Healthcare workers exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19) may not have adequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE), safety procedures, and diagnostic protocols. Our objective was to evaluate the reality and perceptions about personal safety among healthcare workers in Latin America. This is a cross-sectional, online survey-based study administered to 936 healthcare professionals in Latin America from 31 March 2020 to 4 April 2020. A 12-item structured questionnaire was developed. A total of 936 healthcare workers completed the online survey. Of them, 899 (95.1%) were physicians, 28 (2.9%) were nurses, and 18 (1.9%) were allied health professionals. Access to protective equipment was as follows: gel hand sanitizer (n = 889; 95%), disposable gloves (n = 853; 91.1%), disposable gowns (n = 630; 67.3%), disposable surgical masks (785; 83.9%), N95 masks (n = 516; 56.1%), and facial protective shields (n = 305; 32.6%). The vast majority (n = 707; 75.5%) had access to personal safety policies and procedures, and 699 (74.7%) participants had access to diagnostic algorithms. On a 1-to-10 Likert scale, the participants expressed limited human resources support (4.92 ± 0.2; mean ± SD), physical integrity protection in the workplace (5.5 ± 0.1; mean ± SD), and support from public health authorities (5.01 ± 0.12; mean ± SD). Healthcare workers in Latin America had limited access to essential PPE and support from healthcare authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posaconazole demonstrated trypanostatic activity during treatment, but it is ineffective long-term in asymptomatic T. cruzi carriers. Benznidazole monotherapy is superior to posaconazole, with high RT-PCR conversion rates sustained at 1 year. Side effects lead to therapy discontinuation in 32%. No advantages were observed with combined therapy versus benznidazole monotherapy. (A Study of the Use of Oral Posaconazole [POS] in the Treatment of Asymptomatic Chronic Chagas Disease [P05267] [STOP CHAGAS]: NCT01377480).

Acquired tuberculosis continues to be a challenge worldwide. Although tuberculosis has been considered a global public health emergency, it remains poorly controlled in many countries. Despite being primarily a pulmonary disease, tuberculosis could involve the heart. This systematic review is part of the "Neglected Tropical Diseases and Other Infectious Diseases Involving the Heart" (the NET‐Heart Project) initiative from the Interamerican Society of Cardiology. This project aims to review the cardiovascular involvement of these heterogeneous diseases, advancing original algorithms to help healthcare providers diagnose and manage cardiovascular complications. In tuberculosis, pericardium involvement is relatively common, especially in AIDS, and tuberculosis is the most common cause of constrictive pericarditis in endemic countries. Myocarditis and aortitis by tuberculosis are rare. Clinical manifestations of cardiovascular involvement by tuberculosis differ from those typically found for bacteria or viruses. Prevailing systemic symptoms and the pericarditis diagnostic index should be taken into account. An echocardiogram is the first step for diagnosing cardiovascular involvement; however, several image modalities can be used, depending on the suspected site of infection. Adenosine deaminase levels, gamma interferon, or polymerase chain reaction testing could be used to confirm tuberculosis infection; each has a high diagnostic performance. Antituberculosis chemotherapy and corticosteroids are treatment mainstays that significantly reduce mortality, constriction, and hospitalizations, especially in patients with HIV. In conclusion, tuberculosis cardiac involvement is frequent and could lead to heart failure, constrictive pericarditis, or death. Early detection of complications should be a cornerstone of overall management.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Neglected tropical diseases are a group of communicable diseases that occur in tropical and subtropical conditions and are closely related to poverty and inadequate sanitation conditions. Among these entities, chikungunya remains one of the most widely spread diseases. Although the main symptoms are related to a febrile syndrome, cardiovascular (CV) involvement has been reported, with short- and long-term implications. As part of the “Neglected Tropical Diseases and other Infectious Diseases involving the Heart” (NET-Heart) Project, the aim of this review is to compile all the information available regarding CV involvement of this disease, to help healthcare providers gain knowledge in this field, and contribute to improving early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement in conducting and reporting this systematic review. The search was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS databases to identify any relevant studies or reviews detailing an association between chikungunya and cardiac involvement published from January 1972 to May 31, 2020. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Despite its mechanism not being fully understood, CV involvement has been described as the most frequent atypical presentation of chikungunya (54.2%). Myocarditis is the most prevalent CV complication. Different rhythm disturbances have been reported in 52% of cases, whereas heart failure was reported in 15% of cases, pericarditis in 5%, and acute myocardial infarction in 2%. Overall estimated CV mortality is 10%, although in patients with other comorbidities, it may increase up to 20%. In the proper clinical setting, the presence of fever, polyarthralgia, and new-onset arrhythmia suggests chikungunya virus-related myocarditis. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Although most cases are rarely fatal, CV involvement in chikungunya infection remains the most frequent atypical presentation of this disease and may have severe manifestations. Timely diagnosis and appropriate management are necessary to improve patient outcomes.

Introduction: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of infections that are prevalent in many of the tropical and subtropical developing countries where poverty is rampant. NTDs have remained largely unnoticed in the global health agenda. There is a substantial gap between the burden of disease for NTDs in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and research devoted to the affected populations. We created a Latin-American initiative with emerging leaders (EL) from the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (IASC) with the objective to perform multiple systematic reviews of NTDs and other infectious diseases affecting the heart: The NET-Heart Project. Objective: To describe the rationale and design considerations of the NET-Heart project. Methods: The NET-Heart Project is a collaborative work of the IASC EL program. The main objective of the NET-Heart project is to systematically evaluate the available evidence of NTDs and other infectious diseases and their cardiovascular involvement. As a secondary objective, this initiative aims to offer recommendations and potential diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms that can aid the management of cardiovascular complications of these infectious diseases. After an expert discussion 17 initial infectious diseases were selected, for each disease we created one working group. The project was structured in different phases: Systematic review, brainstorming workshops, analysis and results, manuscript writing and recommendations and evaluation of clinical implications. Conclusion: The NET-Heart project is an innovative collaborative initiative created to assess burden and impact of NTDs and other infectious diseases in CVD. NTDs can no longer be ignored and must be prioritised on the health and research agenda. This project aims to review in depth the evidence regarding cardiac compromise of these serious conditions and to propose strategies to overcome barriers for efficient diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular complications.