This presentation was designed by Antonio Lima for the VERDAS consortium workshop held on Thursday 2 March at the University of Valle in Cali, Colombia. The workshop was the Verdas Consortium presentation of its research results, a synthesis of knowledge on urban health interventions for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases.

2. Communicable Diseases Research
Pan American Health Organization
Zaida Yadon
Communicable Diseases Research
Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis Department
Pan American Health Organization
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3. Communicable Diseases Research
• Setting Priorities
• Promote and support research
• Promote and support Capacity
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4. Identify priorities and develop research agenda
for implementation
o Leishmaniasis, Malaria,, Zika
o Research Agenda Leprosy
• Systematic review on the state of the art of Leprosy
• Priority setting: Delphi methods
oQuestionnaire development
oPilot study
oQuestionnaire modification is in process
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5. Promote and support research
SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME
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6. • Small Grants Programme 2014
o A total of 6 projects from 5 disease-endemic Latin
American countries were selected for funding research on
vertically transmitted diseases that are passed from
mothers to their newborns. Two in Argentina and one each
in Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia and Mexico.
o One workshop for protocol development /improvement
Argentina.
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7. Coordinate research and capacity building
initiatives -activities
• Small Grant Programme 2015
o A total of 9 projects from 7 disease-endemic Latin
American countries ( Brazil, 2 Cuba, 2 Colombia, Peru,
Saint Kitss, Haiti-Dominican Republic) were selected for
funding research on communicable diseases
(Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Malaria-Filariasis, leprosy,
Leihmaniasis, tuberculosis, Strongyloides stercoralis,
Schistosoma mansoni)
o One workshop for protocol development /improvement
Dominican Republic.
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8. Promote and support research and
capacity building initiatives -activities
• Small Grant Programme 2016
o Call focus on Zika virus
o 79 proposals were received from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia,
Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Haiti,
Honduras, Jamaica, Peru, Trinidad Tobago
o 17 Proposals approved for funding (Brazil, Colombia,
Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela)
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9. Emergence and spread of Leishmaniasis
between frontiers (ARG, BRA, PAR +BOL +URU)
• 3 year multi -country study with eco-social-bio approach
o 2014 Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay
o In 2015, in response to the emergence of Canine Visceral
Leishmaniasis in Uruguay. Fund were secure to include
Uruguay as part of the research teams .
o 2015 Also we incorporate Bolivia (border with Argentina
and Brazil)
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10. Emergence and spread of Leishmaniasis
between frontiers (ARG, BRA, PAR +BOL +URU)
• Products, outputs and outcomes
• The initiative contributed among others to:
o New knowledge on the determinants (bio socio and
ecological) drivers of the emergence and spread of
Leishmaniasis in 5 countries.
o South-south collaboration on research and capacity
building for these five countries in many domain
o Development of a Network
o New research initiatives such as standardization of PCR for
LC and capacity building
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11. Promote and support Capacity
building
• To develop technical capacity at local, national and regional
levels in Operational Research (OR)
• To strengthen the coordination and collaboration between the
control programmes and the Academia
• Promote OR focus on priorities relevant for local level
• Improve the dissemination of the OR results
• To influence police and practice based in scientific evidence
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12. S RT IT Course
Purpose: To teach the practical skills for
conducting and publishing operational research
Approach: “combines training with implementation”
• Product –oriented [a submitted research paper]
• Modular approach [3 modules over 10-12 months]
• Milestones must be achieved to stay in course
• Targets must be achieved to keep the brand

13. Structured Operational Reseach
Initiative
• SORTIT cohort 2014-15. Panama city (TB)
• SORTIT Cohort 2017. Villavicencio, Colombia (TB)
• SORTIT Cohort 2017. Paramaribo, Suriname (Malaria)
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14. Thanks for your attention
Zaida Yadon
zyadon@gmail.com
yadonzai@paho.com
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