San Francisco Chronicle and Science Magazine Take PAHO Health Awards

Washington, January 18, 2002 (PAHO) - A story focusing on the origins of AIDS and another on the effects of Chornobyl's radiation won the newspaper and magazine categories of the Pan American Health Organization's Awards for Excellence in International Health Reporting 2001. The winning entries came from the San Francisco Chronicle and Science Magazine.

The San Francisco Chronicle entry, by investigative writer William Carlsen, followed the trail of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. His odyssey stretched from Los Angeles and Bethesda, Md., to England, Liberia and Central Africa. "I found it fascinating, and I was lucky the paper let me pursue it," said Carlsen, who has been with the San Francisco Chronicle for 22 years.

Richard Stone, who now is posted in the United Kingdom, submitted his winning entry for Science Magazine. Entitled Living in the Shadow of Chornobyl, Stone's article dealt with the effects of radiation 15 years after the nuclear reactor accident. "Fifteen years after the Chornobyl explosion, some scientists fear that the worst is yet to come," Stone wrote.

Stone, who has been at Science for 10 years, said this story would lead him to others about health.

The prizes carry cash awards of $1,500 each. The awards were started in 1996 to recognize outstanding reporting and writing on international public health issues appearing in U.S. publications. For 2002, the Pan American Health Organization will hold a special contest to commemorate the Organizations 100th anniversary. The Pan American Health Organization was founded in 1902 with the goal of working with all the countries in the Western Hemisphere to improve the health and well-being of all the people.

The deadline for submissions for the special 2002 awards will be May 1. The contest is open to journalists working for U.S. daily newspapers. The winner of this award in the United States will compete in a hemispheric-wide contest. The winner will be announced in September. Additional information will be available soon.

The Pan American Health Organization, the oldest public health agency in the world, also serves as the regional office for the Americas of the World Health Organization. PAHO was set up with the understanding that the nations of the Western Hemisphere need to work together to combat the diseases that fail to recognize borders. Today, PAHO programs cover a wide spectrum, from infectious diseases and measles eradication to violence and nutrition.

For more information, please contact: Bryna Brennan, Office of Public Information, (202) 974-3459, brennanb@paho.org