Fact Sheet - El Salvador

CDC-CAR
Information
Technology Solutions
EL SALVADOR
Funding: Approximately $1,2
million
(Including technical
assistance)
Staffing: 0 U.S. assignees
1 locally employed
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collaborating with public health
institutions in Central America since the 1960s. Through these alliances, CDC has been able to address priority public health burdens in El Salvador and throughout the Central American region
from diseases including malaria and influenza. These alliances have grown from a single field station in El Salvador for medical entomology and parasitology into a regional office, located in Guatemala that serves the entire region. CDC’s work in El Salvador addresses HIV/AIDS and maternal
mortality, and includes health systems strengthening and enhanced epidemiology training. CDC’s
current programs with activities in El Salvador include HIV/AIDS, the Field Epidemiology Training
Program (FETP), and the Influenza Preparedness, Detection, and Response program (GDD).
General Mortality rate x 100,000 persons
All figures as of May 2012
Impact in El Salvador
The director of epidemiology
of El Salvador ‘s Ministry of
Health is a graduate of one of
the first cohorts of the Central
America Field Epidemiology
Training Program (CA-FETP).
The FETP in El Salvador has
trained 14 field epidemiologists in the advanced level
program.
An HIV Behavioral Surveillance
Study has been conducted to
determine the prevalence of
HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among most
at risk populations.
Based on the results from the
studies of surveillance (flu burden, seasonality and effectiveness of influenza vaccine) the
Ministry of Health of El Salvador increased the use and coverage of influenza vaccine in
2011.
DRAFT
1. Ischemic Disease
47
6. Diabetes Mellitus
9
2. Cerebrovascular Disease
46
7.
6
3. Liver Disease
37
8. Genitourinary System Diseases
7
4. Other Heart Diseases
19
9. Perinatal Deaths
4
16
10. Gastrointestinal Diseases
3
5.
Head Trauma
Pneumonia
Source: El Salvador MOH. January – November 2011
HIV/AIDS
One model program currently underway is the HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) surveillance and control program among the most at risk populations, known by its Spanish-derived
acronym, VICITS. VICITS is a comprehensive HIV and STI prevention program linked to analysis of
surveillance data in Central America. It is an HIV prevention strategy that combines STI diagnosis
and treatment among the most at-risk populations, promotes condom use, implements behavioral changes, and uses an information system to monitor the impact of the project. The intervention program in El Salvador will include strengthening STI etiologic and syndromic management
by training healthcare personnel, strengthening counseling for risk reduction and promoting condom use. The intervention will also improve laboratory STI and HIV diagnostic capacity by training healthcare personnel and by providing equipment and reagents.
Field Epidemiology Training Program
The FETP in El Salvador is coordinated by the department of epidemiology from the Ministry of
Health (MOH). The director of this department is a graduate of the first cohort of the CA-FETP.
The country fully implemented the pyramidal approach of training, which employs three interdependent levels of training: basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. The basic and intermediate
levels target local and mid-level district public health staff, respectively. For advanced-level training, a regional approach is used, with trainees traveling periodically to Guatemala to complete
their in-class course work.
As of 2011, fourteen public health professionals have completed their advanced level training.
Another 169 professionals have completed the intermediate level, which was accredited by the
Universidad Evangélica de El Salvador. In addition, 230 graduated with basic level training in field
epidemiology.
The program is diversifying the profile of trainees by including military medical staff in
basic-level trainings. In collaboration with the 6th U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit
(NAMRU-6) based in Peru, the Central American and El Salvador FETPs are helping to
strengthen the region’s military capacity for response to public health emergencies and
strengthening the ties between civilian and military public health, which have traditionally been distant from each other.
All figures as of May 2012
El Salvador at a Glance
Population:
6,200,000
Per capita income:
$6,670
Life expectancy at birth women/
men:
77-67 years
Population Reference Bureau, World
Population Data Sheet, 2011
For more Information please contact
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
CDC-Atlanta
1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA
30333
www.cdc.gov/globalhealth
DRAFT
Influenza Preparedness, Detection, and Response
The CDC-CAR Influenza Program supports the implementation process of the International Health Regulations, the implementation of PAHO's Operational Guidelines for National Intensified Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), and provides
reagents and supplies to these laboratories to further support their influenza surveillance
National Laboratory, and other influenza sentinel surveillance units (Santa Ana and San
Miguel Hospitals). The Program also describes the circulation of respiratory viruses and
the influenza seasonality in El Salvador, and estimates the excess of SARI cases during
Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, characterizes the clinical and demographic profile of all deaths
reported, estimates rates of severe pneumonia and SARI associated to influenza, and
determines the influenza attributable risk rate for Pneumonia & Influenza and Respiratory & Circulatory causes related to influenza circulation in El Salvador. We have supported efforts to integrate surveillance of influenza, pneumococcus and other respiratory
viruses and conducted workshops on the effectiveness of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine
(2010-2012). As a result, of these studies the Ministry of Health of El Salvador increased
the use and coverage of influenza vaccine in 2011.
Improving Preparedness and response in Central America (IEPT)
Central American region is struck with countless natural disasters, and civil unrest emergencies. Due to the annual occurrence of disasters, the IEPT of CDC, in collaboration with
CDC-CAR and the Central America Ministers of Health Committee (COMISCA) has developed an emergency preparedness and response assessment. This assessment includes
eight functional areas; 1. Developing a Public Health Emergency Plan 2. Command and
Control 3. Communications Infrastructure 4. Public Information and Risk Communication
5. Logistic and Operational Processes 6. Medical Coordination 7. Train, Exercise and Evaluate 8. Surveillance Systems and it has been conducted in the MOH as part of a regional
Preparedness effort.