An Invisible Army, Difficult to Defeat
Viruses and bacteria that are becoming more resistant are soldiers of an invisible army, difficult to defeat. Today, public health faces old and new diseases, such as malaria and AIDS, as well as others believed eradicated but that have returned with renewed strength, such as dengue. Facing this scenario, the countries have to strengthen their control, surveillance, and prevention. (more)

Non-Communicable Diseases, an Economic and Health Burden for the Region
In the next century, the Americas face the challenge of fighting against a dramatic rise in non-communicable diseases. According to information presented at the last Pan American Health Organization’s Sanitary Conference, these diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, cause 44 percent of the deaths in the Region. Furthermore, the work force of the majority of the countries is affected by diseases and risk factors that, to a great extent, can be prevented. (more)

New PAHO Report Describes Tobacco Industry Tactics to Derail Public Health Efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean
Profits Over People, a new report released today by PAHO shows that transnational tobacco companies have engaged in active comprehensive campaigns of deception over the last decade in Latin America and the Caribbean regarding the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and the nature of tobacco company marketing activities. These campaigns were designed to delay or avoid tobacco marketing restrictions and restrictions on smoking. (more)

Health: Short, Sweet, and to the Point!
This mini-book, prepared by the Pan American Health Organization, presents a collection of quotes across the millennia on the place of health in the course of human events. (online bookstore)

Health is a Human Right, but What About Equity?
"All men are equal, but some are more equal than others," goes the saying that makes fun of the common contradiction between the text of the law in many Constitutions and the reality that exists in many countries. Unfortunately, health is not an exception. Health is a human right and thus a right of all humans. Hence, for PAHO, the word equity comes to the fore when speaking about the right to health. (more)

Pan American Health Organization Celebrates 100th Anniversary
On 2 December PAHO celebrated its 100th anniversary with a hemisphere-wide series of activities, from symposiums to commemorative acts to postage stamps. PAHO was established in 1902 and is celebrating 100 years of work with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the living standards of their peoples. (more)

Health Promotion: An Innovative and Effective Approach
The holistic concept of health -- not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, but a state of general well-being -- implies using health promotion as a vehicle to achieve an awareness of health that goes beyond concern for a cure. (more)

Smallpox Threat Controllable, Expert Says
The threat of a terrorist release of deadly smallpox virus exists, "but we would be in pretty good condition to halt it," according to the world's foremost expert on smallpox, Dr. D.A. Henderson. Speaking at PAHO's Centennial Vaccine Conference, Dr. Henderson, who led the global smallpox eradication program at WHO, said, "I feel increasing confidence that we could control an outbreak of smallpox in the United States," using "ring" vaccination strategies. (more)

New Challenges in Vaccines: From West Nile to Anthrax
Throughout the world, infectious diseases are the second cause of death after cardiovascular disorders. Anthrax, the West Nile virus, and the threat of smallpox are among new challenges to face this century. These future challenges in immunization, new vaccines, and the contribution of vaccination campaigns to world public health are some of the themes of the "Conference on vaccines, prevention and public health: a vision toward the future," that opened today at PAHO, with 300 scientists participating. (more)

Healthy Children, Goal 2002: Save 100,000 Lives
Every year in the Americas, more than 200,000 children less than 5 years of age die from illnesses that can be easily prevented or treated. Acute respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, and malnutrition are the three leading causes of illness and death in this age group. PAHO is working to reduce these deaths through an initiative called Healthy Children: Goal 2002, based on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses strategy. (more)

Candidates Sought for Tuberculosis Training Program
PAHO will serve as the host institution for a training program covering a number of areas related to TB program design and operation and TB epidemiology and research. Two persons from Latin America or the Caribbean will be chosen for the program, which will run from February through December 2003. The deadline for candidates to apply is 15 December 2002. (more)

Epidemiology: Tracking Health Problems Before They Appear
Knowledge of the epidemiological situation of the region is essential for public health policies and programs. PAHO's Special Program for Health Analysis is working to strengthen the epidemiological capacity of countries in the Americas to analyze, use, and disseminate information on the health situation and trends. The aim is to use this information to better plan, execute, and evaluate public health policies and programs. (more)

MEDIA ADVISORY: Sebastião Salgado to Open Exhibit on 'The End of Polio' At PAHO November 26
Brazilian Sebastião Salgado, a renowned photojournalist and a UNICEF Special Representative, will open the exhibit `The End of Polio: A Global Effort to End a Disease' at PAHO on Tuesday, November 26. (more)

Centennial Symposium, "Celebrating Partnerships: 100 Years of Health in the Americas," set Dec. 2-3
Ministers of health, and representatives from foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, civil society organizations, the United Nations, and the private sector are slated to participate. PAHO Centennial Board Members and public health heroes will also attend the symposium, which has as its goal strengthening partnerships to confront new challenges to public health in the Americas. Dr. George Alleyne, PAHO's Director, said the symposium not only celebrates old partnerships, but paves the way toward building new partnerships to solve public health problems in the Americas. (more)

PAHO Centennial Symposium to Focus on Partnerships, Achievements
A “Centennial Symposium” that PAHO is holding 2-3 December 2002 in Washington, D.C., will highlight the international support that has been crucial to PAHO's work throughout the years. At the event, a series of panel discussions with leading figures from the fields of public health and development cooperation will address the achievements and challenges of public health in the Region of the Americas. (more)

Vaccines Take Center Stage at PAHO with Conference on Vaccines, Prevention and Public Health: A Vision for the Future
Vaccines take center stage at the Pan American Health Organization next week, with a major conference on the future of vaccines starting Monday, November 25. (more)

PAHO Promotes New Strategies in the Fight against Diabetes
The prevalence of diabetes is expected to double over the next 25 years, affecting millions of people who face grave health risks from this disease, including blindness. On November 14, World Diabetes Day, an event sponsored by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), dealt with the blindness issue, with the theme "Your Eyes and Diabetes: Don't Lose Sight of the Risks!" Between 20 and 25 percent of people suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the most frequently occurring, have retinopathy, and around 5 percent of them go blind. (more)

The Dengue Burden: Analyzing its Social, Economic and Epidemiological Trends
Dengue has become a major international public health problem, with a dramatic expansion in recent decades. The mosquito that transmits dengue is found in nearly 100 tropical countries. Every year, there are between 50 and 100 million new infections, with 250,000 to 500,000 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal. In view of the difficulties and the expenditures faced by countries with national programs to fight the mosquito, a vaccine against dengue would offer a possible speedy solution to control the problem globally. (more)

Volcanic Eruptions in Ecuador
Ecuador's Reventador Volcano erupted on 3-4 November, producing a huge explosion and a cloud of ash that reached a height of 20 km. Hundreds of persons have been evacuated, primarily those working on the oil pipeline being constructed in the region. Fortunately, the affected area is sparsely populated; however, 1,200 families are living in the highly at-risk area and may have to be evacuated. (more)

Meeting to Look at Past, Future of Vaccines
A conference to be held at the PAHO Headquarters, in Washington, D.C., from 25-27 November 2002 will bring together some 300 experts from around the world to examine past achievements with and future prospects for vaccines, prevention, and public health. The proceedings of the event will later be published by PAHO. (more)

Transmission of Measles Virus Strain Successfully Interrupted in the Americas
Measles remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths worldwide, but by interrupting transmission of at least one indigenous strain, countries of the Americas have shown that global measles eradication following PAHO's recommended strategies is possible. (more)

What Does Disease Prevention and Control Mean for Latin America?
When cases of dengue or polio returned to the Americas, there was a bitter lesson for the countries of the region, which PAHO has been repeating indefatigably: Disease prevention and control cannot be neglected. "The program for dengue eradication did not fail. But, after a successful eradication of the vector, there was a relaxation of surveillance and this resulted in reinfestation followed by the introduction of various serotypes of the virus which aggravated the situation," said Dr. Jorge R. Arias, regional adviser in communicable diseases at PAHO. (more)

