In 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) made significant strides in advancing health across the Americas, addressing both ongoing challenges and emerging health threats. These achievements highlight the collective efforts of governments, healthcare workers, communities, and partners working together to improve health outcomes for all. Below are the top 10 public health highlights from the region, with a focus on disease elimination, vaccination recovery, non-communicable diseases, and regional health system strengthening.
Eliminating disease: The Americas is once again measles-free and celebrates other key achievements
After years of hard work, the Americas Region has regained its measles-free status in 2024, with Brazil recently re-verified as having eliminated the disease. This marks the region’s return to this milestone, first achieved in 2016. In 2023, the Americas reported the lowest number of measles cases in its history, with only 73 cases. Additionally, vaccination coverage for the first dose of the Measles, Rubella, and Mumps (MMR1) vaccine increased for the first time since 2019, reaching 87% coverage.
PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative continues to make progress, with the goal of eliminating over 30 communicable diseases and related conditions by 2030. In 2024, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, and Panama officially launched plans or strategies for the elimination of several diseases under this initiative. The region also celebrated key milestones, including 30 years without wild polio virus and the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and lymphatic filariasis in Brazil.
Vaccination recovery: Significant improvement in immunization coverage across the Americas
In 2024, the Americas experienced a notable recovery in vaccination coverage, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2019. This marks the region’s efforts to reverse the declining trends in immunization that began in 2010 and worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination coverage for DPT3 increased, with first-dose coverage for DTP-containing vaccines reaching 91% and third-dose coverage rising to 86%. The number of children under one year of age who had never received a vaccine dose decreased to 1.1 million. However, challenges remain, as one in ten children still lack full vaccination.
PAHO supported countries in strengthening immunization programs, integrating them into primary health care systems, and offering technical and operational support for vaccination campaigns, ensuring the continued elimination of diseases like measles, rubella, and polio.
Aiming for zero maternal deaths: PAHO launches a new strategy for maternal health
PAHO launched a strategy in 2024 to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality across the Americas, with a focus on primary health care as the foundation for this transformation. The initiative targets 12 priority countries, which account for approximately 90% of maternal deaths in the region, addressing the root causes of maternal mortality, such as inadequate access to quality care and social determinants of health, particularly for the most vulnerable women.
In 2020, there was one maternal death every hour in Latin America and the Caribbean, a troubling setback to levels seen twenty years ago. This trend had already stagnated prior to the pandemic due to multiple barriers to accessing health services, exacerbated by COVID-19, which deepened inequalities and exposed the vulnerabilities of the region's health systems.
PAHO launched the "Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths" call to action, advocating for cross-sector collaboration, gender equality, and the creation of legal frameworks to protect women's rights. The strategy highlights that nine out of ten maternal deaths could be prevented with universal access to quality maternal care and modern contraceptive methods, emphasizing the crucial role of the health sector in reducing maternal mortality.
Expanding care for non-communicable diseases: The HEARTS initiative grows in the Americas
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for approximately 34% of premature deaths in the Americas. In 2024, significant progress was made through the Better Care for NCDs Initiative, which aims to integrate NCD care into primary health care (PHC) services across the region.
As part of this, and within the framework of the HEARTS initiative, PAHO is working with 33 countries to implement this model, which is now available in over 6,500 health centers—a more than double increase from 2023. Eight of these countries have already covered more than 80% of their primary care facilities, marking significant progress in access to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of cardiovascular diseases.
Expanding care for non-communicable diseases: The HEARTS initiative grows in the Americas
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for approximately 34% of premature deaths in the Americas. In 2024, significant progress was made through the Better Care for NCDs Initiative, which aims to integrate NCD care into primary health care (PHC) services across the region.
As part of this, and within the framework of the HEARTS initiative, PAHO is working with 33 countries to implement this model, which is now available in over 6,500 health centers—a more than double increase from 2023. Eight of these countries have already covered more than 80% of their primary care facilities, marking significant progress in access to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of cardiovascular diseases.
Historic dengue epidemic, but the regional response mitigates its severity
The year 2024 saw the largest dengue epidemic in the Americas since 1980, with over 12.7 million reported cases—nearly three times the number seen in 2023. The outbreak was particularly severe in countries like Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, which together accounted for 90% of the cases. Brazil reported the highest number of both cases and deaths.
