Author Archives: andreasilva

World No Tobacco Day 2025 with Windows of Knowledge

On May 31, 2025, World No Tobacco Day will be celebrated, an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) which, this year, has adopted the theme “Unmasking the tobacco industry: exposing companies’ tactics to make tobacco and nicotine products more attractive”. The campaign aims to reveal the strategies used by these industries to make their products more attractive, especially to young people, and to promote public policies that reduce the demand for these products.

Industry strategies and the impact on youth

The tobacco and nicotine industry has adopted various tactics to attract new consumers, such as the use of flavorings, product design and eye-catching packaging, as well as targeted marketing campaigns. These strategies have been particularly effective among young people, contributing to increased consumption of products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco devices.

According to WHO data, an estimated 37 million children aged 13 to 15 use tobacco products worldwide. In many countries, the rate of e-cigarette use among young people exceeds that of adults. These products are highly addictive and designed to keep users in a cycle of dependency.

Objectives of the 2025 campaign

The World No Tobacco Day 2025 campaign seeks to:

Raise awareness of the industry’s tactics to make tobacco and nicotine products more attractive.
Promote changes in public policy, such as a ban on flavorings and additives, restrictions on advertising and regulation of product and packaging design.
Reduce the demand for these products, especially among young people, by decreasing their exposure and consumption.

BIREME’s information resources

BIREME, committed to the dissemination of reliable health information, makes available the Window of Knowledge on Smoking in the Virtual Health Library (VHL). This Window of Knowledge brings together technical documents, scientific evidence and guidance materials related to the topic, serving as a valuable resource for health professionals, managers and the general public.

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/05/30/world-no-tobacco-day-2025-with-windows-of-knowledge/

AI, BIREME, Super Summaries

Super Summaries of the Digital Frontiers collection

Faced with the growing volume of scientific output, quickly and accurately identifying what is most relevant has become one of the main challenges for researchers, health professionals and managers. Aware of this need, BIREME/PAHO/WHO has developed Super Summaries – a solution based on artificial intelligence (AI) that synthesizes scientific articles and other texts into a few words, highlighting their main findings and facilitating the use of evidence in decision-making.

Below there is information on how the technology was implemented, the expected impacts and the main lessons learned in the process of creating the tool.

The Super Summaries are a solution developed by BIREME to disseminate scientific information in a more accessible and faster way. It is generated from the original abstract of scientific texts, but in a much more synthetic way, with around 30 to 60 words, and highlights the main points of the original content. The aim is to facilitate access to health information, especially for researchers, professionals and managers who need to make quick decisions. It doesn’t replace the article but serves to direct the reader’s eye to what is most relevant.

The technological basis of Super Summaries is a large-scale language model, Llama 3B, which has around three billion parameters. It is a reduced and specialized version, i.e. fine-tuned for the context, allowing the system to run on BIREME’s own servers, which is important to keep the cost of the project viable. Prompt engineering was used to ensure that the summaries are objective and respect length and accuracy criteria. In addition, the “temperature” of the model was adjusted, which is a technical parameter that controls the level of creativity, to avoid the so-called “hallucinations” of the model and keep the answers in the proper context.

The Super Summaries are now available for the records in the Mosaico database in the Virtual Health Library (VHL). The data is being processed in batches, so every day more articles receive this functional version and can be checked out in “super summary” form. The system works in an automated way: it receives the article identifier and the original abstract, and from there it generates the Super Summaries and returns it to the database. There is potential here to greatly extend the reach of the tool and make life easier for users who need to find scientific evidence quickly and safely.

Francisco Barbosa Júnior, AI Specialist at BIREME’s Development Management (DEV), who contributed to this text, highlighted some of the challenges faced:

“The first major challenge was to adapt a language model to run on the digital infrastructure available at BIREME. We also needed to guarantee the scientific quality of the abstracts – and this was a critical point. LLMs, by their nature, run the risk of “hallucinating”, i.e., making up information. That’s why we invested heavily in fine-tuning and prompt engineering. Another challenge was to ensure the sustainability of the product. Innovation is great, but it’s essential that the solution remains viable over time. That’s why Super Summary is a constantly evolving project – BIREME keeps looking for ways to make it faster and more efficient.”

