Annual Report Cites Challenges

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Mirta Roses discussed her organization's priorities, achievements and challenges during a presentation of PAHO's 2004 annual report to ministers of health gathered for the 45th Directing Council.

"My leadership has focused on fulfilling our unfinished agenda, protecting our achievements, and meeting new challenges in health, with the goal of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, renewing primary health care, extending social protection and seeking greater equity in health," she said.

The annual report highlights a number of achievements during 2004, including multicountry negotiations to lower the cost of treatments for HIV/AIDS, a reduction in mortality from tuberculosis, the declaration of Central America as a cholera-free zone, Vaccination Week in the Americas (which reached 40 million people throughout the region), and programs to control and eradicate foot and mouth disease.

Roses also noted that "severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS], the first new epidemic disease of the 21st century, showed that solidarity, coordination, transparency and joint work between countries and institutions can mitigate the damage provoked by new diseases."

Regarding the millennium health goals set for 2015, Roses noted that major challenges include infant and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. She noted the enormous gaps in indicators for the first two areas: In 2003, infant mortality rates in the region varied from 5.3 per 1,000 live births in Canada to 80.3 per 1,000 in Haiti, while maternal mortality varied from 16 per 100,000 live births in Cuba to 680 per 100,000 in Haiti.

Roses also emphasized the need to improve access to potable water and sanitation, as well as essential medicines.

The report also highlighted PAHO's work in its five priority countries: Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua.