PAHO News –August 28, 2003

 

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

 

In this issue:

–PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGNAIZATION JOINS UN FAMILY IN MOURNING

-THEME FOR WORLD HEALTH DAY 2004 IS ROAD SAFETY

-REPORT OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC INJURIES AND HEALTH EQUITY CONFERENCE

-LATINO COMMUNITY IN US AMONG THE MOST AFFECTED BY OBESITY EPIDEMIC 

–THE DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE

-CENTRAL AMERICA: A CHOLERA-FREE REGION, PAHO OFFICIAL SAYS

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PAHO JOINS UN FAMILY IN MOURNING

The Pan American Health Organization joins the United Nations family in
grieving the deaths August 19 in Iraq of UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello
and other victims of a suicide bomb attack. According to news reports,
at least 20 people were killed and some 100 wounded. 

 

"These are tragic events, and we mourn the loss of those who were doing
their jobs, seeking to help the Iraqis, when the bomb exploded at the
hotel where the UN was based," says PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses.
"Words cannot carry our grief nor the deep suffering of their families."

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THEME FOR WORLD HEALTH DAY 2004 IS ROAD SAFETY

Around the globe on World Health Day, April 7, 2004, hundreds of
organizations will host events to help raise awareness about road
traffic injuries, their grave consequences and enormous costs to
society. Road traffic injuries constitute a major public health problem.
They cause an estimated l,l7l,000 deaths annually and many more cases of
disability.  They happen to people from all economic groups but more
often to the poor.  When injured, the poor also have less chance of
survival and full recovery.  Historically road traffic injuries have
been neglected because injuries have been seen as accidents or random
events. Now, injuries are known to be preventable. Seat belts, child car
seats, motorcycle helmets, designated drivers, traffic calming, etc.
have all proved effective at preventing these types of injury. Most
traffic-related injury prevention efforts have been in the wealthier
countries. Yet, other countries have higher rates of death and permanent
disability resulting from collisions. In these countries, there is an
urgent need for strategies that are appropriate, cost-efficient and
effective. Website: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2004/en/ 

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REPORT OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC INJURIES AND HEALTH EQUITY CONFERENCE

The purpose of this conference, held April 10-12, 2002, in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, was to review the current status of road traffic injuries
in developing countries, assess interventions that could significantly
reduce the burden of such injuries, and develop a multi-country
intervention plan for research and action. Conference participants
proposed six areas for future research and action on road traffic
injuries in developing countries: injury surveillance systems; systems
for protecting vulnerable population groups; mechanisms for national
road safety enforcement; minimum essential trauma care packages;
advocacy and political engagement; and capacity development.

The conference report is available online as PDf file [18 p.] at:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hcpds/RTI_conf_report.pdf 

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LATINO COMMUNITY IN US AMONG THE MOST AFFECTED BY OBESITY EPIDEMIC 

The growing Latino community in the U.S. is one of the most affected by
obesity, according to PAHO Deputy Director Dr. Joxel Garcia. Obesity has
risen at an epidemic rate in the U.S. over the past 20 years. But beyond
the Latino community, obesity in a growing problem generally and it cuts
across cultural and ethnic lines. "Obesity is becoming a major epidemic
not only in the United States but in the rest of the world,” said Garcia
in an interview. “The entire world is being affected. The problem has
become much more visible because it is affecting everybody in our
countries. In the United States, 20 percent of older men and 25 percent
of older women are considered obese. And those are amazing numbers." For
more information, visit: http://www.paho.org

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THE DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE

This is a global initiative organized by the Médecins Sans Frontières'
Drugs for Neglected Diseases Working Group to develop drugs for those in
need. The DNDi aims to take the development of drugs for neglected
diseases out of the marketplace and encourage the public sector to
assume greater responsibility. It aspires to harness public and private
sector resources with new science and technology, to meet a needs-based
research and development agenda for drugs for neglected disease. This is
reflected in the constitution of its Founding Partners that currently
include Médecins Sans Frontières, WHO/TDR, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/ Far
Manguinhos (Brazil), the Indian Council of Medical Research (India),
Institut Pasteur (France), and the Ministry of Health (Malaysia). An
additional Founding Partner will be identified within the African DNDi
network, while efforts are also underway to ensure patient
representation. The initiative will catalyze and coordinate research and
manage drug development projects. It will outsource most R&D activities
- from discovery through predevelopment to development, including
clinical trials - while maintaining leadership over the process.  For
more information, visit the DNDi website:
http://www.accessmed-msf.org/dnd/dndi.asp  

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CENTRAL AMERICA: A CHOLERA-FREE REGION, PAHO OFFICIAL SAYS

During her visit to Panama last week, Pan American Health Organization
Director Dr. Mirta Roses said PAHO expects to announce this December
that Central America is now a cholera-free region. The announcement will
likely coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Costa del Sol
Declaration signed in El Salvador on December 6, 1998, in the aftermath
of the destructive Hurricane Mitch. The last recorded case of cholera in
Central America was identified in Guatemala in March of 2002.

 

On a three-nation Latin American tour, Dr. Roses took part in a meeting
in Panama of the Central American and Dominican Republic Health Sector,
known for its Spanish-language acronym RESSCAD. RESSCAD is made up of
regional health ministers and high officials of the health sector.
During the one-day meeting, delegates addressed common health problems
and shared successful experiences. RESSCAD believes that dealing jointly
with health problems will have a greater impact than if it is done on an
individual basis. For more information, visit: www.paho/org/news 

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