Meeting Report of the PAHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Disease Elimination. Meeting Report and Recommendations. 29–30 November 2022

Abstract

In September 2019, the 57th Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Directing Council endorsed the PAHO Disease Elimination Initiative (EI), an innovative policy that promotes an integrated, sustainable approach to accelerate countries’ progress toward the elimination of communicable diseases and related conditions. The EI builds on the successful track record of disease elimination in the Americas and aims to catalyze political will and leverage the needed technical capacity to achieve a future that is free from the burden of 35 communicable diseases and/or related conditions in the Americas by 2030 and contribute to progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. As countries recover from the impact of COVID-19 and adapt to the evolving public health context in the region, PAHO recognized the importance of convening the external Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) on Disease Elimination to take stock of the new public health landscape and recent developments in the EI and seek orientation and recommendations on priority topics to sustain the disease elimination agenda in the Americas. This report provides a summary of the proceedings, conclusions, and recommendations from the second meeting of the PAHO STAG on Disease Elimination, which took place on 29-30 November 2022.