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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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Final Push set in Measles Eradication Plan: Press
Conference Set April 30 in Washington
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Immunization experts are planning a final push in the
plan to eradicate measles from the Americas, with a
collaborative effort set for launching this Friday at
the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
PAHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) are planning to join forces in the
final stages of measles eradication, said Dr. Ciro de
Quadros, Director of PAHO's Division of Vaccines and
Immunization.
Already, regional vaccine campaigns save the lives of
more than 200,000 children in Latin America and the
Caribbean each year, according to Dr. De Quadros, and
over 80 percent of children in the Americas under 1 year
old are vaccinated against diphtheria, pertussis
(whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles and
tuberculosis.
"We now face a critical juncture" in the measles
eradication plan, Dr. de Quadros said. "We have made
tremendous progress in reducing measles cases, but we
face the danger of importation of measles, so we need to
improve surveillance in various countries and maintain
our vaccination rates high."
When PAHO's Expanded Program on Immunization started 20
years ago, only 25 percent of children were vaccinated.
"Thanks to the broad-based support in the hemisphere in
promoting vaccination, the Americas are the only region
in the world to have eliminated polio and are on track
to eradicating measles - which kills 1 million people
worldwide each year - by 2000," Dr. de Quadros noted.
The measles eradication plan aims for 95 percent
vaccination coverage in all districts of all countries
in the region and periodic follow-up campaigns targeting
pre-school children
Since 1994, when Ministers of Health of the Americas
adopted the goal of eradicating measles from the Western
Hemisphere by the year 2000, the countries have made
tremendous progress. PAHO's campaign to eliminate
measles from the Americas by the year 2000 succeeded in
cutting cases from 250,000 in 1990 to 2,109 in 1996.
However, staggered outbreaks occurred in Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil and other countries last year, resulting
in over 10,000 confirmed measles cases. So far in 1999,
there have been less than 200 cases of measles in the
Americas.
NOTE FOR THE MEDIA: A press conference is planned in
conjunction with the PAHO-CDC measles initiative, at
11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 30 at the Pan American
Health Organization, 525 23rd St., NW, in Washington.
Speakers include Dr. George Alleyne, Director of PAHO;
Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, Director of the CDC; Dr. Ciro de
Quadros, Director of PAHO's Division of Vaccines and
Immunization; and Dr. Walter Orenstein, Director of the
CDC's National Immunization Program.
The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902,
works with all the countries of the Americas to improve
the health of their peoples and raise their living
standards. It serves as the Regional Office for the
Americas of the World Health Organization.
For further information contact: Daniel Epstein, tel.
(202) 974-3459, fax (202) 974-3143, Office of Public
Information, email [log in to unmask] http://www.paho.org
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PAHO Vacancy Notices
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Post Title: Finance Officer; Level: P.2; Post Number:
.5300; Issue Date: 19 April 1999; Closing Date: 31 May
1999; Duty Station: Washington, D.C. Tenure: Two years,
first year probationary period Division/Program/Office:
Department of Budget and Finance (ABF) Treasury Unit
(ABF/TSY)
Salary Information: Basic Salary: $35,598 at single
rate; Post Adjustment: $5,874 at single rate
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Education: A university degree
from a recognized university in business administration,
accounting, finance, or a related field. Experience:
Five years experience in accounting or financial
management in the private or public sector; experience
in treasury and/or banking operations would be an asset.
Languages: Very good knowledge of English. A working
knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.
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Post Title: Media/Communications Advisor; Level: P.4;
Post Number: 4.4732; Issue Date: 19 April 1999; Closing
Date: 31 May 1999. Duty Station: Bridgetown, Barbados;
Tenure: Two years, first year probationary period;
Division/Program/Office: Division of Health Promotion
and Protection (HPP); Family Health and Population
Program (HPF)
Salary Information: Basic Salary: $50,767 at single
rate; Post Adjustment: $18,327 at single rate;
Hardship/Mobility: $2,211 at single rate
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Education: A combination of a
Bachelor's and a Master's degree in journalism and one
of the following fields: public relations,
communications, social communications, health
communications, social psychology or a related field.
Experience: A combination of nine years experience at
the national and international level in journalism,
preferably health journalism, and one or more of the
following fields: communications for development
projects, corporate communications, public relations
management, social communications, advertising.
Experience should include planning, implementing and
evaluating programs which require experience in the use
of computer technology. Experience in the Caribbean
would be an asset. Languages: Very good knowledge of
English. Knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.
For more information, contact: Pan American Health
Organization / World Health Organization 525 Twenty-
Third Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037 USA Fax
(202) 974-3379 Telephone (202) 974-3396 Vacancy
Hotline: (202) 974-3333 http://www.paho.org
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This document is available, with full formatting and
accents, at http://www.csih.org/paho_ndx.html
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