Americas Health Foundation

Americas Health Foundation AHF is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization specializing in health policy change in Latin America and abroad.

When vaccines work, nothing happens: there are no outbreaks or headlines.However, behind that “nothing” is an enormous a...
06/24/2026

When vaccines work, nothing happens: there are no outbreaks or headlines.

However, behind that “nothing” is an enormous amount of science, strategy, and coordination.

As we mark the second year of Vaccines Beat, Americas Health Foundation is proud to share the latest issue of our global platform.

Translating cutting‑edge science into practical insights for the front lines of immunization, our June 2026 issue highlights:

1. Drones as health infrastructure: using drone networks to deliver vaccines and essential products to hard‑to‑reach
communities and close the “last mile” gap

2. One Health in action: animal vaccination as a lever for food security, antimicrobial resistance reduction, and climate resilience

3. Doing more with every dose: fractional dosing as a science‑based strategy to safely expand coverage in outbreaks and supply‑constrained settings

Read the full issue here: https://lnkd.in/ghhk-uvG

Dengue control in the Americas is no longer just about responding to outbreaks: it is about systematically reducing tran...
06/16/2026

Dengue control in the Americas is no longer just about responding to outbreaks: it is about systematically reducing transmission and severe disease through prevention.

In 2024 alone, the Americas recorded 12.7 million dengue cases and 7,713 deaths, with Brazil reporting a record 6 million probable cases. All four dengue serotypes now co-circulate across the region, increasing the risk of severe disease, and official surveillance data likely underestimate the true burden by a factor of 10–25 in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

As we reflect on , we highlight AHF’s contribution to this prevention-focused agenda. Our article, “Bridging the Gaps in Dengue Control in Latin America: Multisectoral Strategies from an Expert Panel,” published in Vaccines (MDPI, 2026), synthesizes findings from the AHF Latin America Dengue Task Force, a multidisciplinary panel convened in Bogotá in March 2025.

The paper characterizes key constraints to effective dengue control, including fragmented surveillance, widespread insecticide resistance, under-resourced health systems, and inequitable access to timely diagnosis and care, and proposes a phased, regionally relevant roadmap.

Priority actions include strengthening integrated surveillance, deploying next-generation vector control tools (such as Wolbachia-based strategies), implementing evidence-based vaccination programs, and improving cross-sector coordination with an explicit equity focus.

The evidence base is adequate to justify immediate policy action; outstanding gaps lie primarily in implementation, governance, and sustainable financing.

Read the full publication: https://lnkd.in/duBs684v

We wanted to share a resource that may be helpful for anyone in the CF community.Americas Health Foundation (), in partn...
06/11/2026

We wanted to share a resource that may be helpful for anyone in the CF community.

Americas Health Foundation (), in partnership with 17 CF organizations, has just launched a free online education platform for people living with cystic fibrosis and their families across Latin America.

The platform includes 3 modules:
* Module 1: Emotional well-being and support systems
* Module 2: Family dynamics — how CF affects the whole family
* Module 3: Practical tools to help patients navigate their care

Everything is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, completely free, with no registration required.

Access the platform here: https://fq.americashealthfoundation.org

—

ES

Queríamos compartir un recurso que puede ser útil para cualquier persona de la comunidad de FQ.

Americas Health Foundation (), en alianza con 17 organizaciones de fibrosis quística, ha lanzado recientemente una plataforma educativa en línea y gratuita para personas que viven con fibrosis quística y sus familias en toda América Latina.

La plataforma incluye 3 módulos:

Módulo 1: Bienestar emocional y redes de apoyo

Módulo 2: Dinámica familiar: cómo la FQ afecta a toda la familia

Módulo 3: Herramientas prácticas para ayudar a los pacientes a navegar su atención

Todo está disponible en inglés, español y portugués, de forma completamente gratuita y sin necesidad de registro.

Acceda a la plataforma aquí: https://fq.americashealthfoundation.org

Queríamos compartilhar um recurso que pode ser útil para qualquer pessoa da comunidade de FC.

__

PT

A Americas Health Foundation (), em parceria com 17 organizações de fibrose cística, lançou uma plataforma de educação on-line e gratuita para pessoas que vivem com fibrose cística e suas famílias em toda a América Latina.

A plataforma inclui 3 módulos:

Módulo 1: Bem-estar emocional e redes de apoio

Módulo 2: Dinâmica familiar — como a FC afeta toda a família

Módulo 3: Ferramentas práticas para ajudar pacientes a navegar o seu cuidado

Todo o conteúdo está disponível em inglês, espanhol e português, de forma totalmente gratuita e sem necessidade de cadastro.