Digital Frontiers at BIREME

The creation of Super Summaries reflects BIREME’s commitment to responsible innovation and the incorporation of advanced technologies at the service of scientific health information. As part of the cross-cutting area of Digital Frontiers, this initiative represents a concrete example of how digital transformation can be applied in a practical and sustainable way to expand access and the use of evidence in health decision-making.

João Paulo Souza, Director of BIREME, emphasizes: “Digital transformation is a global, accelerated and profound phenomenon that impacts all aspects of the human experience. Its central axis is a cultural shift that leads us to a world shaped by digital interactions, driven by innovation and the incorporation of advanced technologies. At BIREME, we have worked to keep our products at the forefront of this digital frontier, with the aim of expanding access to and use of scientific and technical health information, promoting the well-being of the population.”

Super Summaries and other digital frontier products (as well as DeCS Finder IA) are now available in the Virtual Health Library.

Further information

DeCS Finder AI optimizes indexing of health scientific texts – BIREME/PAHO/WHO Bulletin

AI advancements on BIREME’s Products and Services – BIREME/PAHO/WHO Bulletin

BIREME presents AI innovations at global meetings – BIREME/PAHO/WHO Bulletin

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/05/30/super-summaries-of-the-digital-frontiers-collection/

BIREME, Evidence Maps, International Congress on Primary Health Care - CIAPS, VHL

Scientific evidence, tools and practices to strengthen PHC

The seventh edition of the International Congress on Primary Health Care (VII CIAPS) was held in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, on May 1-3, 2025, bringing together more than 1,200 participants, including managers, professionals and researchers, around the theme “Innovative tools for qualifying Primary Health Care (PHC) and reducing maternal mortality”. Organized by the Center for Teaching, Research and Extension in Permanent Health Education at the Universidade Federal do Piauí (NUEPES/UFPI), the event has been consolidated as a strategic space for strengthening maternal health protection policies in Primary Care.

The opening keynote address was given by João Paulo Souza, Director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO, with the title “Strengthening PHC: Innovations and the Case of Maternal Health”. The director addressed digital transformation, evidence-based decision-making and the “super determinants of health” as structuring axes for reducing mortality and improving care. With a focus on supporting decision-making in health, his speech highlighted the strategic role of the solutions developed by BIREME to organize and disseminate scientific evidence, expanding access to knowledge in the countries of the Region of the Americas. This role is an essential attribute of the technical cooperation promoted by the Center.

Highlights of the program

BIREME had an outstanding participation in the congress. Verônica Abdala, Manager of Information Products and Services, led a six-hour technical workshop on the methodology for building Evidence Maps. The activity was attended by approximately 30 participants and presented the systematized model for mapping, selecting, evaluating and categorizing scientific evidence applied to public health, with a focus on information needs in the context of PHC.

During the closing session, Verônica Abdala presented the Teresina Declaration for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality, proposed by the event’s coordinators in honor of Professor Lis Marinho, general coordinator of the VII CIAPS. The document proposes the creation of RedeLIS, a collaborative initiative dedicated to tackling maternal mortality in Piauí and other regions. For Verônica, CIAPS represents a strategic space for interaction, exchange of experiences and continuous learning, essential for connecting different public health contexts. “The evidence is global, but health is local, it’s in the people,” she highlighted.

Another highlight was the presentation by Bremen Mucio, former PAHO Regional Advisor on Sexual and Reproductive Health, on the Perinatal Information System, developed by the Latin American Center for Perinatology, Women’s and Reproductive Health (CLAP/SMR/PAHO/WHO). The tool was presented as a successful experience for clinical monitoring and training PHC workers to care for pregnant women and newborns.

Technical cooperation on the agenda

During the mission to Teresina, the BIREME team also took part in a series of bilateral meetings with national and regional institutions, strengthening strategic articulations aimed at technical cooperation in digital health, traditional medicine and integrative practices, home care and indigenous health. The talks signaled opportunities to expand the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and integrate new thematic platforms and collaborative networks into BIREME’s information ecosystem.

According to director João Paulo Souza, BIREME’s presence at CIAPS reaffirms its commitment to democratizing scientific information, strengthening local capacities and supporting evidence-based decision-making, essential pillars for health equity. “I congratulate the CIAPS organization for promoting an inspiring and transformative space. May the dialogues that began in Teresina continue to reverberate in concrete and lasting actions,” he pointed out.

