Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America. A third of its inhabitants survive on less than 2 euros a day. Healthcare is free, but a shortage of staff and resources means than medical care is not distributed evenly. Remote and rural areas in particular have little or no access to decent healthcare facilities.
Our impact in 2025
Nicaragua
Since
1990
Local representative
Dr Manuel Bravo
Diseases treated
People diagnosed during the year
Tuberculosis
203
Multidrug resistant tuberculosis
2
Leishmaniasis
340
Patients who received socio-economic support
Tuberculosis
203
Multidrug resistant tuberculosis
1
- Ministry of Health (MINSA)
- The Global Fund, PROSALUD (local NGO) and PROBITAS (Spanish organisation)
- National tuberculosis and leishmaniasis control programmes
New heat therapy in Nicaragua
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is spread by the bite of an inflected fly. There are various different forms. . In Nicaragua, the cutaneous and visceral forms are most common. The cutaneous form causes lesions on the skin while the visceral form harms the internal organs. The current treatment, using intramuscular injections, is very painful.
Because of this, the Ministry of Public Health in Nicaragua has joined Damien Foundation in setting up a new treatment pathway for leishmaniasis patients in the Niños Mártires del Cuá hospital. This involves thermotherapy, or heat therapy.
Dr. Ramiro Guido, chief epidemiologist in the local healthcare system of Jinotega explains why this is pioneering work: “In thermotherapy, the surface of the wound is locally heated. This involves a single procedure over a seven-day period. The advantage of this treatment is that we save not only time but also costs. Furthermore, the treatment is not painful, as is the case with the traditional treatment. Our government has guaranteed that this therapy is free for the entire population.”
