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PAHO NEWS:  Press Releases, Job Vacancies, and Other
Information from the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) via the Canadian Society for International Health
(CSIH) http://www.csih.org; Technical Representative in
Canada for PAHO
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Enfermeria en las Americas / Nursing in the Americas /
Enfermagem nas Americas
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PAHO is pleased to announce its most recent Scientific
Publication: "Nursing in the Americas."  As we move
towards the Twenty-First Century, nurses will continue to
play a predominant role in helping to develop better and
more equitable public health services for the most
vulnerable population groups.  "Nursing in the Americas"
highlights nursing's progress and achievements in the
Region of the Americas and reflects on what the nursing
community can do in the future to bridge the gaps of
inequality in all communities.

This 270-page publication is composed of 21 articles that
examine such issues as health in development, innovative
strategies for addressing priority problems, the
organization and management of health services,
education, and research as they pertain to nursing.  The
articles appear in Spanish, English, or Portuguese,
depending on the native language of the author(s) and
abstracts are provided in the other languages for broad
application by all health profesionals in the Americas.

1999, ISBN 92 75 11571 0 Order Code: PC 571 US$25 (US$20
in Latin America & Caribbean).  For more information
contact [log in to unmask] or fax (202) 338-0869.

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Pregnancy Risk is Greater for Disadvantaged Teens in
Latin America and the Caribbean
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Washington, DC, August 13, 1999- While teen pregnancy is
a problem faced by nearly every country in the Western
Hemisphere, demographic data indicate that poverty
increases the risk of pregnancy among young women between
the ages of 15 and 19, according to the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO). Some 70 percent of pregnant
teens in countries with medium-to-high fertility rates
belong to the most disadvantaged groups, and these
numbers are even higher in rural areas.

Children born to teenage mothers have poorer nutrition,
are less likely to attend kindergarten in their early
years, and exhibit poorer psychomotor development than do
children born to adult women, according to Dr. Matilde
Maddaleno, Regional Adviser on Adolescent Health at PAHO
in Washington. Studies indicate that in both Chile and
Mexico, 75 percent of women who have children before the
age of 20 are themselves the daughters of teenage
mothers. These women generally earn less because they are
young and female, work longer hours, and have greater
difficulty securing the resources needed to raise their
children.

Effectively tackling the problem of teen pregnancy
involves breaking the cycle of poverty; however, poverty
alone cannot be considered the determining factor in teen
pregnancy. "People have the capacity to deal with
difficult situations and come out of them stronger; this
inner strength is what we call 'resilience,' and it has a
lot to do with the individual circumstances of each
person, such as the support received from adults, the
family, and the community--and perhaps even the ability
to meet the challenges that life throws our way every
day," affirms Dr. Maddaleno.

This week PAHO is holding an international conference in
Brazil to discuss ways to help governments develop
technical and political strategies to combat the problem
of teen pregnancy. Attending the conference are
representatives from the Brazilian Ministries of Health
and Education, the Minister of the Secretariat on Women
of Paraguay, experts from Latin America, Europe, and
Africa, members of the Brazilian National Congress, and
professionals working in programming geared to teens at
the major Brazilian television networks.

In the political sphere, Dr. Maddaleno suggested that
parliamentary discussions be organized and parliamentary
commissions that include young people be created in order
to discuss adolescent health and development, with an
emphasis on preventing pregnancy. Furthermore, calling
attention to the media's impact on adolescent behavior
and values, she proposed that broadcasters and health
professionals alike be trained in social communication
techniques specifically adapted for adolescents.

Dr. Maddaleno also said that the quality of health
services coverage for adolescents must be improved.
Health promotion and prevention activities should be
emphasized, along with training programs for health
personnel, particularly those working at the primary care
level. She also recommended that sexuality issues be
included in the university curriculum for occupations
that work directly with adolescents.

The Pan American Health Organization, which also serves
as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World
Health Organization, works with all the countries of the
Americas to improve the health and raise the living
standards of their peoples.

For further information contact: Daniel Epstein, tel
(202) 974-3459 , fax (202) 974-3143, Office of Public
Information,[log in to unmask]  http://www.paho.org., or
Carlos Wilson de Andrade in Brasilia, 55 61 312 6565

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1999 State of the Future : Challenges we face at the
millennium
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Edited by Jerome C. Glenn and Theodore J. Gordon.
American Council for the United Nations University, The
Millennium Project.

This report is the third in an annual series intended to
provide a context for global thinking and improved
understanding of global challenges and strategies as we
move toward the Millennium.   More than 550 participants
have contributed to this report that includes an analysis
of global challentes, actions and a range of views; early
warning and timely actions; morals and ethics in decision
making; scenario research and the environmental security
study.

For more information about the work of the American
Council for the United Nations University and this
report, please contact:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/4787

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Health Promoting Schools
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PAHO is pleased to announce the launch of our new Website
"Health  Promoting Schools", which could be easily
accessed in English and  Spanish at the following URL
addresses:

http://www.paho.org/english/hpp/hs_home.htm
http://www.paho.org/spanish/hpp/hs_home.htm

The Website features interesting sections such as:
Information on the schools initiative, news on current
related issues, a calendar of meetings, activities of
Partners and Collaborating Centers, important events in
the countries, training materials, videos, publications,
network information, and related internet resources.

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This document is available, with full formatting and
accents, at http://www.csih.org/paho_ndx.html