BIREME, SUS Digital

Under development the SUS Digital Platform

On May 7, 2025, BIREME held an internal meeting to launch Brazil’s Unified Health System – SUS Digital Platform project. The meeting marked the official start of the development schedule and aimed to begin implementing the consensus activities during the co-creation process with the Ministry of Health’s Digital Health and Information Secretariat (SEIDIGI), and to share guidelines and align the next steps with the teams involved.

The project is part of Additive Term 1 to Cooperation Term 157 (TA1/TC157) between PAHO Brazil and SEIDIGI/Ministry of Health (MS from its Portuguese acronym), with BIREME participating in the development of the SUS Digital Platform.

SUS Digital Platform: an integrated response to the demands of digital health

Established by Ordinance GM/MS No. 3232 of March 1^st, 2024, the SUS Digital Program aims to expand the population’s access to health services and actions through digital technological solutions. With a focus on innovation and equity, the Program’s mission is to connect citizens to the Unified Health System (SUS) at all stages of care, besides providing essential information for access to comprehensive care.

With all states, municipalities and the Federal District having already joined the initiative, the platform being developed by BIREME will act as a centralizing point for information, products, services and initiatives related to SUS’ digital transformation. Its aim is to facilitate access to information for citizens, health workers and managers, promoting efficiency and integration between the system’s different users and instances.

The platform will bring together all the content produced by the program in a structured repository, facilitating its visibility and strategic use, pointed out Veronica Abdala, manager of Information Products and Services (PSI) at BIREME/PAHO/WHO. Among the planned features are an integrated search service, themed editorial sections, spaces dedicated to different audiences, and the integration of products such as the Brazilian Telehealth Network, Second Formative Opinion (SOF) and Decision Aids. Interactive content is also foreseen, such as experiences reports and testimonies gathered in the Voices of the Digital SUS section.

Project stages and collaborative approach

The proposal was to build the platform collaboratively by the SEIDIGI/MS and BIREME teams, and its development is characterized by four stages:

Phase 1: development of prototypes and information architecture
Phase 2: alpha version of the platform and team training
Phase 3: beta version with usability tests and English version
Phase 4: regular operation and platform sustainability strategies

During the launch meeting, Verônica Abdala (PSI manager) pointed out that the project is the result of an intense co-creation process with SEIDIGI, including the development of a previously approved low-fidelity prototype, which has already been incorporated as the initial development milestone. “The expectation is that the new platform will function as a true digital hub for the SUS Digital Program, promoting a more connected, accessible and documented digital health ecosystem, with a focus on usability, navigability and open access to public health information,” she stated.

The content mapping, target audience and functionalities of the platform were defined during an ideation and co-creation workshop, held with members of SEIDIG/MS and BIREME, in São Paulo, at BIREME premises, on January 16, 2025.

Further information:

SUS digital transformation: BIREME supports developments – BIREME/PAHO/WHO Bulletin

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/05/30/under-development-the-sus-digital-platform/

Traditional Medicine Global Library - TMGL, VHL TCIM, WHO

TMGL and TCIM VHL in the WHO GTMC Annual Report

The Division of Universal Health Coverage and Life Course of the World Health Organization (WHO) coordinated the publication of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) annual report, published on May 23, 2025, and available online in English (click here to access). The document includes its main results clustered into: (1) Leadership and political engagement; (2) Traditional Medicine Global Summit; (3) Research and evidence; (4) Primary health care and universal health coverage; (5) Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity; (6) Digital health applications; (7) WHO and Government of India coordination; and (8) Human resources, budget and financing.

The WHO Regional Offices collaboration is also considered as regional achievements and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), that also serves as WHO Regional Office for the Americas, has shared its technical cooperation activities. The Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME), has shared the developments on WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library (TMGL) highlighting its strategic role in evidence-informed decision-making, research prioritization, and the integration of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) knowledge into health systems worldwide.

TMGL: WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library

The WHO TMGL, currently in its Beta version (v.02), is a collaborative digital initiative developed by BIREME in partnership with the WHO GTMC. Designed to provide global access to knowledge in TCIM, TMGL serves researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the public by indexing, archiving, and facilitating access to a broad range of TCIM-related resources.

