls
  64. 69. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
    1. Economics of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Traditional Medicine
  65. 70. Improving the Quality of Care in Developing Countries
    1. Quality of Care in Developing Countries
    2. Policy Interventions to Improve Quality
  66. 71. Health Workers: Building and Motivating the Workforce
    1. Health Worker Incentives
  67. 72. Ensuring Supplies of Appropriate Drugs and Vaccines
    1. Procurement of Vaccines
  68. 73. Strategic Management of Clinical Services
    1. The Specifics: What Works?
Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors
  1. 1. Measuring the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors, 1990—2001
    1. Major Findings of the 2001 GBD Study
  2. 2. Demographic and Epidemiological Characteristics of Major Regions, 1990—2001
    1. Changes in Mortality, 1990–2001
    2. Trends in Causes of Child Death, 1990–2001
  3. 3. The Burden of Disease and Mortality by Condition: Data, Methods, and Results for 2001
    1. Estimating Deaths by Cause: Methods and Data
    2. Global and Regional Mortality in 2001
    3. Estimating Incidence, Prevalence, and YLD: Methods and Data
    4. Global Burden of Disease in 2001
    5. Discussion and Conclusions
  4. 5. Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analyses for Burden of Disease and Risk Factor Estimates
    1. Uncertainty Estimates for All-Cause Mortality and Life Expectancies
Priorities in Health
  1. 1. Accomplishments, Challenges, and Priorities
    1. Historical Achievements in World Health
    2. Accounting for Health Gains
  2. 2. Success in Addressing Priorities
    1. Successes That Strengthened Weak Health Systems
    2. Cost-Effective Interventions That Furthered Existing Health Systems
    3. Cost-Effective Interventions Beyond Health Systems
  3. 3. Cost–Effectiveness Analysis
    1. What Is Cost-Effectiveness Analysis?
    2. How Can Policy Makers Use Cost-Effectiveness Analysis?
  4. 4. Cost–Effective Strategies for the Excess Burden of Disease in Developing Countries
    1. Infectious and Communicable Diseases
    2. Maternal and Neonatal Health
  5. 5. Cost–Effective Strategies for Noncommunicable Diseases, Risk Factors, and Behaviors
    1. Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Bodyweight
    2. Cancer
    3. Congenital and Developmental Disorders
    4. Unintentional Injuries
    5. Alcohol Abuse
  6. 6. Providing Interventions
    1. Levels of Care
    2. Cross-Level Services and Inputs
  7. 7. Pillars of the Health System
    1. Management of Health Services
    2. Human Resources
    3. Financing

Chapter Presentations

Chapter 01. Investing in Health
  1. Changes in Life Expectancy, 1960-2002, By World Bank Region
  2. Rate of Change in Life Expectancy, 1960-2002, By World Bank Region
Chapter 04. Priorities for Global Research and Development of Interventions
  1. Disease Burden Distribution, by Select World Bank Region, 2001
  2. Leading Causes of Disease Burden, by Select World Bank Region, 2001
Chapter 20. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
  1. Cost per Deaths and Disability Adjusted Life Years Averted by Vaccination, 2001
  2. Deaths Averted by Vaccination for Hib and Hepatitis B, 2001
  3. Deaths Averted by Vaccination for Measles and Yellow Fever, 2001
  4. Annual Cost per Fully Immunized Child for the Traditional Childhood Vaccines, By Region, 2001
  5. Deaths Averted by Vaccination for Diphtheria and Whooping Cough, 2001
  6. Deaths Averted by Vaccination for Tetanus and Polio, 2001
Chapter 10. Gender Differentials in Health
  1. Gender Ratio of Conditions that Affect Women Disproportionately, 2001
  2. Percentage of DALYs Resulting from Selected Conditions Specific to Women, 2001
  3. Burden of Disease, By Gender and Region, 2001
  4. Gender Ratio of Conditions that Affect Women Disproportionately, 2001
Chapter 28. Stunting, Wasting, and Micronutrient Deficiency Disorders
  1. Vitamin A Deficiency Among Children Under Age Five, By Region
  2. Zinc Deficiency Among Children Under Age Five, By Region
  3. Iron Deficiency Anemia Among Children Under Age Five, By Region
  4. Percent of Underweight Children Under Age Five, By Region
  5. Childhood Deaths and DALYs Attributable to Being Underweight, By Region
  6. Iodine Deficiency Among Children Under Age Five, By Region
Chapter 26. Maternal and Perinatal Conditions
  1. Estimates of Maternal Mortality, By Region, 2000
Chapter 31. Mental Disorders
  1. DALYs Averted by a Mental Health Care Package, By Region
  2. Disease Burden of Selected Major Psychiatric Disorders, By Region, 2001
  3. Costs of a Mental Health Care Package, By Region
  4. Cost-effectiveness of a Mental Health Care Package, By Region
Chapter 33. Cardiovascular Disease
  1. Cost-effectiveness of Medical Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease, By Region
  2. Cardiovascular Events and Deaths Preventable By Medical Therapy
  3. Cost-effectiveness of Medical Therapy for Heart Attacks, By Region
Chapter 59. Adolescent Health Programs
  1. Young People Ages 20-24 Who Were Married Before Age 20, By Gender
  2. Young Sexually Active Women Using Contraception, By Age Group
  3. Young Sexually Active Women Using Contraception, By Age Group
Chapter 47. Alcohol
  1. Prevalence of High-Risk Drinking, By Gender, Age, and Region, 2000
  2. DALYs Lost Due to High-Risk Drinking, By Disease Category and Region, 2001
  3. Estimated Impact of Interventions to Reduce High-Risk Drinking in Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa
  4. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Interventions to Reduce High-Risk Drinking in Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa
Chapter 45. The Growing Burden of Risk from High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Bodyweight
  1. Cost-effectiveness of Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease in Latin America and the Caribbean*
  2. Estimates of Cost-effectiveness of a Polypill for Cardiovascular Disease, By Region
Chapter 68. Emergency Medical Services
  1. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Combined Use of Trained Lay First Responders and Paramedics
  2. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Staffed Community Ambulances in Urban Areas
  3. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Staffed Community Ambulances in Rural Areas
Chapter 44. Prevention of Chronic Disease by Means of Diet and Lifestyle Changes
  1. Incremental Cost-effectiveness of Reducing Salt Content by Legislation and Public Education
  2. Incremental Cost-effectiveness of Reducing Saturated Fat Content
  3. Incremental Cost-effectiveness of Reducing Trans Fat
Chapter 30. Diabetes: The Pandemic and Potential Solutions
  1. Estimated Direct Medical Costs of Diabetes, By Region, 2003
  2. Estimated Diabetes Deaths and DALYs Lost Among People Ages 20 to 79, By Region, 2001
  3. Estimated Number of People Ages 20 to 79 with Diabetes, By Region, 2003 and 2025
Chapter 39. Unintentional Injuries
  1. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Interventions Enforcing Traffic Regulations
  2. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Installing Speed Bumps at Lethal Intersections
Chapter 46. Tobacco Addiction
  1. Estimated Cost-effectiveness of Selected Tobacco Interventions, By Region
  2. Global Tobacco Deaths and DALYs Lost, By Gender and Region, 2000
  3. Estimated Prevalence of Smoking Among People Ages 15 and Older, By Gender, 2000
  4. Regional Distribution of Smokers Ages 15 and Older, 2000
Chapter 67. Surgery
  1. Estimated Annual Costs Attributable to Surgical Patients in a Community Clinic and District Hospital
Chapter 60. Occupational Health
  1. Impact of an Occupational Safety and Health Toolkit Used in Central America, 2002 and 2003
Chapter 57. Contraception
  1. Average Cost of Family Planning Services per Infant and Maternal Death Averted
  2. Total Potential Demand for Family Planning in Selected Countries
  3. Average Cost of Family Planning Services per Birth Averted and per DALY Averted
  4. Maternal Burden of Disease Associated with Unwanted Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion
Chapter 29. Health Service Interventions for Cancer Control in Developing Countries
  1. Economic Outcomes of Once-in-a-Lifetime Cervical Cancer Screening Programs in Brazil

