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National Forum of Leptospirosis of Nicaragua
International meeting of countries that are facing outbreaks of Leptospirosis in the Americas

Managua, Nicaragua
14 -16 August 2012

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease with epidemic potential that has a significant impact on health in several parts of the world. The change of weather patterns such as heavy rains and floods, increase the risk of occurrence of severe epidemics of leptospirosis. About ten million people are affected by natural disasters in the Region of the Americas annually with an average of one hundred events each year, with the majority of them being storms/tropical cyclones and floods; the subregions most affected are the Latin Caribbean and Central America. Several outbreaks of leptospirosis have been documented in the Region, some of them in Nicaragua, which acquired significant experience in the subject.

Within the framework of the alert and response to diseases of epidemic potential and the International Health Regulations, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) together with the Ministry of Health of Nicaragua, Ministry of Agriculture of Nicaragua and the University of Leon of Nicaragua, organized the National Forum and the International Meeting of leptospirosis of Nicaragua with the objective to support countries that are facing outbreaks of this disease to predict, detect, prevent and respond to outbreaks of leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a disease that requires a multidisciplinary approach, both in understanding its driving factors as in the intersectoral actions in prevention and response. Therefore, professionals from the health and agriculture sectors, academia, research institutes and international organizations were invited to these meetings, allowing an exchange of experiences between different levels of practice and knowledge.