Approved by the 78th World Health Assembly on May 26, 2025, the new “WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034” directs the international community to develop an inclusive and comprehensive evidence base to support the introduction of effective and safe TCIM practices into national health systems, as deemed appropriate by each country. “In this process, the TMGL will play a key role as a conduit of knowledge that bridges the gap between traditional knowledge, scientific evidence and the practical implementation of this knowledge in health systems,” said João Paulo Souza, director of BIREME, on the approval of the document by the Member States.

A key initiative under WHO’s traditional medicine strategy, TMGL benefits from direct financial contribution from India and in-kind contributions from multiple partners, including all six WHO regional offices, which have played a role in shaping its global research prioritization framework on traditional medicine. The library curates, organizes, and provides structured access to external scientific and technical literature, ensuring visibility for high-quality TCIM research worldwide.

PAHO’s Regional Efforts in TCIM and BIREME’s Role

As part of its broader efforts to strengthen traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine across the Americas, PAHO has been actively implementing initiatives that complement TMGL and the mission of the Virtual Health Library on Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine of the Americas (TCIM VHL Americas). In 2024, PAHO initiated the development of country profiles on TCIM, as highlighted in the WHO GTMC Technical Report 2024, providing a comprehensive characterization of how these practices are integrated into national health systems.

In parallel, PAHO launched a strategy to assess the quality of health services in facilities incorporating TCIM, ensuring standardization and identifying areas for improvement. PAHO supported the implementation of the essential conditions tool (VCEm) in Bolivia and Paraguay in 2024, assessing how national standards incorporate respect for sociocultural conditions and ensure access to information for Indigenous communities.

As a PAHO specialized center, BIREME plays a key role in supporting these initiatives by ensuring that relevant information is accessible through TCIM VHL and that the knowledge generated through these efforts contributes to TMGL’s global knowledge base.

TCIM VHL Americas: A Key Driver in TMGL Development

In shaping the TMGL, WHO has not only drawn inspiration from the TCIM VHL Americas, but has also leveraged the expertise and methodologies developed through this VHL to build the foundation of its global library’s structure, content curation, and expansion.

Developed by BIREME, the TCIM VHL Americas serves as a regional model for TMGL, demonstrating a structured, evidence-based approach to knowledge management in TCIM. However, its contribution extends beyond serving as a reference model — it has actively shaped TMGL’s development through specialized expertise in content curation, thematic structuring, and database expansion.

Key contributions of TCIM VHL Americas experts to TMGL include mapping vital content for inclusion in the portal, curating information to ensure high-quality, relevant, and structured access to TCIM resources, and developing a TCIM thematic structure to guide data collection across databases and repositories. Additionally, their expertise has contributed to the expansion of TMGL’s databases, including curating content from major global events, and developing inclusion criteria for TMGL content and resources to ensure scientific rigor and reliability in the materials made accessible through the platform.

Reflecting on this strategic collaboration, João Paulo Souza, Director of BIREME, emphasized its institutional importance: “The collaboration with the GTMC for the development of the TMGL represents a milestone for BIREME, as it strengthens our mission to expand access to quality information for health workers, researchers, academics, policymakers, and the public. In addition, it drives innovations in our products and services, with the potential for application across our entire portfolio, and enables us to contribute directly to the establishment of a sister entity of BIREME within WHO, considering that the GTMC is a WHO Specialized Centre in Traditional Medicine, just as BIREME is in health information sciences.”

By leveraging the expertise, methodologies, and curated content developed through TCIM VHL, TMGL is positioned to expand its global reach, ensuring traditional medicine knowledge remains structured, accessible, and impactful for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers across the world.

Strengthened access to knowledge in traditional medicine

The inclusion of the TMGL and the TCIM VHL Americas in the WHO GTMC Annual Report reinforces its strategic importance for traditional medicine in the context of global health. BIREME, in partnership with the WHO and its global collaborators, continues to strengthen the information infrastructure in TCIM, promoting access to scientific evidence and supporting the integration of traditional knowledge into health systems.

