Country Ambassadors

Colombia, Alvarez-Moreno, J. Fungi, 2018;
Professor Jorge Alberto Cortés, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine Department, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. email: On request
Carlos Arturo Alvarez-Moreno, Director, Clínica Universitaria Colombia, Clínicas Colsanitas, Bogotá, Colombia. email: On request
How you have helped GAFFI so far? We have helped GAFFI to build the burden of fungal diseases in Colombia. We identified academic and official data on several fungal infections that might be opportunistic or even endemic in the country. This data has now been published Colombia 2018.
NOTE: As preparation of the Global Fungal Infection Forum 4 on health systems and fungal diseases held in September 2019, the burdens of serious fungal infections were estimated for all Latin American countries English Spanish
Personal comment on the major needs in Colombia which GAFFI should be addressing: Colombia is a country in transition, from a rural and underdeveloped country in war to a country with access to technology. Therefore endemic fungal infections, new opportunistic infections and traditional fungal problems affect the Colombian community. There are important diagnostic issues, especially a lack of awareness of the fungal infections in the healthcare community. The country needs education. Another problem is access to rapid diagnostic technologies and identification of antifungal resistance, as well as access to the new antifungals and in some cases with limitations to the quality of them.
Links to key fungal/global health institutions in Colombia: Hospital Universitario Nacional; Instituto Nacional de Salud