Resources

Related Analysis
  1. Alcohol, Addiction, and Public Health (PDF | 593.7k)
  2. An International Review of the Economic Costs of Mental Illness (PDF | 136.3k)
  3. At Least One-Third of Poor Countries - Disease Burden Is Due To Malnutrition (PDF | 4.3MB)
  4. Comparing Quality in Disparate Settings Using Vignettes to Control for Case-Mix Variation (PDF | 428.1k)
  5. Controlling Chagas disease in the southern cone of South America
  6. Cost-Effectiveness of a Pediatric Dengue Vaccine (PDF | 252.3k)
  7. Deaths and Disease Burden by Cause: Global Burden of Disease Estimates for 2001 by World Bank Country Groups (PDF | 1.7MB)
  8. Eliminating polio in Latin America and the Caribbean
  9. Feasibility of Scaling-up Interventions: The Role of Intervention Design (PDF | 744.1k)
  10. Health's Contribution to Economic Growth in an Environment of Partially Endogenous Technical Progress (PDF | 370.0k)
  11. Health-seeking behaviour and the health system response (PDF | 524.2k)
  12. Improving the health of the poor in Mexico
  13. Modeling the Cost Effectiveness of Injury Interventions in Lower and Middle Income Countries: Opportunities and Challenges (PDF | 501.7k)
  14. Organisational Relationships and the "Software" of Health Sector Reform (PDF | 394.4k)
  15. Preventing dental caries in Jamaica.
  16. Preventing Hib disease in Chile and The Gambia.
  17. Progress in the Development of a Recombinant Vaccine for Human Hookworm Disease: The Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative (PDF | 403.6k)
  18. Public Management and the Essential Public Health Functions (PDF | 312.3k)
  19. Science and Technology for Disease Control: Past, Present, and Future (PDF | 280.5k)
  20. Soil Transmitted Helminth Infections: The Nature, Causes and Burden of the Condition (PDF | 3.6MB)
  21. Soil-Transmitted Helminthic Infections: Updating the Global Picture (PDF | 678.6k)
  22. Suicide and Suicide Prevention in Developing Countries (PDF | 241.6k)
  23. The Cost-Effectiveness of Primary Care Services in Developing Countries: A Review of the International Literature (PDF | 382.2k)
  24. The economic burden of illness for households: A review of cost of illness and coping strategy studies focusing on malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS (PDF | 771.9k)
  25. The Global Burden of Disease Due to Schistosomiasis (PDF | 346.6k)
  26. Undernutrition as an underlying cause of malaria morbidity and mortality (PDF | 340.7k)
  27. Unit Costs of Health Care Inputs in Low and Middle Income Regions (PDF | 1.2MB)
  28. Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Promotion (PDF | 506.3k)
  29. Why Has Infant Mortality Decreased at Such Different Rates in Different Countries? (PDF | 413.5k)