Washington, DC, October 2001 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has brought innumerable benefits to all the nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Throughout the years, PAHO has worked tirelessly to ensure that permeable borders do not allow the penetration of mosquitoes, bacteria and viruses to infect populations. Without the solutions developed cooperatively between PAHO and its partners, children and adults might still be crippled by polio, dying of smallpox and susceptible to diseases such as yellow fever or malaria.

Beyond these advantages, PAHO has offered the following benefits:

• Provides frontline protection against the spread of disease.
• Ensures the sale of safe foods within and between the countries of the Americas.
• Saves lives and reduces medical costs through the elimination of smallpox, polio and measles.
• Controls emerging and reemerging diseases in the Region, such as AIDS and TB.
• Creates jobs, goods and services in the Americas through PAHO Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and its 27 country offices and nine scientific and technical centers.
• Increases development assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean by facilitating partnerships, thus reducing the cost the U.S. has to bear.
• Bolsters the efficiency of regional health systems, thereby reducing the burden of disease.