By Wendy Anders

The Ministry of Public Security and the Costa Rican Nutrition and Health Research and Teaching Institute (Inciensa) signed an agreement today to work together on projects in vulnerable areas of the country.

The primary goal of the initiative, said ministry officials today at a press conference, is to focus on communities with high social vulnerability and with risk factors for vector-borne diseases, especially mosquito-borne diseases.

Inciensa will carry out studies to determine the existence and dimensions of existing risk factors so that preventive actions can be undertaken, said Inciensa’s general director, Lissette Navas.

The institute will also provide in-depth training to public safety officials on how to understand the communities they work with from a social science and health perspective, with a focus on handling infectious and contagious diseases, and how to establish preventive programs together with organizations in these neighborhoods and communities.

Inciensa is national public health research, epidemiological surveillance, and teaching institute whose mission is to aid in the country’s health decision-making.

The joint initiative will begin shortly with field work in which teams will collect samples in the targeted communities to identify the presence of infectious and contagious diseases that may be affecting residents in these areas. Residents will be able to have their blood tested for Chagas disease at their community schools, said Inciensa today.

Accompanying the testing will be an educational campaign to inform local residents about environmental risk  factors and measures they can take to prevent and control infectious and contagious insect-borne diseases.

The World Health Organization estimates that between 6 and 7 million people, mostly in Latin America, are infected with Trypansosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease.

The joint work will also also allow for the exchange of experiences, knowledge and technical cooperation in administration, and information technology. For example, Inciensa will be training security ministry officials on how to implemente quality control systems in laboratory settings which will allow the ministry to carry out drug testing on police officers.

Likewise, the security ministry will aid Inciensa in strengthening their internal control systems and train them on evaluating institutional risks.

The agreement will be in effect for five years, and can be renewed for two further five-year periods upon completion of the first phase, said ministry officials.