In 1902, the vision of the 10 founding Member States of the International Sanitary Bureau—PAHO’s predecessor agency—was strongly focused on the critical importance of working together to monitor sanitary conditions at ports; study and investigate outbreaks of diseases such as yellow fever; ensure the widest possible protection of the public’s health to ensure disease elimination; and encourage and enforce essential sanitation and sanitary improvements to eliminate infections and vectors such as mosquitoes, especially at seaports.
PAHO has stayed true to this vision as those elements of the mission of our founding fathers continue to be part of our current and expanded mission to lead strategic collaborative efforts among Member States and other partners to promote equity in health, combat disease, and improve the quality of—and lengthen—the lives of the peoples of the Americas.