Leonard Duhl of the United States Wins the 2002 Abraham Horwitz Award for International Health Leadership
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation, a US-based non-profit partner of the Pan American Health Organization, awarded Dr. Leonard Duhl the Abraham Horwitz Award for his outstanding contribution to improve the health in the Americas. Dr. Duhl, a US citizen professor of Public Health and City Planning at the University of California, received the prestigious Award in an official ceremony during the Pan American Sanitary Conference of the Pan American Health Organization, held in Washington DC on 25 September. (more)

Latin American Congress of Microbiology Set for November
The XVI Latin American Congress of Microbiology and a series of other, related meetings will be held in Havana, Cuba, 11-15 November 2002. PAHO is one of the sponsors of the event. (more)

Document Reviews Literature on Models of Health Care in the Americas
A new PAHO report is intended to contribute to the ongoing discussions on designing, implementing, and evaluating new models of care in the context of health sector reform. Based on an extensive review of published literature from around the world, the document presents information on four key components of care: provider, location of services, types of programs, and health concerns or issues. (more)

Report Series Concentrates on Gender and Public Health
A set of Spanish-language documents from the PAHO "Gender and Public Health Series" is now available on the PAHO Web. The reports cover intrafamily violence, sexual abuse, and other issues. (more - in Spanish)

Preventing Food-borne Disease is Relatively Easy
According to Dr. Claudio Almeida, director of the Pan American Institute for Food Protection and Zoonoses (INPPAZ), cases of food-borne disease are still underreported and the quality of the information needs to be improved. But, he notes, "The region has a surveillance infrastructure that provides the necessary information to orient decision-making in the countries on fundamental measures for the prevention and control of diseases originating with food." (more)

PAHO Works with Bolivia on an Updated Mortality Profile
As part of technical cooperation activities to strengthen the health information system in Bolivia, PAHO has helped the Bolivian Ministry of Health to study mortality patterns in that country. According to an article in the newest issue of PAHO's "Epidemiological Bulletin," the overall goal of the technical cooperation is to assist Bolivia in developing a national vital statistics information system. (more)

PAHO Centennial Exhibit Travels to Philadelphia
Currently being displayed at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, until December 1, 2002, the exhibit is called "A 100-year quest for health in the Americas 1902-2002," and consists of 12 panels outlining the history of the Organization, starting 100 years ago when the First General International Sanitary Convention of the American Republics met in Washington and created what became PAHO. (more)

Adolescent Health and Development Debated at Internet Conference
Drawing on Internet tools, the First Virtual Conference on Adolescent and Youth Health represents a significant step to build networks for dialogue and debate for countries of the Region of the Americas. Sponsored by PAHO under the slogan "Heading Towards the Century of Youth," the event drew some 800 persons to participate in a variety of forums and seminars focusing on Mexican adolescents, a group that accounts for one third of that country's population. (more)

PAHO and Johns Hopkins University Pioneer a Training Program for Health Managers
This new program for training health managers in the use of epidemiology in management has four components: three on-line courses and one on site seminar at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the University. The program enters its final stage on 28 October, when 24 students from 18 countries arrive in Baltimore to participate in the seminar given by the academic dean of the School of Hygiene and Public Health, Dr. Robert Lawrence, former chairman of the Preventive Services Task Force of the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services. (more)

Water: Source of Food Security
"Water: Source of Food Security" is the theme of this year's World Food Day. This year's celebration highlights the importance of having enough freshwater for the global population and of ensuring food security for healthy lives. One of the goals of PAHO is reducing death and disease, in which the quality of water plays a key role. Therefore, PAHO is offering, at a special discounted price, a series of publications related to the supply and quality of both water and food. (Online bookstore)

Conference to Review Progress on Health Promotion in the Americas
PAHO is co-sponsoring a forum on health promotion in Santiago, Chile, 20-24 October 2002 that will assess advances in health promotion in the Region of the Americas since the Fifth Global Conference on Health Promotion, which took place in Mexico City in June 2000. (more)

Be Prepared! PAHO's Emergency Preparedness Program Seeks to Reduce the Impact of Disasters
PAHO's program on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief is known worldwide and has set an example for many other agencies, due to its comprehensive concept of risk reduction. Its work in preparedness and mitigation involves all sectors of society and covers all human needs, physical, mental and social. The importance of this global vision of the impact on health has been made clear in recent disasters, especially because there are so many myths about disasters. (more)

How Common is Malaria in the Region?
Approximately 35% of the 835 million inhabitants in the Region live in areas where there is some possibility that malaria will be transmitted. At the same time, the countries most affected by malaria are not only those with lower GDP but also those with major inequities in terms of income, access to education and health services, environmental quality, and adequate housing for the population. Due to the importance of malaria in the Region, Diagnosis of Malaria constitutes a comprehensive and useful diagnostic tool. (Online Bookstore)

Water, Essence of Life: PAHO Works to Increase its Supply and Quality in the Americas
The health aspirations of many people in the Americas are closely linked to that what both poets and physicians call life's vital liquid. Clean drinking water is still a luxury for 90 million people in the Americas, and crises such as the last cholera epidemic potentially threaten countries of the area, where investments have not reached the levels needed to improve the water and sanitation situation. (more)

We All Gain by Helping the Least Fortunate, Incoming PAHO Director Says
To achieve health for all, we must focus on the health of the neediest, affirmed Dr. Mirta Roses in her acceptance speech following her election to be the Director of PAHO, a position that she will take over on 1 February 2003. (more - in Spanish)

More Resources Needed to Vaccinate 95 Percent of All Children
The struggle to vaccinate as many children as possible in the Americas has been one of the priorities of PAHO since its creation. This huge effort has yielded results: Because vaccination coverage has reached 84% of all children, the toll from many communicable diseases, especially those that affect children under 5, is being cut. (more)

Health in the Americas, 2002 Edition
Health in the Americas is the Pan American Health Organization's flagship publication analyzing the health situation and trends in the Region of the Americas. Through its history, this publication has grown from an almost purely statistical report to an in-depth, comprehensive, public health assessment on the Region's health status and its determinants. (more)

Concepts of Masculinity among Young Men Analyzed
A new Spanish-language report from PAHO synthesizes qualitative studies from Latin America and Jamaica on cultural concepts of masculinity and those concepts' relationship to the health risks that young men take. The goal is to better understand the choices that young men make and to use that information to improve health services for them. (more - in Spanish)

PAHO Releases New Report on Public Health Practice in the Americas
PAHO has released a new report on the practice of public health in Latin America and the Caribbean, which focuses on the role of national health authorities in carrying out public health functions. The book is the product of a larger initiative by PAHO and the countries of the Region to develop consensus-based standards for public health practice and indicators for use in evaluating the performance of responsible agencies. (more)

PAHO, Norwegian Development Cooperation Agency Sign $6 million Agreement
PAHO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation have signed a $6 million agreement to support a series of regional programs over the next six years. The new agreement focuses on providing core support for the PAHO regional programs aimed at reducing health inequities, incorporating gender equity in country and PAHO programs, developing programs to address HIV/AIDS among adolescents and youth, supporting national health account systems, and strengthening human resource development for health sector reform. (more)

Young Smokers Find It's Hard to Quit
More than half of the adolescents in the Region of the Americas who smoke have tried to stop in the preceding year but have failed in that effort. That and other findings on tobacco use among youth in the Americas are reported in an article in the newest issue of PAHO's "Epidemiological Bulletin." (more)

Case Study Focuses on Indigenous Medicine and Therapy in Guatemala
A Spanish-language report recently produced by PAHO looks at traditional medicine and therapy practices among the Maya people of Guatemala and how such practices could be incorporated into primary health care. (more - in Spanish)