Despite the high number of infections, the region managed the situation effectively, with a low proportion of severe cases and fatalities. More than 21,000 severe cases were reported, while the mortality rate remained below 1%.
This outcome is attributed to the region’s efforts, including strengthening primary health care and implementing PAHO’s Integrated Management Strategy, which emphasizes vector surveillance and control to reduce dengue transmission, strengthening epidemiological and laboratory surveillance, training health workers to ensure quality care, and social communication and community engagement, which are key to eliminating mosquito breeding sites in households.
The Americas aims to be the first region to eliminate cervical cancer
Cervical cancer continues to claim the lives of around 40,000 women in the Americas each year, but with appropriate strategies, it could be eliminated as a public health issue. PAHO is leading efforts to achieve this goal by promoting widespread HPV vaccination, which prevents the primary cause of cervical cancer, along with screening and treatment. These combined measures provide a clear path to elimination.
The actions are aligned with the World Health Organization's 90-70-90 targets, which aim for 90% HPV vaccination coverage in girls by age 15 years, 70% screening coverage with high-performance tests by the ages of 35 and 45 years, and 90% treatment for precancerous lesions and invasive cancer cases by 2030.
Significant progress has been made as 48 countries and territories in the Americas have already introduced the HPV vaccine. Nonetheless, coverage varies widely, with very few countries achieving over 80% vaccination rates, and others remain below 10%. PAHO is working to address such gaps through its Disease Elimination Initiative, ensuring that all countries have access to safe, affordable HPV vaccines and diagnostic tools through its Revolving Funds.
Strengthening pandemic preparedness: PAHO helped secure $84 million for the Americas
In 2024, PAHO helped Latin American and Caribbean countries mobilize $84 million through the Pandemic Fund, a multilateral financing mechanism, to enhance pandemic preparedness in the Americas, focusing on strengthening disease surveillance, improving laboratory systems, and building a more robust healthcare workforce.
These efforts are part of PAHO’s ongoing support for the region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and its efforts to prepare for future health emergencies. While the region celebrates a shift away from COVID-19 as a global health emergency, PAHO remains committed to advocating for stronger regional resilience, securing sustainable financing, and supporting countries in strengthening their preparedness and response for future pandemics.
Reducing vaccine import dependence: PAHO drives regional vaccine development
PAHO has continued its pivotal role in reducing Latin America's reliance on imported vaccines and health technologies by advancing local vaccine production and technology transfer. One of the key initiatives is a groundbreaking mRNA vaccine development project against human avian influenza (H5N1), launched in collaboration with Sinergium Biotech in Argentina. This project, part of the WHO and Medicines Patent Pool's mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, aims to accelerate the production of mRNA-based vaccines for low- and middle-income countries, enhancing pandemic preparedness across the Americas.
The initiative reflects PAHO’s commitment to fostering regional self-sufficiency in health technology. By sharing expertise, technology, and materials among local manufacturers, the project helps establish a sustainable, region-specific vaccine development ecosystem. With ongoing efforts in Argentina and Brazil—such as the collaboration with BioManguinhos/FIOCRUZ for mRNA vaccine trials—PAHO is working to ensure that the Americas are better equipped to handle future health crises with locally produced solutions.
Driving digital health transformation and expanding information systems across the Americas
PAHO’s collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continued to expand access to digital health services across Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on improving digital infrastructure and ensuring interoperable health information systems. This year, 20 countries participated in initiatives supported by over $900 million in IDB loans, transforming health systems to enhance pandemic preparedness and improve access to primary health care.
PAHO also strengthened its collaboration with the World Bank and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) to advance the implementation of Information Systems for Health (IS4H) and accelerate digital health transformation.
Notably, the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health project works to enable cross-border interoperability while improving access to health records regardless of a physical location. The goals is to improve healthcare access in remote areas, promote digital health services and empower patients to manage their health data more effectively. With the All in One Telehealth Package, available through PAHO's Regional Revolving Funds, specialized healthcare can now be accessible to even the most isolated communities.