Pan American Health Organization Warns of "Devastating Impact" Of Coronavirus on Region

In an Aug. 4 press conference in Washington, Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), warned that coronavirus in Ibero-America and the Caribbean is having “a devastating impact” on healthcare delivery in the region, as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ensure routine vaccinations and adequate supply of medicines for such diseases as HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes and dengue. She reported that the World Health Organization (WHO), of which PAHO is an adjunct, is extremely worried about this situation. There are 11 countries in the region, she said, which have less than a three-month supply of antiretrovirals to treat HIV, for example, and some will run out of medication for TB in the next three months.