Course on Health, Disasters, and Development Planned for Managers
A course to help develop the managerial skills of persons whose job it is to deal with disasters and emergencies will take place in the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico, 7-24 October. The course will be taught in Spanish. (more - in Spanish)

Meeting to Deal with Safety and Health Issues Facing Hispanics
PAHO is one of the sponsors of the Second Hispanic Forum on a Safe and Healthy Environment, which will be held 7-9 October 2002 in San Diego, California. The Forum will focus on four main areas: occupational safety and health, environmental health, transportation safety, and international workers' health. The Forum will run in conjunction with the 90th Annual Congress and Exposition of the National Safety Council. (more)

Health Ministers Summit Concludes after Election of New PAHO Director
The summit of health ministers from the Americas that elected an Argentine doctor as Director of PAHO concluded last Friday. In the week-long conference, major reports were presented to health ministers for discussion, including: Health in the Americas, Public Health in the Americas, and a quadrennial report, Charting a Future for Health in the Americas. Health ministers also considered urgent health topics for the Region of the Americas, which ranges from Canada to Chile. (more)

Dr. Mirta Roses Elected New Director of Pan American Health Organization
Dr. Mirta Roses was elected today as Director of the Pan American Health Organization, becoming the first woman and first Argentine to lead the world's oldest international health organization. Elected in a secret ballot by ministers of health from all countries in the Americas, Dr. Roses will serve a five-year term as the Organization's ninth director, taking office February 1, 2003. She replaces Dr. George Alleyne of Barbados, who was elected Director in 1995. (more)

The Americas: A Growing, Urban, Aging Population
In spite of declining population growth rates in almost every country, at the beginning of the 21st century the Region's population is growing and is currently 76% urban. The population is also aging and presents a morbidity and mortality profile that shows the coexistence of communicable diseases and noncommunicable diseases. These and other data are presented in PAHO's key health report, Health in the Americas, 2002 Edition. This new edition includes for the first time an increased focus on identifying and reducing health inequities, as well as on disaggregating demographical data by sex and incorporating a gender perspective in all analyses. (more)

Social Inequalities Major Obstacle to Health, New PAHO Report Says
Social inequalities present a major obstacle to health in the Americas today, and the wider the gap between the rich and poor in a given country, the worse the health situation. The region has made significant strides in controlling communicable diseases and reducing mortality rates by the start of the 21st century. However, "strikingly unjust and avoidable inequalities in health persist," PAHO says in its quadrennial report, "Health in the Americas, 2002." (more)

Pan American Sanitary Conference Opens with Summons To Strengthen the Struggle against AIDS In The Region
The 26th Pan American Sanitary Conference, which brings together all Ministers of Health of the Americas, opened today at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization here with a summons to strengthen the fight against AIDS in the region. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), pointed out the importance of investing in health and the urgent need for all countries to get involved more actively in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. (more)

HHS Secretary Thompson Calls for Renewed Efforts To Combat AIDS at Americas Health Summit
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy F. Thompson called today for renewed efforts to control AIDS in the Caribbean, saying "I believe the Pan American Health Organization should have an annual meeting in the Caribbean dealing with AIDS." Speaking at the opening of the Pan American Sanitary Conference, a summit of all health ministers in the Americas, Thompson recalled when President Teddy Roosevelt opened a PAHO meeting 100 years ago in the era of yellow fever and malaria. "Now we are struggling with new diseases, new threats, new challenges, " he said. (more)

On the United States-Mexico Border, Cooperation is the Word
The border between Mexico and the United States has become a point on the agenda of health authorities of both countries, especially since some diseases such as Hepatitis A and tuberculosis are much more prevalent along the border than in other regions within the same countries. Since the creation of its Field Office in El Paso, Texas in 1942 and in response to requests from the governments of both countries, the PAHO has shown its commitment and its concern toward this area with growing health problems that covers six states in Mexico and four in the United States. (more)

Violence, a Growing Problem for Public Health
It assumes different forms. It's associated with cultural patterns. It is often disguised as private, and sometimes even taught as a value. The subject is violence. Every year more than two million people die violently and many more remain disabled for the rest of their lives. Interpersonal violence is the third cause of death among people between 15 and 44 years old, with suicide being the fourth and war the sixth. (more)

MEDIA ADVISORY: Americas Health Summit Starts Monday, Sept. 23
Health Ministers from all countries in the Americas gather in Washington Monday, Sept. 23 for the week-long Pan American Sanitary Conference, the policy-setting governing body of the Pan American Health Organization. All meetings are at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization, 525 23rd. St., NW in Washington. (more)

PAHO Works with Faith-based Organizations on Child Health
A new PAHO project is cooperating with Catholic health care networks in five countries of Central America and the Caribbean to support the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy, with the objective of helping reduce deaths among children under five years of age. (more)

Americas Face Challenge of Aging Populations, PAHO Report Says
With people in the Americas living longer and having fewer children, countries in the region will have to be ready to meet a new health challenge -- aging. Medical advances and preventive health measures have meant significant progress against communicable diseases, once the main health threat in many countries in the region, PAHO says in its quadrennial report, "Health in the Americas, 2002." (more)

Toronto Globe & Mail Reporter Wins PAHO Centennial Journalism Contest
André Picard, a reporter for the Toronto Globe & Mail, has been named the winner of the Pan American Health Organization's Centennial Journalism Contest. Picard's entry, a series of articles on the obesity epidemic, illustrate one of the most serious public health problems in Canada, and throughout the Americas: Obesity. (more)

New Report Looks At Lessons from El Salvador Earthquakes
A new Spanish-language text from PAHO in the "Disaster Chronicles" series examines the major earthquakes that struck El Salvador in January and February 2001, how prepared the country was, the response to the emergency, and lessons that can be learned from the disaster. (more - in Spanish)

MEDIA ADVISORY: Press Conference to Launch New Report on Health in The Americas Set Friday Sept. 20
PAHO will launch its new report on Health in the Americas at a press conference Friday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club in Washington. Dr. George Alleyne, Director of PAHO, will present the new report, prepared every four years by PAHO technical staff, and answer questions. (more)

PAHO to Observe Moment of Silence Sept. 11
Staff members of the Pan American Health Organization will observe a moment of silence Sept. 11 and the flags of all its member countries will be flown at half-staff that day to commemorate the terrorist attacks in the United States a year ago. (more)

Healthy Cities, an Integrated Health Promotion Approach
In the competition to be named Healthy Cities, many cities throughout the Americas are getting involved in health promotion, emphasizing community approaches and making public health a priority in municipal policies. This was the objective of the Pan American Health Organization when it launched the Healthy Cities initiative. (more)

New guidelines developed for health workers in indigenous communities
Three new guidelines for the application of the strategy of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) in indigenous communities are being prepared by the Pan American Health Organization. After an intense week of work, experts have completed draft guidelines to facilitate the task of health workers and achieve better access to indigenous populations. (more)

Malaria: Past Failure, Continuous Challenge
Malaria, a tropical disease that has perplexed scientists and infects 300 million people per year, is one of the most complex health problems facing humanity. Since a past eradication attempt failed and vaccine development has not yet succeeded, the disease is a continuing challenge to public health experts. (more)

Benefits of Breast-feeding Assessed
PAHO has helped develop a new publication that summarizes the advantages of breast-feeding. The new text, an annotated bibliography of more than 180 research studies, reviews the scientific and epidemiological evidence of breast-feeding's effect on morbidity, infant mortality, intellectual and motor development, chronic disease, and maternal health as well as the economic benefits of breast-feeding. (more)

Presentation on Reproductive-health Training Course
A two-hour seminar at the PAHO headquarters in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 2002 will look at a training curriculum for health-program managers that has been developed by the World Health Organization. The curriculum is intended to help teach health-system managers and others how to better promote gender equity and reproductive rights in their health policies, planning, and programs. (more)

