GAFFI and PAHO Join Forces to Combat Fungal Disease in Latin America and the Caribbean

The agreement, which formalizes years of successful collaboration between the two agencies to improve patient health, focuses on cooperation to decrease the impact of fungal disease in the Americas by implementing public health interventions, surveillance, and research strategies targeted at the most important fungal pathogens.

Under the MoU, GAFFI and PAHO will:

• Coordinate the participation of expert professionals and activities at country and regional level;
• Provide technical cooperation and expertise for the development of guidelines, and protocols related to detection, surveillance, laboratory testing, and clinical management, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) where appropriate;
• Contribute to research and evidence for the development of biobanks, digital databases, and genomic research;
• Provide training and capacity building of human resources, including clinicians, laboratory technicians, nurses and microbiologists, among others;
• Advance advocacy and awareness to promote the importance of AI in fungal disease research and evidence-based practices;
• Provide linkage with global programs and initiatives to ensure alignment and coordination of efforts in addressing fungal disease health challenges at the global level, including those related to the application of AI in health.

PAHO and GAFFI plan to leverage experience from successful pilot clinical hubs established in Guatemala and Argentina by expanding these hubs across the continent.

The burden of invasive fungal infections has increased in recent years due to the higher prevalence of immunocompromised patients. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly related to the Candida fungus, has also become a frequent cause of health care-associated infections, especially for adults and children in intensive care units.