The development of the Global Library of Traditional Medicine has advanced significantly in recent months. To follow the previous stages of this project and understand how BIREME and the TCIM VHL Americas have contributed to its construction, access the news already published in the BIREME Bulletin:

The TMGL and the TCIM VHL Americas continue to evolve as global references in access to knowledge in traditional medicine. Follow the updates in the BIREME Bulletin to learn more about the next advances of this initiative.

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/05/30/tmgl-tcim-vhl-in-the-who-gtmc-annual-report/

BIREME, DeCS Finder AI

BIREME presents AI innovations at global meetings

BIREME/PAHO/WHO participated in two strategic meetings held in Rwanda on April 2-4, 2025, the Kigali Meeting with the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Artificial Intelligence (AI) Community, and the Global AI Summit on Africa, organized by C4IR Rwanda in coordination with the World Economic Forum. The events brought together researchers, government representatives and international experts to debate the role of AI in promoting development with equity.

Francisco Barbosa Junior, an AI specialist from BIREME’s Development team, represented the Center at the activities, presenting technological innovation experiences for digital libraries, such as the Super Summaries and the DeCS Finder AI. Developed by BIREME to boost the digital transition of the Virtual Health Library’s (VHL) products and services, the resources stood out for operating with specialized language models and accessible infrastructure.

On April 2, the Kigali Meeting with the Grand Challenges AI Community brought together researchers and experts covered by the Gates Foundation’s Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenges fellowships, for an agenda of knowledge exchange, project demonstrations and networking between representatives of the Global South. Then, on April 3 and 4, the group joined participants in the Africa AI Global Summit, including government leaders, technology experts and representatives of multilateral agencies, in debates on the role of AI in tackling social challenges, with an emphasis on public health and digital equity.

The program included technical sessions, project pitches, discussion circles, panels and comments, with names such as Bill Gates (Chairman of the Gates Foundation), Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI), Faure Gnassingbé (President of the Republic of Togo), Paul Kagame (President of the Republic of Rwanda), Paula Ingabire (Rwandan Minister of Innovation) and Trevor Mundel (President of Global Health at the Gates Foundation), who highlighted the urgency of expanding access to sustainable and locally relevant digital technologies.

In focus: digital equity and data sovereignty

During the events, BIREME’s experience drew attention for the technical efficiency and economic viability of its artificial intelligence solutions, developed to operate in contexts of limited infrastructure. Francisco Junior presented two main products, the Super Summaries and the DeCS Finder AI.

The Super Summaries were designed with the aim of enabling the delivery of results using large language models (LLMs) in environments with limited computing resources. “We use a reduced and specialized version of Meta’s LLaMA model, which runs on our own servers, with local control and low energy consumption, which is essential for public institutions like ours,” explains Junior. The project consists of the automated generation of short summaries, between 34 and 63 words, based on the abstracts of scientific articles. The versions already produced are available for consultation in the MOSAICO database, accessible through the VHL. To develop the tool, the BIREME team applied fine-tuning and prompt engineering techniques, adjusting parameters such as temperature and thematic focus to ensure quality and accuracy. “This process is a first step towards the development of more robust solutions, such as an automated system to display synthesis of evidence,” adds Junior.

DeCS Finder AI was designed to improve the user experience when indexing health scientific texts. The tool is based on Annif, an open-source system developed by the National Library of Finland to automate the indexing of documents by subject, using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). Adapted by BIREME’s team, the model analyzes texts and identifies the most suitable DeCS descriptors to represent scientific articles, abstracts and full texts. In addition to facilitating semi-automatic indexing according to the LILACS methodology, DeCS Finder AI is able to process texts in different languages and export results in compatible formats for submission to databases and journals.

Converging paths for south-south cooperation

The meetings also revealed the challenges faced by the African continent in terms of access to computing infrastructure and linguistic expertise in AI. “Today, only 2% of global AI server capacity is installed on the African continent, which significantly limits the region’s technological autonomy. Added to this is an important cultural barrier, the diversity of local languages and dialects, which are often absent from large language models, makes it difficult to adapt and effectively use these technologies in real contexts,” says the expert.

BIREME’s participation in the events in Kigali highlighted not only the potential of technologies developed from Latin America, but also the importance of inclusive and sustainable approaches to artificial intelligence and the promotion of equity between countries and regions of the world. Sharing experiences with other institutions from the Global South highlighted the need for investment in infrastructure and public policies to guarantee the technological sovereignty of developing countries. Specialized models with local control, such as those adopted by BIREME, have been recognized by experts as a viable and scalable alternative for contexts with limited resources.