Studying the relationship between nutrition, health, economic growth, and long-term social development
Traditionally, economic literature holds that economic development plays an important role in improving the health of a population. However, economists and researchers have begun to analyze this relation inversely: how important are the long-term effects of good nutritional and health levels on the formation and accumulation of human capital, on the productivity and competitiveness of the work force, and on the long-term economic growth of a country? (more)

Second Meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI-TAG)
A group of international experts in public health summoned by PAHO will meet on September 10 and 11 in Houston, Texas, to analyze the implementation of the IMCI strategy and provide recommendations for its strengthening and expansion. (more)

Pittsburgh Reporter Wins Pan American Public Health Reporting Award
Marisol Bello, a special projects reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, has won the Pan American Health Organization's U.S. contest for best public health reporting for a special section on "Haiti, Mission of Hope." In eight pages of stories, Bello chronicled "The desperate state of health care in Haiti and what western Pennsylvanians are doing to help." (more)

Bulletin Updates Information on Breast-feeding
A new bulletin from PAHO provides up-to-date material on the situation of breast-feeding in the Americas, obstacles to exclusive breast-feeding, policy actions intended to encourage breast-feeding, and related topics. (more)

Research and Cooperation Go Hand in Hand in the Americas
In a region with as many public health challenges as the Americas, research is essential. But often, scientific research can be a heavy burden for individual countries, and transmission of results tends to be hindered by lack of information technologies or by inadequate planning. In this field, cooperation and Panamericanism play an essential role, as has been shown by a program for research coordination run by PAHO. (more)

New Text Surveys Trade in Health Services
A book recently published by PAHO compiles papers that were presented at a conference on health and trade, where the participants emphasized the need for the health sector and the trade sector to work together so that health priorities are properly taken into account when trade agreements are negotiated. The papers provide an overview of the issues, regional perspectives and country case studies, and conclusions and recommendations. (more)

Guidance Available on Developing Tobacco-control Legislation
A new PAHO document provides a "template" with model legislation that countries can use to help create and implement new tobacco-control policies or to improve existing laws and regulations. (more)

Health of Indigenous People: A Challenge for Public Health
Although the term indigenous people in the Americas is widely used, that generalization encompasses more than 400 different ethnic groups, with different beliefs and different health practices. This diversity presents a challenge for public health in the Americas, where indigenous peoples are among the most excluded. (more)

Special Issue of PAHO "Revista/Journal" Devoted to Health Equity
A new, special double issue of the "Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health" has more than two dozen articles and other pieces dealing with determinants of health equity in the Region of the Americas. (Online Bookstore)

Conference to Examine Role of Young Men in Health, Gender Issues
PAHO and other groups have organized a meeting to look at the involvement that young men can have in sexual and reproductive health and in promoting health and gender equity. The conference will be held 27-30 August 2002 in Rio de Janeiro. (more)

Latin Americans and Caribbeans Know Little About Blood Donation, Study Shows
Many people in Latin America and the Caribbean know little about blood donation and have difficulty accessing blood services, according to a study in 15 countries sponsored by PAHO. The findings also confirmed that many myths about blood donation are prevalent, including the mistaken idea that donating blood will cause people to gain weight, lose weight, or induce disease. (more)

Effects of Health Care Reform on Nurses and Midwives Reviewed
Changes that countries of the Americas have made in their health care systems have affected nurses and midwives and their work environment, scope of practice, and relationships with clients and with other health care professionals. A PAHO report looks at the experience of three countries: Belize, Colombia, and Mexico. (more)

AIDS Drug Prices Drop 54 % in Latin America, Caribbean
Prices of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS dropped up to 54 percent last year in Latin America and the Caribbean countries as a result of negotiations agreements between ministries of health and the pharmaceutical companiesdrug manufacturers, according to a PAHO survey. But there are also wide differences between the countries surveyed, with some countries paying up to 10 times more for the same treatment, the survey revealed. (more)

The Faces of Poverty: Malnourished, Hungry and... Obese?
There is a saying in Spanish, "We have good taste, what we don't have is money." And although the popular perception is that poor people are thin and malnourished, studies show a growing trend toward obesity in low-income people. (more)

Healthy Tourism in the Caribbean: Merits for Health and the Economy
The exotic beaches of the Caribbean make it into one of the world's foremost tourist attractions, and the service economies of its countries make the Caribbean highly dependent on tourism. When there is bad publicity due to health problems or sick tourists, however, there can be negative effects. As a response to this problem, a project called Quality Tourism for the Caribbean has been developed. (more)

What Do We Have and What Do We Hope to Develop in Terms of Vaccines?
With three million deaths worldwide each year from diseases preventable by vaccination, it is not surprising that PAHO has a division entirely devoted to immunization programs and to vaccine development, since it is commonly accepted that vaccines are the safest and most cost-effective health interventions. (more)

PAHO Director Addresses Americas-wide Videoconference On Epidemiology at University of South Florida
PAHO Director, Dr. George Alleyne, is slated to appear in a hemisphere-wide videoconference on epidemiology Aug. 7, in conjunction with a course sponsored by PAHO and the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Alleyne's appearance, part of the celebration of a century of public health in the Western Hemisphere, will focus on the role of epidemiology in strengthening essential public health functions, emphasizing analysis of health and its determinants. (more)

Prices for AIDS Drugs Fall in Latin America and the Caribbean
The cost of antiretroviral drug therapy declined noticeably in 14 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean between May 2001 and May 2002, according to a PAHO survey. The survey also found a wide range in the prices that different countries pay for the same treatment. (more - in PDF)

2002 Clarence H. Moore Award for Voluntarism in Health Services in the Americas
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit collaborating partner of the Pan American Health Organization, is accepting nominations of NGO's or voluntary associations in the Americas for the fourteenth annual Clarence H. Moore Award. The award is given in honor of Mr. Moore, former Executive Director of the Foundation, in honor of his legacy of voluntary service. Nominations must be postmarked by August 15. (more)

Why does life expectancy vary so much in the Region of the Americas?
At birth, a Haitian child has a life expectancy of 54 years, while a Canadian born the same day can expect to live to 79 years. Differences in health indicators such as life expectancy or infant mortality also occur within countries, with geographical areas where infant mortality reaches 130 per every 1,000 live births. (more)

Yellow Fever Encircles Cities in the Americas
More than six decades ago the countries of the Americas joined efforts to get rid of urban yellow fever. Today PAHO is making new appeals to keep this epidemic out of urban areas. According to PAHO, all cases of yellow fever reported in the region since the 1940s have been of the jungle form of this disease, transmitted by Haemagogus mosquitoes. However, with the rapid spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the region, there is a danger that urban yellow fever could return. (more)

World Population Day Focus on Global Efforts Against Poverty
Every July 11th World Population Day is celebrated. This year the celebration focused on empowerment, protection, and education of the population, especially women, as actions to be taken to reduce poverty around the world. In recent years, PAHO has been concerned with the relationship among poverty reduction, health protection, and equity. Therefore, the PAHO Publications Program is offering, at a special discounted price, a series of publications related to equity and health, gender, and women. (Online Bookstore)

PAHO Announces Winners of Scholarships for Local Students
Six Washington area public high school students will receive PAHO Centennial scholarships in honor of the Organization's 100th Anniversary. The scholarships went to students from Washington, Maryland, and Virginia schools with high percentages of Hispanic and Caribbean students. Each winner will receive $2,500 for two consecutive academic years in college. (more)

International Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowships Offered
PAHO and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States of America are inviting researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean to apply to spend a year in the United States doing postdoctoral training in the intramural laboratories of the NIH. The deadline for applications is 31 July 2002. (more)

