PAHO News – October 2, 2003

PAHO News is also available on the Web!
http://www.csih.org/synergy/synergy.html

In this issue:
-EXPERTS ANALYZE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POVERTY, HEALTH AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
-WHO PUBLISHES RESULTS OF LARGEST-EVER GLOBAL COLLABORATION ON HEART
DISEASE
-ANNUAL HEALTH SUMMIT OF MINISTERS ENDS WITH FOCUS ON JOINT HEALTH
ACTIONS
-PAHO PLANS TO DEAL WITH POTENTIAL NEW INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC
-VIOLENCE A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE AMERICAS
-MINISTERS OF HEALTH HEAR ABOUT NEED TO STOP DRAMATIC PROGRESS OF DENGUE
-PROFESSIONAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT PAHO
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EXPERTS ANALYZE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POVERTY, HEALTH AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT Experts in health and economics are meeting this week to
analyze the incorporation of health variables into the measurement of
poverty, to find better ways to reduce poverty and improve health.
A workshop on "Improving the measurement of poverty in the Americas" is
being held at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO), with participants of the Expert Group on Poverty Statistics and
other experts from national statistics. For more information:
http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr030929.htm
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WHO PUBLISHES RESULTS OF LARGEST-EVER GLOBAL COLLABORATION ON HEART
DISEASE
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the result of the
largest-ever worldwide collaboration to study heart disease, the MONICA
Monograph and Multimedia Sourcebook. The launch was timed to coincide
with World Heart Day, on 28 September, whose theme “Women, heart disease
and stroke” aimed to draw urgent attention to the fact that
cardiovascular disease (CVD) does not occur only amongst men. Of the
16.5 million CVD deaths that occur annually, 8.6 million are among
women; heart attacks and strokes are responsible for twice as many
deaths in women as all cancers combined. For more information:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr72/en/
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ANNUAL HEALTH SUMMIT OF MINISTERS ENDS WITH FOCUS ON JOINT HEALTH
ACTIONS Ministers of health from all countries in the Americas wrapped
up their annual meeting September 26 with a new focus on joint health
actions, debating the best approaches to fight communicable diseases,
reduce violence, and improve primary health care and vaccination
programs.  This annual meeting of the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) Directing Council is a key moment for the health of the
hemisphere, during which ministers share experiences, and decide on
joint activities to combat new and old health issues. The spirit of the
meeting suggests that joint efforts and international solidarity are
essential in order to achieve concrete goals in public health. For more
information: http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr030926.htm
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PAHO PLANS TO DEAL WITH POTENTIAL NEW INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC
Hemispheric health ministers have supported the creation of a plan of
action for countries in the Americas to deal with the possible outbreak
of a new influenza epidemic, whose spread cannot be entirely halted but
merely limited.  “The possibility of the outbreak of a new influenza
virus strain is real and the nations of the Americas should be prepared
to deal with it,” said a report presented to hemispheric health
ministers at the Pan American Health Organization’s 44th Directing
Council meeting in Washington, D.C., last week.
The report said that the potential "sudden and marked change" in
influenza virus A should be considered one of "the greatest public
health concerns" in the Americas. For more
information:http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr030925a.htm
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VIOLENCE A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE AMERICAS
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in a report last week
to hemispheric health ministers that the American region experiences one
of the highest levels of violence; violence is a problem which, in turn,
dramatically affects the region’s social and health environments.
"Violence is a social and health problem that threatens the development
of nations, undermines the quality of life and erodes the social
fabric," said the report presented at the PAHO Directing Council, a
meeting of all the top health officials in the Americas.
"Although a global phenomenon, there is no doubt that the Region of the
Americas is one of the areas with the highest levels of violence, a
phenomenon that has had a significant negative impact, especially in
some countries" of the Western Hemisphere.  For more information:
http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr030925c.htm
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MINISTERS OF HEALTH HEAR ABOUT NEED TO STOP DRAMATIC PROGRESS OF DENGUE
Ministers of Health who met last week at the headquarters of the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, D.C. heard details on
integrated prevention and control strategies needed to face the growing
dengue epidemic.
The number of cases of dengue in the Americas skyrocketed from 393,260
in 1984 to 1,019,196 in 2002, according to PAHO experts. A serious
disease with a significant epidemiological impact, dengue, transmitted
by mosquitoes, has become a growing public health problem and its most
serious forms, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, have
been introduced into the Americas. While all countries with dengue
prevalence have implemented initiatives to fight the disease,
interventions have not controlled the problem and new strategies
involving health promotion and new partners are needed to strengthen
national programs, a PAHO expert said.
http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr030925b.htm
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PROFESSIONAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT PAHO
Administrative Officer: Port-of-Spain, T&T - Closing 10/21/03
Finance Officer: Washington, D.C. - Closing 10/15/03
Epidemiologist: El Paso, Texas - Closing 10/16/03
Regional Advisor on Vaccines & Biologicals: Washington, D.C. - Closing
10/24/03
Unit Chief, Communicable Diseases (CD): Washington, D.C. - Closing
10/24/03
Unit Chief, Health Policies and Systems (HP): Washington, D.C. - Closing
11/7/03
Regional Advisor on Health Migrating Population: Bogota, Colombia -
Closing 11/12/03
See http://pahoapl.paho.org/pahoexternalenglish/ASEPage_JobListMenu.asp
for more information.

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