Acesse a plataforma aqui: https://fq.americashealthfoundation.org

Latin America is living a paradox. In oncology, cell therapies are rewriting survival curves for blood cancers once cons...
06/09/2026

Latin America is living a paradox.

In oncology, cell therapies are rewriting survival curves for blood cancers once considered untreatable. In infectious disease, a dengue epidemic that set a global record in 2024 has prompted expert panels, emergency declarations, and renewed debate over how prevention tools actually reach the people who need them most.

In both cases, the science has outpaced the system. What remains is a policy problem: how does a region with fragmented payers, constrained public budgets, and uneven regulatory capacity close the gap between what medicine can do and what patients actually receive?

That question is the connective thread in this issue. Americas Health Foundation has published peer-reviewed work in both areas in the past several months, and the findings are more urgent than the headlines suggest.



linkedin.com/pulse/when-treatments-exist-patients-cant-reach-them-8qiae/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3Bjp14lDTcQairvBqAkK0tuw%3D%3D

Dengue is placing an unprecedented burden on health systems across Latin America. In 2024, the Region of the Americas re...
06/02/2026

Dengue is placing an unprecedented burden on health systems across Latin America. In 2024, the Region of the Americas reported nearly 13 million dengue cases and more than 8,000 deaths, representing most of the global reported burden.

Behind these numbers lies a much larger crisis: in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, modeling studies suggest that true dengue incidence may be up to 10–25 times higher than what surveillance systems capture.

To respond, Americas Health Foundation convened the Latin America Dengue Task Force in Bogotá, bringing together 16 experts in epidemiology, clinical care, vaccination, vector control, and health policy from across the region.

We are proud that their recommendations are now published in Vaccines (MDPI, 2026) as a peer‑reviewed, evidence‑based roadmap to strengthen surveillance, address insecticide resistance, reinforce health systems, optimize vaccination strategies, and improve governance for sustained dengue prevention.

Read the article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/14/6/488

Thank you authors:
Marisa Aizenberg | University of Buenos Aires
Zulma M. Cucunubá | Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Wilfrido Coronell Rodriguez | Universidad de Cartagena
Judit Marisa Díaz Bazán | Women in Global Health
Fernando Ariel García Terrón | AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Gamaliel Gutierrez | Pan American Health Organization
| Alexander von Humboldt Tropical Medicine Institute
Martin Casapia | National University of the Peruvian Amazon
| Centro Nacional de Prevención y Control de Enfermedades
Jose Alejandro Mojica Madera | Ministry of Health and Social Protection
Tomás Agustín Orduna | Francisco Javier Muñiz Infectious Diseases Hospital
Victoria Pando-Robles | Center for Research on Infectious Diseases
Mariana Rico Restrepo | Americas Health Foundation
Jaime R. Torres | Universidad Central de Venezuela
| Ministry of Health and Social Protection
Ivan Dario VELEZ BERNAL | University of Antioquia

Thank you, Takeda, for the sponsorship that supported this effort.

AHF-led CAR T access debate for Brazil is now in the national press.This week, g1 featured the Americas Health Foundatio...
05/20/2026

AHF-led CAR T access debate for Brazil is now in the national press.

This week, g1 featured the Americas Health Foundation paper "The evolving landscape of CAR T-cell therapy access in Brazil," published in Frontiers Hematology and convened by AHF with co-authors from Oncoclínicas&Co, Unifesp - Universidade Federal de São Paulo, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, Unimed Nacional, Consultoria Oliveira Scaff, and Casa Hunter - Associação Brasileira de Doenças Raras.

The article, written by Talyta Vespa, captures key aspects documented by our expert panel:

- Brazil has approved multiple CAR T-cell therapies in recent years and has developed one of the most advanced access pathways in Latin America.

- In some hematologic cancers, overall response rates approach 80%, with complete remissions in a substantial proportion of treated patients, but treatment can cost several million reais per case.

- Specialized CAR T capacity remains concentrated in a small number of centers, and in many situations cells still need to be shipped abroad for manufacturing before infusion.

As AHF co-author and Chairman of the Board Stephen Stefani told g1, a large share of patients currently obtain access through judicial litigation, underscoring that the system functions case by case rather than through structured, population-wide coverage. Our article details how these dynamics exacerbate inequities between Brazil’s public Unified Health System (SUS) and the supplementary private sector.