Nominations Being Accepted for Veterinary Public Health Award
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation, a PAHO partner organization, is seeking recommendations for the Pedro Acha Award for Veterinary Public Health. The award, which consists of a certificate and a cash prize of $1,500, is awarded to an outstanding undergraduate thesis or scientific paper. The deadline for nominations is 31 July. (more)

Report on Gender Violence Issued
The final report from the June 2001 Inter-Agency Symposium on Gender-Based Violence, Health and Rights in the Americas, which PAHO cosponsored, has just been published. The report covers policies and programs related to gender violence and also makes a number of recommendations for dealing with this difficult issue. (more)

PAHO Supports Applications to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
PAHO has joined with several other institutions to collect and share documents and other background information, in English and Spanish, that will help programs to submit successful applications to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (more)

PAHO Announces Winners of Centennial Poster, Essay Contests
PAHO today announced that a 10-year old Jamaican girl and a 17-year-old Peruvian boy are the winners of the Centennial contests for best poster and essay, respectively. The prizes for each winner are $500 cash from PAHO, a computer from Discovery Health and a certificate signed by Dr. George Alleyne, Director of PAHO. (more)

Caribbean Health Officials to Discuss AIDS Drugs with Pharmaceutical Companies
Caribbean health officials are preparing for a series of negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to supply antiretroviral drugs to Caribbean countries, as part of an effort to reduce the severe impact of HIV/AIDS there. Under the framework of the WHO/UNAIDS Accelerated Access Initiative for the Caribbean, the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM), jointly with PAHO, is seeking to obtain low-priced antiretrovirals from the companies that manufacture them. (more)

Equity and Panamericanism: Basic Pillars of PAHO
Equity and Panamericanism, beyond being nice words, are the pillars of much of PAHO’s work, with precise definitions that have been converted into operational principles that govern the daily work of the Organization. Since 1995, PAHO has identified the reduction of health inequities as the main goal of its technical cooperation, according to its Director, Dr. George Alleyne. "Equity in health is indeed important," he said. "Health promotion strategies are essential to bridge the gaps and decrease the disparities that are unjust and unfair, and therefore represent inequity." (more)

Dengue Cases Increasing in El Salvador
The number of classical-dengue cases has risen in recent months in El Salvador, and there is a growing risk that there will also be an increase in the number of cases of the more-dangerous form of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). (more)

Integrated Strategy Needed to Combat Growing Incidence of Dengue
The incidence of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever has been rising in the Americas. In response, the PAHO Member States have called for a ten-point integrated strategy for dengue prevention and control. (MS PowerPoint presentation, 63 slides, 3,068Kb - download and read off-line for faster viewing.)

Why does the problem of drug consumption continue to grow in the Americas?
The countries of the Americas face a dilemma: their young people continue to use drugs and the rates are growing. Why can't that trend be reversed? What encourages young people to consume addictive substances? The problem is not limited to youth alone, but in the case of new generations the rate of drug use is more alarming. (more)

Report Examines Involvement of Nurses in Essential Public Health Functions
A study recently published by PAHO reviews current thinking about essential public health functions and the role that public health nurses in the Americas can play in these services. (more)

Nominations Solicited for Soper Award for Medical/Public Health Research, Writing
A PAHO partner organization, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF), is accepting suggestions of outstanding scientific-journal articles on public health in the Region of the Americas that were published in 2001. PAHEF will grant the winning article the 2002 Fred L. Soper Award for Excellence in Health Literature. The deadline for nominations is 30 June. (more)

For Environmental Health, Drinking Water and Sanitation are Crucial
Increasing access to drinking water is one of the priorities of PAHO, especially since figures show that 70 million Latin Americans lack access to drinking water, and in light of the alarm prompted by the resurgence of cholera in 1991. "There continues to be a critical situation with regard to water and sanitation. Although there has been progress in terms of coverage, there still are large areas with inequalities, especially in urban fringe areas and rural areas. This is a reflection of the lack of adequate investments in the sector," said Dr. Mauricio Pardon, director of the Division of Health and Environment of PAHO. (more)

Four Winners of Active Cities Contest Chosen
Cities in Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, and Peru have been named as winners in the Active Cities Contest, which recognizes cities and municipalities in the Americas for improving public spaces for recreation and for promoting physical activity. Four other cities received special recognition citations. See if your city won!

Access to Information on Health and Disasters is Improving in Central America
PAHO is one of several groups that have provided computer equipment and training to support the development of disaster-information centers in several countries of Central America, according to an article in page 3 of the latest issue of PAHO’s “Disasters” newsletter. (more - in PDF)

Distinguished Scientists at Anniversary Meeting of PAHO Research Committee
Distinguished scientists from throughout the Americas gather in Washington this week to discuss the latest scientific advances, their implications for public health, and the role of PAHO in making them available to the peoples of the Americas. (more)

Science, Health and Development: Achievements and Challenges in One Hundred Years of PAHO
This year that PAHO celebrates its 100 years, the PAHO Advisory Committee on Health Research (ACHR) celebrates 40 years of existence. To commemorate this significant anniversary, the annual meeting of the ACHR, to be held from 12 to 14 June 2002, will incorporate a major scientific event. (more)

Cleaning Sports from All Forms of Tobacco Consumption is Our Goal
This year's theme for World No Tobacco Day - "Tobacco Free Sports - Play it Clean!" - draws global attention to a number of issues, including tobacco advertising, promotion, and marketing in sports events; exposure to second-hand smoke; and the tobacco epidemic among smokers. Tobacco now kills more than four million people every year, and it is projected that that number will increase to 8.4 million by the year 2020. PAHO has a variety of publications related to tobacco control. (Online Bookstore)

Call for Nominations: The Manuel Velasco-Suarez Bioethics Award 2002
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation announces the introduction of a new international award to recognize and stimulate excellence in the field of bioethics. The 2002 Manuel Velasco-Suarez Bioethics Award is intended to stimulate young scholars or researchers in the development of their capacities for bioethical analysis. Nominations must be received by 15 June. The award carries a cash prize of US$10,000. (more)

Giving the Earth a Chance Will Let Us Live Longer on This Planet
Every June 5th World Environment Day is celebrated . This year's theme, "Give Earth a Chance," calls on everyone to contribute to the healing of the ailing planet. By celebrating this day, we want to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action. PAHO has various publications related to environmental issues. (Online Bookstore)

Contribution of Nurses to Health System Goals in Colombia Assessed
A PAHO case study looks at the role that nurses have played in achieving the objectives of the health system in Colombia. (more)

World No-Tobacco Day Focuses on Tobacco-Free Sports
World No-Tobacco Day, celebrated around the world every May 31st, will focus on keeping sports free of all forms of tobacco. In Washington, PAHO is organizing a special World No-Tobacco Day event May 31 at 10:30 a.m., in conjunction with the World No-Tobacco Day Coalition. (more)

World No-Tobacco Campaign with Firefighters Kicks off 31 May
A national public service campaign for World No-Tobacco Day was kicked off today, with firefighters from various cities serving as role models to convince smokers to quit and non-smokers to never start using tobacco. The World No-Tobacco Day Coalition joined the Pan American Health Organization to observe World No-Tobacco Day at PAHO headquarters May 31st, with a focus on keeping sports free of all forms of tobacco. (more)

Tobacco kills more than a million people a year in the Americas: can we reduce the death toll?
While scientists look for a vaccine against AIDS and work to eradicate measles, another epidemic stalks the Americas, taking an annual toll of more than 1 million lives, a plague that science finds difficult to fight not only because the dependency is so strong, but because a powerful industry promotes it. If current trends are not reversed, by the year 2030 some 10 million people will die in the world from tobacco related causes, including both active smokers and passive smokers exposed to tobacco smoke in the environment. (more)

Active Cities Contest Receives More Than 140 Applications
An awards program to recognize cities and municipalities in the Americas for improving public spaces for recreation and for promoting physical activity has received over 140 qualified applications. The contest winners will be announced on 5 June 2002. (more)

