José Ángel Córdova Villalobos, Mexico's Secretary of Health, talks about his role as the new president of PAHO's Directing Council, evaluates his country's response to the influenza pandemic, highlights the importance of building safe hospitals, analiyzes the main health challenges in the Americas, and sends a message to all member states of the Pan American Health...

The Health Ministers of the Americas pledged to work to improve the right to the highest attainable standard of health and other human rights related to vulnerable groups such as people with mental disorders, the elderly, those living with disabilities, women and adolescents, people living with HIV, and indigenous peoples, among others. In this sense, they will work with governmental human rights organizations in their countries to assess and monitor the implementation of international human...

In recent decades, overweight and childhood obesity have increased in Canada, where the number of children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years suffering from overweight and obesity has increased from 15% in 1979 to 26% in 2004. Thus, more than 1 in 4 Canadian children are overweight or obese....

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They emphasize the importance of training for health professionals and of primary care to ensure the health of the population. Some have raised concern over the lack of continuous connectivity and high technology costs; however, they support the initiative to create Internet-based networks and the sharing of teaching resources. And they call for the implementation and enforcement of WHO's code of practice on the international recruitment of health...

They agreed to work together to identify technological solutions that can benefit public health in Haiti. Representatives of these countries, along with the Deputy Director of PAHO, Jon Andrus, and the manager of Knowledge Management and Communications of PAHO, Marcelo D'Agostino, participated in the discussion. Link: eHealth PAHO...

The Ministry of Health of Brazil, ANVISA and PAHO commit to strengthen regional cooperation in pharmaceutical regulatory systems and health surveillance. During the 50th Meeting of the Directing Council, the Pan American Health Organization signed a framework cooperation agreement today with the Ministry of Health of Brazil (MS), the Brazilian Agency for National Health Surveillance (ANVISA) that will strengthen regional cooperation in Brazil and the Americas in health surveillance, and...

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The Executive Committee supports the effectiveness of immunization programs and supports efforts to strengthen PAHO; it also emphasizes the monitoring of procedures to alleviate public concern over some vaccines. It mentions the interest of some countries in considering immunizations as a public good, while acknowledging that some already have designated them as such achieving the eradication of polio, rubella, congenital rubella, among others....

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In order to review advances in the six countries of the Americas that receive support of the Global Alliances Vaccine Immunization (GAVI) members of PAHO, GAVI and ministers of health of Haiti, Honduras, Cuba, Nicaragua, Guyana and Bolivia met today....

In Thursday's plenary session the delegations will present their proposals on intersectoral issues, the role of the ministries of health, climate change and PAHO's...

Cigarette makers and their allies try to block legislation aimed at reducing tobacco consumption and exposure to second-hand smoke. Ministers of Health called on PAHO to help strengthen their ability to implement tobacco control measures, particularly those contained in the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)....

The director of the Office of Global Health of the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States recounted that the policies developed in New York, where mortality is higher in the poor areas that in those of better income, managed to improve life expectancy of the inhabitants, but clarified that despite the progress inequalities persist regardless of income or ethnicity of the people....

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXJVbhJcKZI...

Jacob Kumaresan, director of the Kobe Center in WHO, highlighted that in cities there are from 8 to 10 times more physicians than in rural areas. He also mentioned the fast pace urban growth surpasses the ability of the available services to provide a adequate...

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José Ángel Córdova Villalobos invited Mirta Roses and other representatives of the Pan American Health Organization to participate in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16) to be held next December in Mexican city of Cancun....

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Following the report that PAHO's Executive Committee delivered on it's work, where it details progress made in relation to PAHO's expected results, different countries in the voices of its ministers or delegates offered their comments....

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These countries replace Bolivia, Mexico and Suriname, after the expiry of their mandates. The Committee is composed of 9 members states who remain in office for a period of 3 years. After that time, they must wait a year for...

With the intention of sharing work experiences and advances in their respective nutrition projects, four ministers in attendance of the 50th Directing Council, met with the Assistant Director of PAHO, Dr. Socorro Gross....

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoG1j-XwFxU Dr. Martinez describes Paraguay's commitment to PAHO's Revolving Fund, and highlights the continued efforts by the public sector and civil society to maintain gains made in the area of smoke-free...