There is a lot of work ahead to move from exceptional, litigated access to predictable, equitable coverage of CAR T in Brazil.

We invite policymakers, payers, clinicians, patient advocates, and industry partners to engage with these findings and help shape sustainable solutions for the Brazilian context.

Link to article in Frontiers: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/hematology/articles/10.3389/frhem.2026.1813861/full

Link to g1 feature: https://g1.globo.com/saude/noticia/2026/05/16/brasil-avanca-em-terapia-revolucionaria-contra-cancer-que-custa-ate-r-4-milhoes-por-dose-mas-pacientes-ainda-morrem-esperando-acesso.ghtml

Americas Health Foundation (AHF) is proud to present the 23rd issue of Vaccines Beat, an AHF initiative of the advancin...
05/19/2026

Americas Health Foundation (AHF) is proud to present the 23rd issue of Vaccines Beat, an AHF initiative of the advancing evidence-based dialogue on immunization and global health.

In this edition’s “Coffee with the Expert,” Dr. Montserrat Arroyo Kuribreña, Deputy Director General at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), shares insights on zoonoses, One Health, and strengthening global preparedness through international standards.

This issue also underscores the urgency of moving from coverage to timeliness, closing persistent gaps in adult and maternal immunization, and advancing equitable access to next-generation tools, from RSV prevention and influenza innovation to HPV elimination and regional vaccine manufacturing.

Through Vaccines Beat, AHF connects experts, policymakers, and partners to support informed decisions and expand vaccine access.

Explore the full issue here: https://lnkd.in/eieUZZtV

To sponsor or partner: [email protected]

Implementation of CAR T-cell therapy in Brazil depends on stakeholders who rarely work in a coordinated way: hematologis...
05/12/2026

Implementation of CAR T-cell therapy in Brazil depends on stakeholders who rarely work in a coordinated way: hematologist‑oncologists, regulatory and public health experts, patient advocacy leaders, and healthcare technology specialists.

In July 2025, the Americas Health Foundation convened six Brazilian leaders across those domains for consensus conference. The output, published in Frontiers in Hematology (2026), is a multi‑sector framework for moving from regulatory approval to equitable access.

Our paper, "Bridging innovation and equity: the evolving landscape of CAR T-cell therapy access in Brazil," documents the evolving legal foundation for CAR T products, the current commercial landscape, coverage patterns across SUS, private insurance, and judicial pathways, manufacturing, workforce, and infrastructure constraints, and outcome‑based contracting and innovative reimbursement models.

Brazil’s experience offers a framework that can be replicated in other resource‑limited settings facing similar challenges in integrating advanced therapies into mixed public–private health systems.

Read the full article: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/hematology/articles/10.3389/frhem.2026.1813861/full

Authors: Renato Cunha, M.D-Ph.D (Oncoclínicas & UNIFESP), Andreia Bessa (Casa Hunter), Martha Oliveira, Rogério Scarabel (Consultoria Oliveira Scaff), Jayr Schmidt Filho (AC Camargo Cancer Center), Stephen Stefani (AHF Board, Unimed Central RS), Angela Jansen, PhD, MHS (AHF) and Gayatri Sanku (AHF)

We are proud to be a partner at the World Vaccine Congress Europe 2026, alongside BactiVac, Vaccine Insights, and BioPha...
05/05/2026

We are proud to be a partner at the World Vaccine Congress Europe 2026, alongside BactiVac, Vaccine Insights, and BioPharma Asia Magazine.

At the Americas Health Foundation (AHF), our work sits at the intersection of evidence, policy, and access. As we engage with global partners in Europe, we bring a distinct perspective from Latin America, characterized by regulatory complexity, access inequities, and the urgent need for sustainable immunization strategies across the life course.

For our partners in the pharmaceutical and vaccine space, this is an opportunity to better understand the policy, access, and system-level dynamics and opportunities for uptake where gaps remain.

Looking forward to meaningful discussions and new collaborations in Barcelona.

Join us at : https://lnkd.in/dzq8kAXf

Americas Health Foundation is pleased to join the FIFARMA Annual Summit 2026 in Brasília, focusing on advancing health i...
05/05/2026

Americas Health Foundation is pleased to join the FIFARMA Annual Summit 2026 in Brasília, focusing on advancing health innovation and expanding patient access across Latin America. Representing AHF on the ground are Dick Salvatierra, President, and Marcela Santos Navas, Project Director.

Together with partners across the region, we are committed to transforming dialogue into action. Contact AHF to see how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/gNA63u4T

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