PAHO Centennial Celebrated at World Health Assembly
Ministers of health from all countries of the world congratulated the Pan American Health Organization on its Centennial, citing its leadership and achievements in health over the past century. Meeting at the World Health Assembly, the world's health leaders approved a resolution citing "the role played by the Pan American Health Organization in the past 100 years in the noteworthy improvement that can be seen in health in the Region of the Americas." (more)

Report Looks at Trends in Health Legislation in the English-speaking Americas
A new PAHO report describes and assesses tendencies in health policies and health legislation in Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States of America for the period of 1997 through 2001. (more)

Public Health: What's it Really About?
Despite great progress in science and technology, the challenges of public health continue to be enormous, with the appearance of new epidemics such as AIDS and the persistence of other illnesses associated with poverty, violence and the epidemiological transition. (more)

PAHO, Red Cross Unite to Fight Disease, Child Deaths
The Pan American Health Organization signed a landmark agreement with the International Federation of the Red Cross to work together to reduce childhood deaths, fight disease, promote blood donation, and improve disaster preparedness. (more)

Report on Macroeconomics and Health Has Relevance for the Americas
A study on macroeconomics and health that was recently issued by the World Health Organization could help advance the agenda for better health in Latin America and the Caribbean. (more)

SUMA: A Useful Tool in Disasters
The Humanitarian Supply Management System (SUMA) is an information management tool which helps national teams formed by volunteers from the ranks of health agencies, civil defense or emergency committees, armed forces, foreign relations ministries, the Red Cross, NGOs, and other organizations, to improve management and ensure efficiency and transparency in the receipt and distribution of humanitarian assistance. This CD-ROM gathers all the necessary components for understanding, applying, and teaching SUMA methods. (Online Bookstore)

Grants Available to Study Chagas’ Disease
PAHO is accepting applications for grants to research Chagas’ disease. The deadline to apply is 31 May 2002. (more)

2002 Abraham Horwitz Award for Inter-American Health
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation, a PAHO partner organization, is seeking nominations for the 25th annual Abraham Horwitz Award for Inter-American Health. The award recognizes excellence and leadership in health among individuals working in the Americas who produce ideas and work of regional significance. The deadline for nominations is 30 May. (more)

World Health Assembly Celebrates PAHO Centennial
Ministers of health from all countries of the world today congratulated the Pan American Health Organization on its Centennial, citing its leadership and achievements in health over the past century. (more)

Conference to Focus on Health, Climate Change in the Caribbean
PAHO is one of the organizers of a symposium that will examine the health effects of climate variability and change in the Caribbean. The meeting will be held 21-22 May in Barbados. (more)

El Salvador's Minister of Health Elected President of World Health Assembly
Dr. José Francisco López Beltrán, minister of public health and social assistance of El Salvador, was elected president of the World Health Assembly during the meeting's opening session on Monday. Addressing the ministers of health of 191 countries gathered in Geneva, Dr. López Beltrán said, "Ministers, this World Health Assembly is the great hope of every sick and poor person in each of our countries." (more)

Environmental Conference to Cover Wide Range of Issues
The 7th World Congress of the International Federation of Environmental Health will be held in San Diego, California, 20-24 May. The Congress is being held in conjunction with the Annual Educational Symposium of the California Environmental Health Association. (Conference Web site)

Grants Offered to Fight Tobacco Use
PAHO is inviting proposals from nongovernmental organizations for projects that will help curb the tobacco epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. Grants of up to US$ 10,000 are available, as are minigrants of up to US$ 1,000. The deadline to apply is 17 May. (more-in PDF)

Reducing Maternal Mortality is Daily Priority of PAHO
Some 23,000 women die every year in Latin America and the Caribbean from causes related to the pregnancy. As a part of its activities to promote safe motherhood in the Americas, PAHO is supporting essential obstetric care systems in the 11 Latin American countries with the highest maternal mortality rates. (more)

Brazil Makes Progress in Controlling Rubella
Brazil has been accelerating its efforts to control rubella and to prevent congenital rubella syndrome, according to an article in the latest issue of PAHO’s EPI Newsletter. (more)

Health Ministers Sign Sucre Agreement
On 23 April 2002 the Ministers of the Andean Region and Chile signed an agreement in the city of Sucre, Bolivia, aimed at preventing the regionalization of the measles outbreak that is currently affecting Venezuela. (more)

Democracy and health: from paper to reality
The gap between rich and poor in Latin America and the Caribbean is starkly evident through differences in access to health services and, consequently, in health and living standards of the low-income population. This has the effect of weakening basic democratic principles, according to the Pan American Health Organization. (more)

Poliomyelitis: Eradicated From the Americas, On Its Way to Global Eradication
In September of 1994 the Pan American Health Organization announced that polio had been eradicated from the Americas. Today a global effort is underway to put an end to the disease by 2005. (more)

Montreal Conference to Deal with Injury Prevention and Control
The 6th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Control will be held in Montreal, Canada, 12-15 May 2002 and will deal with six major themes: road safety; occupational safety; sport, leisure, home, institutional, and product safety; suicide prevention; violence prevention; and posttrauma care and rehabilitation. (more)

PAHO Confers Graduate Thesis Grants
PAHO has approved funding to help support research for eight master’s or Ph.D. thesis projects - four from Brazil, two from Mexico, and one each from Colombia and Chile. The projects deal with a variety of public health concerns in Latin America and the Caribbean. (more)

SUMA System Helps Avoid Second Disasters
Humanitarian assistance after disasters can be detrimental when it fails to respond to the most urgent needs, sometimes even causing a "second disaster" when countries are flooded with unrequested or unnecessary supplies. To avoid this, a humanitarian supply management system called SUMA was created. SUMA, by now a familiar name in the Americas and worldwide, began as a collective effort of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, under the auspices of the PAHO, to improve the administration of humanitarian assistance, to reach those most affected adequately and quickly. (more)

World Veterinary Day Observed 29 April
World Veterinary Day is being celebrated by veterinarians from around the world who marked the day by promoting what they do for society. To honor the day, Dr. Albino Belotto, coordinator of Veterinary Public Health for the Pan American Heath Organization, and Dr. Felipe Manteiga, representative in the US of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, discussed the important role of veterinarians in public health. (more)

BIREME Celebrates 35 Years
On April 22, BIREME Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information, established in Brazil in 1967 at the campus of then the São Paulo School of Medicine, celebrated 35 years in its mission to contribute to the development of the health in Latin America and the Caribbean through the promotion, fortification and democratization of the scientific and technical information in health. (BIREME)

Presentations Describe Gender-based Violence
The text is now available of 18 presentations that were made at a June 2001 conference on gender-based violence, health, and rights in the Americas. The presentations are in English or Spanish. (more)

Special Journal Issue on Processed Complementary Foods in Latin America
A special issue of the "Food and Nutrition Bulletin" features the proceedings of a technical consultation held in March 1999 at PAHO. The purpose of the consultation was to outline the specific elements critical to the future success of processed complementary foods and to identify key gaps in our knowledge of how to use these foods to improve child nutritional status. (more in PDF - 1.19Mb)

Proposals Sought to Study Blood Transfusion, Hepatitis C
As part of its Blood Safety Initiative, PAHO is soliciting proposals for research to investigate the role of the transfusion of blood products in the epidemiology of hepatitis C infections in the Americas. Proposals must be submitted before 30 April 2002. (more)

Awards to Recognize Cities that Promote Recreation, Physical Activity - New Deadline for Nominations: 26 April 2002
PAHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States of America have established a new series of awards to honor cities in the Region of the Americas for improving public spaces so as to encourage more recreation and physical activity and enhance their residents' health. (more)

Number of Cases of Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in the Americas: Provisional Figures for 2002
This document provides tabular data for 2002 on the number of cases of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever in the Americas, to week noted by each country, with additional regional and subregional data. (more)

