Impact of the 'Health on Wheels' (HoW) strategy on COVID-19 vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach communities in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, 2022.

BACKGROUND: In April 2022, after a year of COVID-19 vaccination, there were large differences in coverage between urban and rural areas in Guatemala. To address barriers in rural communities, the "Health on Wheels" (HoW) strategy was implemented. The strategy deployed mobile brigades with a dedicated team of health workers and a culturally sensitive health promotion plan in selected communities in 15 districts in Alta Verapaz, a health area with low COVID-19 vaccination uptake and a high-level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This study evaluates the impact of the HoW strategy. METHODS: We measured the relative increase in COVID-19 doses administered prior and during the HoW implementation period in the 190 intervened communities and compared to 188 communities without the intervention. Communities were grouped by health district and the impact analyses were stratified by number of COVID-19 vaccine dose (1st, 2nd, and 3rd doses) and history of vaccine hesitancy. RESULTS: The increase in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dose-COVID-19 vaccination coverage between before and during HoW implementation was 2.4, 2.2 and 2.6 times higher in intervened communities (20 %, 21 % and 37 % increase in 1st, 2nd and 3rd dose, respectively) than in non-intervened communities (8 %, 10 % and 14 % increase in 1st, 2nd and 3rd dose respectively). For the 1st dose, increase in dose administration was 2.9 times higher in intervened communities (n = 24) with hesitancy (24 % increase) compared to non-intervened communities (n = 188) without hesitancy (8 % increase). CONCLUSION: The deployment of mobile brigades with a dedicated team of vaccinators and culturally sensitive health promotion through the HoW strategy successfully accelerated the increase in COVID-19 vaccination coverage in rural communities in Guatemala.

Introduction of HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in Central America: The Scale-Up project.

The Scale-Up project introduced vaginal self-sampling and low-cost human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary approach for cervical cancer screening in selected public health centers in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. We evaluate the country-specific accomplishments in screening: target-coverage, triage, and treatment. Between 2015 and 2018, cervical cancer screening was offered to women at least 30 years of age. Triage of HPV-positive women was based on visual inspection with acetic acid or Pap. Aggregated data included total women screened, use of self-sampling, age, time elapsed since last screening, HPV results, triage tests, triage results, and treatment. A total of 231,741 women were screened for HPV, representing 85.8% of the target populations within the project. HPV positivity was lower in Guatemala (12.4%) compared to Honduras and Nicaragua (14.5% and 14.2%, respectively, p < 0.05). A follow-up triage test was completed for 84.2%, 85.8%, and 50.1% of HPV-positive women in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras, respectively. Of those with a positive triage test, 84.7%, 67.1%, and 58.8% were treated in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras, respectively. First-time screening was highest in Nicaragua (55.8%) where self-sampling was also widely used (97.1%). The Scale-Up project demonstrated that large-scale cervical cancer screening and treatment intervention in a high-burden, low-resource setting can be achieved. Self-sampling and ablative treatment were key to the project's achievements. Data monitoring, loss to follow-up, and triage methods of screen- positive women remain critical to full success.

La muerte materna: sucesos y consecuencias para los huerfanos-as, las familias y las comunidades / maternal death: Events and impact-as orphans, families and communities

El presente estudio fue realizado por la Asociación de Mujeres Médicas AGMM, I observatorio en salud reproductiva OSAR de Alta Verapaz, con el apoyo del proyecto USAID-HPI con el propósito de aportar nuevas evidencias que posibiliten una mayor sensibilización y preocupación del Estado para reducir las muertes maternas y su impacto desestabilizador en los huérfanos, las familias y comunidades indígenas, pobres y del área rural de Alta Verapaz.