Washington, DC, October 2001 (PAHO) - In the nearly 100 years since the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was created, smallpox has been eradicated globally, polio has been eliminated from the Americas and significant progress has been made in ridding the hemisphere of measles.

In addition, life expectancy and infant mortality rates in the hemisphere have improved; the health gaps between the rich and poor have diminished; protocols have been developed to protect blood supplies; and countries have made significant progress in improving water safety and in fighting old diseases that have reemerged such as cholera, dengue and tuberculosis.

These unrivaled public health events have been achieved in large measure because of cooperative steps taken by the Pan American Health Organization and the governments of the region.

The public health efforts began in earnest on December 2, 1902 as nations of the Hemisphere were struggling to contain a yellow fever epidemic that had spread from Latin America to the United States through maritime commerce. A First General International Sanitary Convention of the American Republics was convened at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. by a group of visionary and pragmatic individuals representing 11 nations. These individuals, recognizing the need for a coordinated frontal assault on disease eradication, created PAHO's predecessor and the beginnings of the longest functioning international health agency, the Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

The Bureau's first functions were to collect data on sanitary conditions, investigate "outbreaks of pestilential disease," aid protection of public health in each country to eliminate disease and enforce sanitation of seaports. Elimination of mosquitoes immediately became the focus of sanitary action, yielding direct benefits for the health of the population.

In 1924, the Bureau's functions and responsibilities were broadened by the Pan American Sanitary Code signed by 18 countries of the Americas in Havana, Cuba, during the Seventh Pan American Sanitary Conference. The code, which was eventually ratified by all the republics of the Americas and remains in force today, made the Bureau the central coordinating agency for international health activities in the hemisphere. The code represented the greatest achievement in health policy-making in the region and was the culmination of decades of initiatives aimed at prolonging people's lives and ensuring their happiness.

In 1949, the Bureau became the Regional Office for the World Health Organization and was integrated into the United Nations system. In 1950, it signed a formal agreement with the Organization of American States and became the specialized organization for health in the Inter-American System. In 1958, its name was changed to the Pan American Health Organization.

Over the generations, the men and women of PAHO have formed a pageant of mostly nameless health workers who blazed a trail of progress toward health for all. They put in motion the structure and initiatives that helped PAHO become the agent of many "firsts."

It was the first international health organization to organize a united front against the spread of pestilence and disease that engulfed the continent at the turn of the century.

Its smallpox eradication program, begun in 1949, used a new freeze-dried vaccine that laid the groundwork and set the standard for the global eradication of the disease in 1978 and paved the way for future disease eradication campaigns, including polio and measles.

It was also the first to provide direct technical cooperation to prevent, control and eradicate diseases and to promote health; to stimulate research; to educate and train health workers; and to inform professionals and the public about the scientific, technical and social aspects of health.

Throughout these years, the organization's scope continued to widen. Its initial focus on quarantining diseases gave way to efforts that helped crystallize the moral and political obligation of the countries to improve the health of all society, and to reduce the gap between the health ?haves? and ?have nots.? PAHO worked tirelessly to see that this progress reached as many people as possible, alleviating the suffering caused by communicable and chronic diseases and fostering better education and environmental improvements to enhance the lives of all, but especially the poor.

Today, the Pan American Health Organization is a coalition of countries representing some 30% of the earth's land mass and some 14% of the world's current population. From its Headquarters in Washington, D.C., it directs scientific and technical experts in 27 country offices, and in nine scientific centers. The health authorities of PAHO's Member States set PAHO's technical and administrative policies through its Governing Bodies. PAHO Member States include all 35 countries in the Americas; Puerto Rico is an Associate Member. France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are Participating States, and Portugal and Spain are Observer States.

PAHO's purpose as stated in its constitution remains constant: to help the countries of the Western Hemisphere work together to combat disease, lengthen life and promote the physical and mental heath of people. With both old and new threats to health in the hemisphere, PAHO today is more important than ever.