Two Latin American Researchers Win PAHO Research Training Grants
Two researchers, one from Argentina and the other from Colombia, have won PAHO grants that will allow each of them to carry out a public health research project lasting up to 18 months and also receive specialized training in another country for a period of up to 6 months. (more)

Health Threats in the Americas: Congressional Briefing on PAHO's Response set Tuesday, April 16
A Congressional briefing on the health threats facing the Americas is scheduled on Capitol Hill Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. in Room EF-100, with officials from the Pan American Health Organization, the Global Health Council, the Caribbean Epidemiology Center, and the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission (more)

Living an Active Lifestyle Today is our Challenge
This year's theme for World Health Day, "Move for Health," recommends adopting an active lifestyle as an effective way of preventing such diseases as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular illnesses. There is no need to become an athlete, however; moderate physical activity practiced 30 minutes daily or on most days of the week can be highly beneficial for health. Given the importance of this celebration, PAHO's Publications Program is offering, at special reduced prices, a series of publications related to obesity, nutrition, and health promotion. (Online Bookstore)

Childhood Immunization: true investment in the health of nations
Vaccination to control and eradicate communicable diseases has a long history, dating back to 1796 when the first smallpox vaccine was developed. Today, PAHO continues to promote immunization for all children in the Americas, sooner rather than later. Without a doubt, childhood immunization is the most cost-effective health intervention, experts say. (more)

World Health Day Focuses on Active Lifestyles
World Health Day 2002, to be celebrated on 7 April, highlights the importance of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. A number of special events are planned in various countries of the Americas. (more)

Awards to Recognize Promotion of Tobacco-free Sports
Nominations are now being accepted for awards to honor efforts to reduce the link between tobacco and sports. The awards are part of the World No-Tobacco Day 2002 event. The deadline for nominations is 7 April. (more)

Disease Experts Call Antibiotic Resistance 'One of most serious problems' today; few drugs remain effective
Experts from throughout the Americas are spending two days discussing drug resistance, detecting disease outbreaks, bioterrorism, networks, viral diseases, TB, malaria, and related topics. The meeting, Southern Cone and Amazon Network Surveillance Joint Meeting on Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, was planned by the Pan American Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (more)

World Health Day Event set April 5 At Pan American Health Organization
The observance of World Health Day 2002, "Move for Health," will be held at the Pan American Health Organization in Washington on Friday April 5, 2002 at 9:30 a.m. (more)

Tuberculosis: "Captain of Men of Death" Closely Linked to Poverty
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a serious health problem in the Americas, where some 250,000 TB cases and nearly 20,000 deaths due to TB are reported annually. The highest rates are in the countries with the lowest incomes, with strong impact on personal and family income as well as the national economy. Tuberculosis is a serious public health challenge, not only because of its perennial toll of death and disease, but also because of its clear linkage with poverty. (more)

Video Advises on Volcano Risks, Preparedness
A PAHO video that is intended for health personnel provides information on the main health risks resulting from volcanic eruptions and on health sector preparedness to minimize damage. In the 20th century three of four deaths around the world that were caused by volcanic eruptions took place in Latin America and the Caribbean. (more)

World Tuberculosis Day Highlights the Relationship Between Tuberculosis and Poverty
"Stop TB, Fight Poverty," the theme of this year's World Tuberculosis Day, celebrated on 24 March, is intended to increase awareness all around the world of the link between tuberculosis and poverty. To help celebrate World Tuberculosis Day, the PAHO Publications Program is offering at a discounted price a series of publications related to tuberculosis and poverty. (Online Bookstore)

Emerging Disease Experts from Southern Cone, Amazon meet in Atlanta to discuss bioterrorism, networks, disease surveillance
A group of infectious disease experts from throughout the Americas will meet in Atlanta March 23-24, prior to the Emerging Infectious Disease Conference, to discuss detecting disease outbreaks, bioterrorism, networks, viral diseases, TB, malaria, and related topics. The meeting is called II Southern Cone and Amazon Network Surveillance Joint Meeting on Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases (more)

U.S. Celebrates PAHO Centennial
The United States Department of Health and Human Services celebrated the Centennial of the Pan American Health Organization on March 7, 2002 with a ceremony opening an exhibit at the National Library of Medicine. The HHS exhibit, "A 100-year quest for health in the Americas 1902-2002," consists of 12 panels outlining the history of the Organization, starting 100 years ago when the First General International Sanitary Convention of the American Republics met in Washington and created what became PAHO. (more)

Soper Award Goes to PAHO Revista/Journal Article by Argentine Researchers
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the Pan American Health Organization, awarded the Fred L. Soper Award for 2001 to two Argentine researchers, Mariana Sanmartino and Liliana Crocco, for an article on Chagas' disease that appeared in the March 2000 issue of the Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health, PAHO's monthly public health journal. (more)

New PAHO Publications Catalog Available
The PAHO Publications Catalog for 2002 has just been issued on the Internet in PDF format and can be immediately viewed and printed out at the PAHO Online Bookstore site. (more)

PAHO's Scientific and Technical Centers are Crucial for Public Health
The Pan American Health Organization's nine scientific and technical centers address subjects of extreme importance for the public health of the Region of the Americas. With expertise in a wide variety of areas, these centers do everything from help track disease to distribute scientific information, improve the environment, and build up expertise in nutrition, child health, and other key areas of technical cooperation among the countries. (more)

PAHO Program on Women, Health and Development Addresses Special Needs
Although public health programs take into account the problems of the general population and thus those of women, studies have shown that women have distinctive health problems that, for historical, cultural, and legal reasons, are often not recognized by these programs. In its quest for equity, PAHO established the Women, Health and Development Program to address these overlooked areas. (more)

Activities in Traditional Medicine in the Americas Profiled
A new PAHO report describes the results of a workshop held last year in Guatemala City to discuss policies, plans, and programs related to traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and therapies in the Americas. (more)

International Women's Day
Every year on 8 March we celebrate the International Women's Day. This occasion recognizes the important contribution of women to social development and justice at the local, national, and international levels. Given the importance role women play in positive social change in our Region, PAHO's Publications Program is offering a series of publications related to women's issues at specially reduced prices. (more)

PAHO Director Cites Importance of Food Safety at Commission meeting
Food safety is an increasingly important issue in the Americas with potential for negative impact on economic development and tourism if not handled properly, PAHO Director Dr. George Alleyne said at a meeting of the new Pan American Commission for Food Safety. The commission, which is holding its 2nd meeting at the Pan American Health Organization, includes representatives of the health and agriculture sectors from throughout the Americas and aims to help define regional policies and programs designed to improve food safety in the countries of the Americas. (more)

Blood Safety in the Americas: A Challenge for the New Millennium
The importance of the issue of blood safety in the Americas has become a central focus of social and economic interests, since guaranteeing that blood transfusions don't carry a risk of transmitting disease averts high expenditures on medical care. PAHO has launched a Regional Blood Safety Initiative, aimed at improving the quality of blood for transfusion in the Americas, emphasizing the promotion of voluntary blood donation and complete screening of donated blood. (more)

Report Summarizes Views on Assessing Health System Performance
A new PAHO document describes the results of a series of meetings held in the Region of the Americas to review the approach that the World Health Organization used in its “World Health Report 2000” to evaluate the performance of health systems of countries around the world. That WHO document has generated controversy and debate in a number of nations. (more)

Health Aspects of Biological & Chemical Weapons
The World Health Organization received numerous requests for information about the deliberate use of biological or chemical agents to cause harm. In response, WHO created a web page that groups in one place all the information they have published to date: the latest press releases, updated FAQ about biological and chemical agents, as well as links to other relevant information from WHO. (more)