Besides the technical presentations, the Summit also marked a step forward in digital governance on the African continent with the launch of the African Declaration on Artificial Intelligence. The document proposes principles for the ethical, responsible and inclusive use of AI, with special attention to linguistic diversity and technological autonomy – themes that also guide BIREME’s work in Latin America and the Caribbean. The convergence of values between the African and Latin American initiatives reaffirms the strategic role of South-South cooperation in building a digital transformation that is fairer, more accessible and centered on the population’s needs.

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/04/30/bireme-presents-ai-innovations-at-global-meetings/

BIREME, Covid-19, Virtual Pandemic Memorial

Technical cooperation for the Virtual Pandemic Memorial

On April 25, 2025, BIREME hosted a meeting with teams from the Ministry of Health, PAHO/WHO Brazil and experts to establish the joint work plan for the project to develop the future “COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial” online portal. The initiative will be implemented under Adjustment Term 13 (TA13) of Term of Cooperation 95 (TC95), in coordination with the Cultural Center of the Ministry of Health (CCMS), the General Coordination of Documentation and Information (CGDI), the Undersecretariat of Administrative Affairs (SAA) of the Ministry’s Executive Secretariat (SE) and BIREME/PAHO/WHO.

As a result, another stage of technical cooperation is effectively underway between the institutions involved in projects aimed at strengthening memory, communication and document preservation policies in the context of public health. The Pandemic Memorial will be both a physical and digital space focusing on testimonies about the remarkable experiences and stories of individuals during the pandemic, including the actions of health workers, and reflect on the challenges faced during this critical period in recent history.

Regarding the relevance of the project, Fabíola Simoni Santos, Head of the Cultural Center of the Ministry of Health (CCMS/CGDI/SAA/SE), emphasized: “The implementation of the COVID-19 Memorial repository is of utmost importance, as it embodies the concepts of memory and reparation for civil society and the governmental, academic, and research sectors. It is about ensuring that this historical moment is remembered and that the testimonies and records captured from this period are always preserved and accessible. In addition to being innovative in its theme, the project also stands out for the digital robustness that is being planned for its implementation.”

The agreed work plan involves management and governance stages, the development of the documentary and bibliographic collections that will make up the repository, the content management system, the development of the online portal itself, and communication and dissemination actions. The work schedule for the development of the COVID-19 Memorial portal foresees activities and deliveries scheduled until August 2026 in its first phase.

During the meeting held at BIREME, the guidelines for the development of the project were also aligned, based on the mapping of Brazilian and Latin American memory initiatives, and including legal and ethical premises, among other essential aspects for the success and sustainability of technical cooperation.

The building of the COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial online portal represents a collective commitment to preserving historical memory, strengthening Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS), valuing science and promoting human rights. For the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the initiative is anchored in the conviction that remembering is an essential step towards learning, repairing and transforming.

The teams from BIREME, CCMS, CGDI of the Ministry of Health, PAHO Brazil and preservation experts were unanimous about the lessons to be learned, perspectives on the results to be achieved and synergies so that the initiative can also be a reference for other countries in the Latin American and the Caribbean region. “The development of the Virtual Health Memorial for COVID-19 represents a breakthrough in the digital frontiers of information products and services, by integrating memory, innovation, and technology for the collective good. This powerful model places cutting-edge technology and digital innovation at the service of public health. From this first implementation, we hope to develop a new line of technical cooperation that enables countries in our region to document the experiences and journeys of their populations toward the realization of the right to health for all in the Americas,” emphasized Director João Paulo Souza.

BIREME, TMGL, Traditional Medicine Global Library

Science, ancestral knowledge and digital transformation in dialogue for public health

How can science, ancestral knowledge and digital transformation be combined for the benefit of public health? This was the proposal put forward by João Paulo Souza, director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO, during the ‘Knowledge for Care’ seminar, held on April 8 and 9 in São Paulo, as part of the SESC Inspira program, which celebrates World Health Day with educational and cultural activities at its units.

