PAHO News – June 25, 2002

In this issue:
-EQUITY AND PAN AMERICANISM: THE BASIC PILLARS OF PAHO
-THE PAHO CLARENCE H. MOORE AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE
-DENGUE IN EL SALVADOR
-CARIBBEAN HEALTH OFFICIALS DISCUSS AIDS DRUGS WITH PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANIES
-WHO LAUNCHES PROJECT TO PREVENT BLINDNESS IN CHILDREN
-EUROPE DECLARED POLIO-FREE
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EQUITY AND PAN AMERICANISM: THE BASIC PILLARS OF PAHO

Since 1995, the Pan American Health Organization has identified the
reduction of health inequities as the main goal of its technical
cooperation. PAHO's primary mission is to lead strategic collaborative
efforts among member countries and other partners to promote equity in
health, to combat disease, and to improve the quality and length of life
for peoples of the Americas. PAHO continues to encourage technical
cooperation among countries in health. The Organization has helped
countries work together for common goals and to initiate multi-country
efforts in health in Central America, the Caribbean, the Southern Cone,
and the Andean Region.
http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/100/100feature25.htm
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THE PAHO CLARENCE H. MOORE AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE

Throughout the Americas the role of civil society is growing.
Partnerships between civil society, the public sector, business and the
international community can be effective mechanisms for social
development. In the area of health, such partnerships are important
constructs for equity and sustainability.  To recognize the
contributions of the voluntary/non-governmental sector to the public
health mission and to improving the lives of the peoples of the
Americas, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation has
established the Clarence H. Moore Award. This award calls attention to
the achievements of NGOs operating in Latin America and the Caribbean in
areas of public health and celebrates the achievements of dedicated
volunteers. Candidates may be national or local non-governmental or
private voluntary organizations operating in Latin America or the
Caribbean, or individuals associated with them, whose work has resulted
in outstanding contributions in public health to the program of work of
the Pan American Health Organization. For more information on the
nomination process and the award, visit:
http://www.paho.org/English/PAHEF/moore.htm.  Nominations are due August
31, 2002.
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DENGUE IN EL SALVADOR

In recent months the incidence of dengue fever has worsened in El
Salvador, a trend that has turned combatting the disease into a national
priority. According to the PAHO/WHO Representative in El Salvador, by
June 15 the number of clinical cases of dengue reached 1301 (an
incidence rate of 20.28 per 100 thousand population), 92% (1200) of
which are the classical type and 8% (101) are of dengue hemorrhagic
fever (DHF). Children between the ages of 5 and 9 years are most
affected. To date, six children have died; four have been confirmed with
dengue, while the status of the other two is currently under study.  For
the full story, visit:
http://www.paho.org/English/PED/dengue_elsalvador.htm.
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CARIBBEAN HEALTH OFFICIALS DISCUSS AIDS DRUGS WITH PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANIES

Caribbean health officials are preparing for a series of negotiations
with pharmaceutical companies to supply antiretroviral drugs to
Caribbean countries, as part of an effort to reduce the severe impact of
HIV/AIDS there. Under the framework of the WHO/UNAIDS Accelerated Access
Initiative for the Caribbean, the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM),
jointly with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), is seeking to
obtain low-priced anti-retrovirals from the companies that manufacture
them. The Caribbean has reached the highest prevalence of HIV outside of
sub-Saharan Africa. With a population of more than 30 million, the
Caribbean has an estimated 500,000 people with HIV/AIDS, which is now
the major cause of death for the 15-to-44 age group in most of its
countries. According to PAHO estimates, about 80,000 Caribbean children
have been orphaned by AIDS. The small size of most Caribbean islands and
their fragile economic status makes them extremely vulnerable to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/pr020624.htm
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WHO LAUNCHES PROJECT TO PREVENT BLINDNESS IN CHILDREN

Every minute, one child goes blind somewhere in the world. Half of these
cases could be avoided. It is possible to save 250,000 children each
year. The World Health Organization has announced the launch of a
Project for the Prevention of Blindness in Children. The project is
financially supported by the Lions Clubs International Foundation, under
the auspices of its Lions SightFirst Program. Blindness and severe
visual impairment have far-reaching social, economic, and personal
implications. When they occur in children, they also pose serious
barriers to the development of the child at a formative stage.
http://www.who.int/inf/en/pr-2002-48.html
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EUROPE DECLARED POLIO-FREE

The European Region of the World Health Organization (WHO) was certified
polio-free at a meeting of the European Regional Commission for the
Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (RCC) in Copenhagen earlier
this month. For some 870 million people living in the Region’s 51 Member
States, this decision is the most important public health milestone of
the new millennium. The European Region has been free of indigenous
poliomyelitis for more than three years. Europe’s last case of
indigenous wild poliomyelitis occurred in eastern Turkey in 1998, when a
two-year-old unvaccinated boy was paralyzed by the virus. Poliovirus
imported from polio-endemic countries remains a threat.  The full press
release is available at:
http://www.who.int/inf/en/pr-EURO.2002-12.02.html.
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