Representatives from 11 countries of the Americas “gave birth” to the International Sanitary Bureau, an organization that would be later called the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Since the very beginning, its mission has been to bring health to all the peoples of the Americas.
Countries of the Americas, particularly small island states in the Caribbean are increasingly on the frontlines of climate change. This year, a number of initiatives were implemented to strengthen countries health systems and ensure that populations are protected and able to access care even during and following a disaster.
Feb: Hospitals and health centers in Belize are retrofitted to become “green” and disaster resilient thanks to the Smart Health Facilities Project.
May: Small island States in the Caribbean develop the Action Plan on Health and Climate Change to strengthen health systems and protect populations against heatwaves, storms, hurricanes, droughts, floods and outbreaks of disease.
July: PAHO and the Caribbean Development Bank launch “Stronger Together” campaign in Barbados to assist communities with coping with the psychological impact of disasters
A quarter of the population of the Americas are youth – that’s around 237 million people! Yet despite being a priority demographic, mortality rates have only slightly reduced since 2000. Homicide, road traffic accidents and suicide cause half of all deaths of young people in the Americas. A new report offers recommendations to improve their health and engage young people as agents of change in their countries and communities.
Health for all will only be achieved through models of care based on primary health. A new Regional Compact on Primary Health Care for Universal Health: PHC 30.30.30 outlines targets to enable countries to accelerate access to care and increase funding.
A report from PAHO outlines 10 recommendations to achieve health for all in the Americas.
Countries in the Americas have shown regional solidarity for migrants, but high demand for health services, lack of resources, and the re-emergence of diseases is putting health care systems under pressure. A series of interventions from PAHO aims to integrate migrant health needs into national policies and programs, and bridge short-term emergency response and long-term actions for integration.
On October 24, World Polio Day, PAHO celebrated 25 years of being celebrated polio-free in the Americas. Vaccination coverage in children under the age of 1 increased from 25% in 1978 to over 80% in 1993. Poliomyelitis was the second vaccine-preventable disease to be eliminated from the Americas (in 1994), preceded by smallpox in 1971.