Organized by São Paulo’s Social Service of Commerce (SESC) – a Brazilian institution dedicated to promoting health, culture, education and social well-being – the event brought together more than 200 participants, including health professionals, local policymakers, staff from various SESC units and the general public. The seminar was also attended by renowned academics, health professionals and traditional healers, reflecting an intercultural approach to care and knowledge.

In his speech, João Paulo Souza shared the progress in the collaborative construction of the WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library (TMGL), an initiative led by BIREME and the WHO Global Center for Traditional Medicine (WHO GTMC), in conjunction with other institutions and collaborative networks.

Souza emphasized that digital transformation has the potential to be a great ally of traditional knowledge: “Digital transformation can be an ally of ancestry when it is used to preserve, connect and protect the knowledge of peoples. From this perspective, it is possible to develop multisystem databases to identify safe, effective and culturally appropriate practices inspired by traditional wisdom.”

TMGL was presented as a collaborative and decentralized digital infrastructure designed to integrate traditional knowledge, practices and care systems from different regions of the world, in dialogue with a contemporary scientific approach. Conceived from a multisystem perspective, the library seeks to articulate ancestral knowledge with modern science and digital technologies, promoting intercultural respect, health equity and sustainability. According to Souza, this approach opens up the possibility of enriching public health policies and practices by integrating different medical rationalities under the criteria of safety, efficacy and cultural relevance.

Souza explained that TMGL will include a global portal, six regional portals and national and thematic collections, such as Ayurveda, indigenous medicines, African ancestral medicine and Afro-diasporic medicine, among others. Its functionalities include access to scientific databases, evidence maps, digital preservation of traditional knowledge, protection of the collective intellectual property of indigenous peoples and local communities (PICL). All this with the aim of strengthening informed and culturally appropriate decision-making in public policies and health systems.

During his presentation, BIREME’s director also highlighted the challenge of promoting a respectful and productive epistemic dialogue between the different knowledge systems: “The challenge is how to guarantee universal, inclusive and respectful access to these practices, recognizing their community, ancestral and spiritual value, while identifying those that are safe, effective and culturally appropriate to strengthen health systems from a pluralistic perspective,” he said.

The presentation concluded with a call for collaboration, emphasizing that TMGL is a public good built collectively, whose development depends on the joint commitment of networks, communities, institutions and decision-makers: “Nothing is built alone. TMGL will be a public good, the result of collaboration between networks, communities and institutions.”

João Paulo Souza during his presentation at the “Knowledge for Care” seminar, part of the ‘SESC Inspires’ program, which celebrates World Health Day with educational and cultural activities at its units.

Further information (in Portuguese): https://www.sescsp.org.br/editorial/saberes-do-cuidado/

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/04/30/science-ancestral-knowledge-and-digital-transformation-in-dialogue-for-public-health/

DeCS

DeCS 2025 Edition is available

The multilingual thesaurus Descriptors in Health Sciences/Medical Subject Headings (DeCS), maintained by the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (BIREME/PAHO/WHO), has incorporated 206 new descriptors in its 2025 update, 192 from MeSH and 14 inserted in categories exclusive to DeCS. The latest version was made available for consultation on March 28, 2025.

With an increase of 0.8 % compared to the previous edition, DeCS brings together around 735,000 terms (descriptors and synonyms) in four languages, remaining the reference vocabulary for organizing and retrieving scientific and technical health literature.

Main changes to the 2025 edition

Categories with the highest number of new descriptors

L – Information Science… 45
D – Chemicals and Drugs… 44
C – Diseases … 19
N – Health Care… 19
E – Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques, and Equipment… 16
F – Psychiatry and Psychology… 13
SP – Public Health… 12
I – Anthropology, Education, Sociology, and Social Phenomena… 8
G – Phenomena and Processes… 6
M – Named Groups… 6

DeCS and MeSH special projects

The 2025 edition adjusts the vocabulary in line with debates on technology and inclusion. Category L – Information Science has expanded the artificial intelligence theme, incorporating descriptors such as Generative Artificial Intelligence; Large Language Models and Generative Adversarial Networks, terms used in studies on text and image creation algorithms.

Terminology related to gender and sexuality was also reviewed. Expressions such as Gestational Carriers and Gender-Affirming Surgery replace previous names, bringing DeCS into line with international recommendations for inclusive language.

