Representatives from Ministries of Health of Andean Region countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) and from the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay) met to define a strategic plan for interagency coordination on disaster management issues in the health sector. In the Southern Cone countries, cooperation will revolve around mapping health risks and vulnerability; hospital disaster planning; damage and needs assessment as a result of flooding; humanitarian supply management and promotion of a regional disaster health information network. The Andean Region will focus on most of these same areas and also include virtual disaster libraries and epidemiological surveillance in border areas. A joint plan of action among the Health Ministries, the Red Cross and PAHO in the two subregions will target several specific areas: gender and disasters as a crosscutting component in preparedness, mitigation and response plans; evaluating post-disaster damage in the health sector and logistics; and information, communication and connectivity. For more information, contact Dr. Alejandro Santander at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.