Dr. Marcos Espinal, Area Manager of Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at PAHO, thanks all the countries for their contributions and congratulates them on their advances, but not before reminding them to continue to strengthen surveillance systems and the vaccination processes for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women.

PAHO Director Mirta Roses called on countries to “remain vigilant” after controlling the last H1N1 influenza pandemic. She stated that given the capacity for change that the influenza virus has, the possibility of the emergence of a new influenza virus worse than the H1N1 exists.

The representatives of the PAHO Member States share the actions carried out during the last influenza pandemic.

The representatives of the ministries of health of the Americas that participate in the PAHO’s 50th Directing Council discussed the implementation of the Regulation in their countries, the efforts made toward its implementation, and its importance after the last flu pandemic that crossed borders. Diseases can spread far and wide at the mercy of travel and international trade.

PAHO’s Assistant Director, Socorro Gross, presented to the countries the final document of the roundtable discussion on the topic. Highlited was the need to work to address the effects of urbanization on health and the impact of climate change.

After four days of debate and analysis of the health situation of the Americas and the health agenda in the Region, ministers and representatives of the States begin the last day of the current session of the Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization.

Health ministers from all around the American continent today called for renewed efforts to make hospitals safer in case of disasters, so they can continue to provide health services in times of urgent need.

The parasitic disease is endemic to 21 countries in the Americas. With an annual incidence of 41,000 cases in the Region, it is estimated that Chagas disease affects about 8 million people and causes on average about 12,000 deaths each year. During the 50th Meeting of PAHO’s Directing Councel, Member States undertook to carry out a strategy to cope with the disease. They will strengthen ties with institutions in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

PAHO Director, Dr. Mirta Roses, met with Colombia’s new Minister of Social Protection, Mauricio Santamaria, and offered the support of the Pan American Health Organization to the new ministerial management.

Every year 160 thousand cases of congenital syphilis and 9 thousand cases of HIV in children are reported in Latin America and the Caribbean. The countries will seek to eliminate these diseases by 2015.

In support of the resolution of the Strategy and Plan of Action for the Reduction of Chronic Malnutrition, ministers and delegates spoke out about projects and programs established in their respective countries.

PAHO Director, Dr. Mirta Roses, and the Peruvian Minister of Health, Oscar Ugarte Ubilluz, today signed an agreement to establish in that country a Regional Task Force on Water and Sanitation (ETRAS by its Spanish acronym) for the purpose of advising countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in basic sanitation, with emphasis on neglected and vector-borne diseases and on improving living conditions in general.

PAHO Director, Dr. Mirta Roses, awarded the gavel to Mexico’s Secretary of Health , Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, as a recognition of excellent work during the management of the work of the 50th Directing Council.

Haiti’s Minister of Health, Alex Larsen, describes the impact of the Jan. 12 earthquake on the country’s infrastructure and health sector. He says support from partners such as PAHO/WHO for vaccination campaigns and other public health measures helped Haiti avoid epidemic outbreaks, despite the large numbers of people living in temporary settlements. About 75 percent of the infrastructure in three departments was destroyed or seriously damaged, and the country lost important human resources. About 200 students from the main nursing school in the capital were killed in the quake. Current needs are mostly for mid-level personnel, such as vaccination workers and public health inspectors, as well as pharmacist assistants and dental assistants.

Washington, D.C., September 30, 2010 (PAHO) — Health officials from throughout the Americas said they would work with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to strengthen the capacities of their national regulatory authorities to guarantee the quality, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products.

To view press release.

Dr. Jose Luis Di Fabio, manager of PAHO’s Health Systems based on Primary Health Care Area, presented the technical paper the Member States.

Representatives of the delegations from the countries welcomed addressing the topic during the Directing Council.

Health leaders debated the concept of human security and its relationship with health on the fourth day of the 50th PAHO Directing Council. As opposed to national or military security, human security is concerned with the ability of individuals, families and communities to live free from fear and from want: to have job or income security, food security, freedom from aggression, and access to basic opportunities to live productive and dignified lives. Health is an integral part of human security and is intricately linked with its other components, including political, social, economic, and environmental.

The coat of arms has five stars, representing the Netherlands Antilles, a group of Caribbean islands that form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and that on October 10th finalize their dissolution.

Aruba was the first of these islands to travel that road 25 years ago, the same road now traveled by San Martin, Curacao, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius.

Mirta Roses and Omayra Leeflang shared a historic meeting. The Dutch Antilles are negotiating their dissolution from the Netherlands, which is scheduled for October 10th.

Leeflang considers the relationship with PAHO as “very important” to ensure health on the islands after the break and thanked PAHO for the technical assistance provided in response to the last flu pandemic. “Preparations were effective and timely, so we were prepared to make it through the process,” she said.

PAHO’s Director assured her that the Organization will continue to provided technical cooperation to San Martin, Curacao, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. “The transition is a sensitive time and I assure you that we will continue supporting countries,” said Dr. Roses.

Dr. Gutierrez, Area Manager of Planning, Budget and Resource Coordination at PAHO, presented to the 50th Directing Council the guiding principles and the different options for upgrading the management information system of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PMIS). He reported on the recent meetings held with the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations High Commissioner for the Refugees, as well as with the companies Oracle and SAP, two major suppliers of integrated management information systems, to collect the necessary information so that the Directing Council makes the most advisable decision for the Organization.

Mexico’s Secretary of Health, Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, presented to his peers in the other countries of the Americas, the Mexican experience in reducing chronic diseases through diet and physical activity.

Córdova Villalobos, currently President of PAHO’s Directing Council, said that “among us we can build a global policy to tackle the obesity epidemic.”

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 Organization

Javier Vasquez, PAHO advisor on human rights and law, explains how human rights standards and treaties can help public health advocates highlight the responsibilities of states to protect health as a basic human right. Ministers of health from countries throughout the Americas endorsed the approach this week during PAHO’s 50th Directing Council meeting, pledging to work with governmental human rights agencies to evaluate and monitor the implementation of international treaties and standards, particularly as they relate to the right to health for vulnerable groups, including people with mental disorders or disabilities, older people, women and adolescents, people with HIV and indigenous people.

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 rights instruments related to health.

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.

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 personnel.

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 Portal

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 pharmaceutical regulation.

English version will be available soon.