In partnership with experts from the VHL Nursing, the update introduces descriptors that deal with the profession as a social practice and the health work process, as well as changes to scope notes and the inclusion of various synonyms to existing descriptors.

The Homeopathy category saw the completion of the revision that began in 2022, with a hierarchical reorganization. Medicines are now classified by animal, plant, viral or bacterial origin, which simplifies the search by type of raw material.

In response to suggestions from users, the DeCS exclusive categories now include strategic descriptors for Public Health, such as Protected Residences for Persons with Psychiatric Disorders, Epizootic, Vaccination Dropout Rates and Event Supposedly Attributable to Vaccination and for Health Surveillance, such as Bacilloscopy. The additions reinforce the importance of continuous dialog with indexers, researchers and health professionals, whose feedback keeps the thesaurus aligned with the information demands of practice and research.

Launch webinar

Broadcast live on April 3, 2025, the webinar presenting the 2025 edition brought together 193 participants from 16 countries. The audience was mainly from Brazil (112 participants; 58 %), followed by Colombia (19; 10 %), Argentina (15; 8 %) and Honduras (13; 7 %). There were also participants from Angola (1), Bolivia (3), Chile (2), Costa Rica (3), El Salvador (6), Guatemala (4), Mexico (1), Panama (1), Peru (4), Dominican Republic (3), Uruguay (5) and Venezuela (1).

The event featured presentations by Josilaine Oliveira Cezar (PUC-PR), Ana Cristina Espindola Campos and Luciana Piovezan Rio Branco (both from BIREME/PAHO/WHO), who covered DeCS applications, details of the 2025 update and a retrospective of the 2024 edition.

The 2025 edition of DeCS reaffirms BIREME’s commitment to keeping the thesaurus aligned with the evolution of scientific knowledge and the terminological demands of the region. More information is available on the annual update at the DeCS 2025 Edition.

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/04/30/decs-2025-edition-is-available/

AI, BIREME, PAHO, VHL SMS São Paulo

Health education with AI and access to information motivated event

From April 14 to 17, 2025, BIREME/PAHO/WHO participated in the 1st Symposium: The Panorama of Health Education in the Municipality of São Paulo, held by the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS-SP), through the Municipal Health School (EMS). The event brought together workers, teachers, managers and authorities from the sector to debate the challenges and advances of health education in the context of the Unified Health System (SUS).

At the opening ceremony, the Municipal Secretary of Health, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, gave the keynote address, highlighting the importance of continuous technical training as a strategy for improving care for the population. Afterwards, the Director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO, João Paulo Souza, took part in the panel of authorities alongside representatives of partner institutions, contributing the Pan American Health Organization’s perspective on innovation and digital transformation in health education.

BIREME was also present in the symposium’s technical program with Artificial Intelligence applied to health information and teaching panel, held on Wednesday (16). Specialists Francisco Barbosa Junior, Elisabeth Biruel and Juliana Sousa addressed topics such as the application of AI in production and retrieval of scientific information, the development of innovative products in the context of the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and the ethical challenges related to the use of these technologies in education and research.

The program also included the thematic exhibition “VHL: a tool for Teaching and Education in Health”, highlighting the SMS São Paulo VHL, developed under the technical cooperation agreement established between BIREME and SMS-SP. The activity highlighted the ease of access and the advantages of using reliable sources of scientific and technical information to support the work of health professionals in the municipality.

Technical cooperation

São Paulo is the city with the largest population in the Americas, with around 12 million inhabitants, more than a thousand healthcare facilities – 480 of which are exclusively dedicated to primary care – and a workforce of more than 120,000 professionals in all areas. In this scenario, strengthening continuing education and access to health information is strategic for improving the care provided to the population.

Technical cooperation between BIREME/PAHO/WHO and the São Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS-SP) was formalized in 2010, with the main objective of developing the São Paulo SMS Virtual Health Library (SMS-SP VHL). Phase II of the partnership began in 2013, focused on strengthening, developing and providing technical support for the VHL. Phase III was formalized in May 2021, and is scheduled to last until May 2025, with the aim of maintaining, updating and adding new sources of information to the SMS-SP VHL.

Source: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2025/04/30/health-education-with-ai-and-access-to-information-motivated-event/