Return of Dengue to the Americas Sounds Alert for Surveillance Systems
If there is one disease that proves the importance of continuous surveillance of infectious vectors, it is dengue, a disease now ravaging the Americas with new vigor, in spite of a temporary success in the eradication of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits the disease. The rapid expansion of dengue to new areas, especially in its most severe form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, makes it likely that in coming years the countries of the region will witness the highest levels ever seen of the disease. (more)

Managing Health Systems for Better Health: Experts Explore Stewardship Function of Health Ministries
PAHO experts met in Malaga, Spain to discuss the stewardship function of ministries of health in the context of health care reform. In a meeting organized by PAHO, the World Bank, the Spanish Ministry for Health and Consumer Affairs, and the IDB, more than 200 participants exchanged experiences on the responsibilities of health ministries in a variety of areas. These include financing public goods and health services and promoting healthy behaviors. They are also discussing monitoring health systems, regulating the health sector and enforcing compliance; and supplementing where the system does not work, such as protection of the poor. (more)

Cholera, an Unwelcome Guest, On Its Way Out
When cholera struck the Americas in 1991 for the first time in the 20th Century, it killed more than 4,000 people and sickened 400,000 in one year, sounding an alarm for urgent control of this pandemic, which has ravaged humanity for centuries. In response, PAHO diverted human, technical, and financial resources to combat cholera. These efforts resulted in a steep decline in the epidemic: as of December 2000, the number of cholera cases and deaths in the Region decreased to 2,703 cases and 40 deaths. (more)

Cervical Cancer: Fighting a Leading Killer in the Americas
Each year, more than 230,000 women die of cervical cancer, at least 80 percent of them in the developing world. Cervical cancer is the second-most common form of cancer in women (after breast cancer) worldwide; in developing countries, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. (more)

Mental Health. A Serious Problem, but One With a Solution
The stigma attached to mental illness in the Americas is receding as the new approaches and increased attention promoted by PAHO help bring mental health problems out of the shadows. Last years World Health Day, with the theme "Stop exclusion--Dare to care," was a milestone in PAHOs efforts to change the perception of government authorities and the public towards the social, economic, moral and humanitarian problems surrounding mental health. (more)

San Francisco Chronicle and Science Magazine Take PAHO Health Awards
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 prizes carry cash awards of $1,500 each. (more)

Global Alliance Meets on Elimination of Leprosy
There is a growing international consensus on the steps needed to eliminate the pain and social stigma of leprosy, but a high level of political and social commitment is still needed to cure those infected with this disease in countries where leprosy continues to be a serious public health problem. That is the message from all partners in the Global Alliance for the Elimination of Leprosy (GAEL) at their annual meeting in Brasilia, capital city of Brazil - one of six countries where leprosy remains a major public health issue. The others are India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar and Nepal. (more)

Bioethics: Is it Important for the Americas?
Given the many pressing challenges facing public health in Latin America and the Caribbean, bioethics might seem, to a layperson, a secondary concern best left to academicians. Not so, says Dr. Fernando Lolas, director of PAHO's Regional Program on Bioethics. Far from being merely an arcane philosophical niche with few real-life applications, he says, bioethics offers the most incisive and socially inclusive way of examining the pressing moral issues raised by medicine and public health today. (more)

New Guidelines for Epidemiological Surveillance of Violence and Injuries
In an effort to support knowledge, analysis, and decision-making relating to intentional and unintentional injuries in the Region of the Americas, PAHO recently published a book that presents guidelines on creating epidemiological surveillance systems on violence and injuries. The full text of the book can be viewed and printed for free. (more)

Regional Forum 2002 set for February 20-22 in Ocho Rios, Jamaica
The LACHSR Initiative's partner organizations and projects, in the face of new challenges and responsibilities that have emerged from the UN special section and other recent international meetings , have decided to launch a "Regional Forum on The Challenge of HIV/AIDS for the Reform and Strengthening of Health Systems and Services in LAC". This event will also serve as the WHO/AMRO regional consultation to "consolidate issues, actions and processes needed to strengthen health sector response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. (more - in PDF)

Animal Health: An Important Component of Public Health
Now that the fight against animal-transmitted diseases has achieved some success, the importance of public health programs in the area of veterinary public health has become clearer.To preserve the beneficial relationship between people and animals and reduce public health risks, the Pan American Health Organization's Veterinary Public Health Program provides direct support to the national programs of member countries in several key areas. (more)

New Database Provides References for PAHO Institutional Materials
An electronic database recently launched by PAHO, the PAHO Institutional Memory Database provides bibliographic references for some 30,000 official PAHO documents that have been created since the Organization was established in 1902. Some 4,000 of those documents are available in full-text format. (more)

Canadian Consulting Expertise Sought for Caribbean HIV/AIDS Project
PAHO seeks a Canadian individual, corporation, or other entity to assist in implementing a strategic plan for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. The consultant activity will be funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. The deadline for submitting a proposal is 15 February 2002. (more - in PDF)

Answers Provided on Biological Agents, Chemicals as Weapons
The Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response of the World Health Organization has prepared a set of frequently asked questions and answers to them regarding the deliberate use of biological agents and chemicals as weapons. (WHO Web Site)

Father Ernesto Martearena receives Clarence Moore Award 2001
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation presented this year's Clarence H. Moore Award for Voluntarism in Health Services to Father Ernesto Martearena and Programas Sociales Comunitarios for their outstanding volunteer work to improve the living conditions in the ethnic region of Salta, Argentina. Father Martearena was assassinated last October and the award was given posthumously, on December 18, at the Teatro Municipal of Salta. A certificate and cash prize of $2,500 were presented to the President of Programas Sociales Comunitarios, Mr. Jorge Alvarez. (more)

Aging: What Does the Future Hold?
Aging populations present the countries of the Americas with a rising challenge that extends beyond delivery of health services to include matters of age discrimination in such areas as health insurance, employment and education. Establishing and implementing policies that contribute to healthy aging are the main challenges of the 21st century for all the countries of the Americas, PAHO says in its report Policies for Healthy Aging in Latin America. (more)

AIDS: Present and Future of the Epidemic in the Americas
National health systems in the Americas could improve the way they handle the AIDS epidemic, as well as the way they provide care to individuals who have the disease, according to guidelines from the Pan American Health Organization. Nearly 2.6 million people in the Americas are infected with HIV. Of these, 1.3 million live in Latin America, 360,000 in the Caribbean, and almost 1 million in North America, according to the figures in Update on HIV/AIDS Surveillance in the Americas, the report of the joint WHO/PAHO/UNAIDS Working Group. (more)

Celebration of the Centennial of the Pan American Health Organization Launched in Washington, DC
On Monday January 7 PAHO launched the celebration of its 100th anniversary, marking a century since its founding in Washington, D.C., in 1902. PAHO Director Dr. George Alleyne was joined by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health Director Dr. Ivan Walks at PAHO headquarters in Washington, D.C., where the Organization received congratulations for its century of public health service in the Western Hemisphere. (more)

PAHO Centennial Web Page in Spanish Launched
The Pan American Health Organization has a new addition to its recently launched centennial Web page at www.paho.org/100. The Web page, part of the PAHO Web site, is now available in Spanish. Current features include: a message from the Director, a calendar of centennial events, profiles of the centennial advisory board members, entry forms and guidelines for the centennial contests, a media corner, a centennial archives and a virtual store. The site will be continuously updated and many new features will be added as we enter the centennial year. (more - in Spanish)

PAHO Will Kick Off Centennial: January 7, 2002
PAHO announces the launching of the Pan American Health Organization's 100th anniversary celebration. Special guests include Dr. David Satcher, US Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Ivan C.A. Walks, Chief Health Officer of the District of Columbia and Director of the DC Department of Health; Ms. Rea Blakey, Medical Reporter, CNN, and Mrs. Elsa Ochoa, former PAHO staff member. (more)

2000/2001 Headlines—>