--------------------------------------------------------
PAHO NEWS:  Press Releases, Job Vacancies, and Other
Information from the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) via the Canadian Society for International Health
(CSIH) [log in to unmask]; Technical Representative in
Canada for PAHO
--------------------------------------------------------
New Vaccines Could Have Huge Impact in Reducing Child
Deaths
--------------------------------------------------------
New vaccines already in use and in the pipeline for the
Americas could have a huge impact in reducing childhood
deaths, said the top vaccine expert at the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO).

In a presentation June 24 to PAHO's Executive Committee
in Washington, Dr. Ciro de Quadros said, "Over the next
five years we could cut infant mortality by one third,
"using new vaccines against HiB (Hemophilus Influenza
Type B), rotavirus (which kills some 30,000 children
annually in Latin America and the Caribbean), and
Streptococcus Pneumonia (which kills 33,000 children a
year).

By 1999, 90 per cent of children in the Americas will
live in countries where HiB vaccine is used, he pointed
out. Before an effective vaccine became available, there
were an estimated 20,000 invasive HiB infections per
year in the US, with up to 1,000 deaths. The number of
reported cases has dropped precipitously since 1990.  In
Latin America and the Caribbean, HiB is responsible for
some 20,000 deaths a year, Dr. de Quadros said.  The
cost of HiB vaccine has dropped from about $4 a dose to
less than $3 a dose, and it is now being used in
Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay,
Mexico and Brazil.  It will be introduced in several
other countries next year, he added.

Before widespread use of the HiB vaccine, the HiB germ
was a common cause of serious infections in children.
More than half of all children with HiB infection
developed meningitis.  Meningitis can cause brain
damage, learning and developmental problems, deafness
and blindness, and one in 20 children with meningitis
will die.

A vaccination calendar for the future could have as many
as 46 new vaccines for children, adolescents, adults,
travellers, and the elderly, Dr. de Quadros pointed out.
He commented that polio, eradicated from the Americas in
1991, is still absent from the continent but "we must
maintain vigilance until it is eradicated worldwide."
Measles is still at a low level, with 1,115 cases
confirmed so far in 1998, but there is danger of
importation from Europe, Asia and Africa.  The US,
Canada and most Latin American and Caribbean countries
have interrupted transmission of measles, with only
Argentina and Brazil reporting transmission at this
time, he said.

Rubella, or German measles, "could also be eradicated,"
and the Caribbean health ministers have agreed to
intensify vaccination of males and females five to 40
years old, he said.  Cuba has not had rubella cases for
two years, he noted.

For more information please contact the Office of Public
Information Tel (202) 974-3459, Fax (202) 974-314,
email: [log in to unmask]

--------------------------------------------------------
Jamaican Minister Outlines Health Priorities
--------------------------------------------------------
Jamaica faces the challenges of maintaining the gains it
has achieved in health while dealing with the transition
from communicable disease to chronic diseases, said
Jamaica's Minister of Health, John Junor, in a
presentation June 19 at PAHO's Washington headquarters.

"We need a health vision that is a final destination, a
manifesto for a quality society," Mr. Junor said.  He
said his vision for Jamaica in the 21st Century is one
in which the individual takes responsibility for his own
health, where healthy lifestyles are encouraged, where
there is a healthy environment with parks and open
spaces, and where health services are oriented toward
their clients and provided at low cost, with equity and
access for all.

Priority health programs in Jamaica include control of
chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer,
heart disease, asthma, and blindness, and control of
violence, especially domestic violence, and injuries
from road accidents, he said.  Other priorities are
mental health, drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse,
reproductive health, sexually-transmitted diseases and
HIV.  Health promotion and a healthy environment  are
key national priorities, Mr. Junor said.

Jamaica is currently studying a national health
insurance scheme and working on health sector reform,
including decentralization and integration of primary
and secondary care, he said, and the Ministry is also
very interested in new vaccines.

For more information, contact the Office of Public
Information:  Tel (202) 974-3459, Fax (202) 974-3143, e-
mail:  [log in to unmask]

--------------------------------------------------------
PAHO, IDB Agree on Collaboration to Improve Health
--------------------------------------------------------
Top officials of the Pan American Health Organization
and the Inter-American Development Bank have agreed to
explore ways to refine their collaboration to improve
the health of the people of the Americas.

PAHO director Dr. George A.O. Alleyne and IDB executive
vice-president Nancy Birdsall said the two organizations
would work to set a common agenda in health for the
region, and develop a menu of health interventions for
fast-track funding.  In the short term, PAHO and IDB
will hold seminars to discuss collaboration in health
matters such as health sector reform and vaccine
development, and will consult on ways to streamline
administrative and legal procedures.

"We need a partnership that will be beneficial to the
Americas," Dr. Alleyne said. "My preference would be to
see how we can give an inter-American response in the
areas that the Heads of State of the Americas requested
at the Santiago summit."

The Declaration of Santiago signed by the 34 leaders in
the hemisphere in Santiago last April said: "We will use
new technologies to improve the health conditions of
every family in the Americas, with the technical support
of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)."

Overcoming poverty continues to be the greatest
challenge confronted by our hemisphere, said the
leaders.  They agreed on a plan of action that will
focus on vaccines and immunization, information and
information systems, and environmental health
technologies.

The IDB's Birdsall said, "The best way to proceed is to
put together the people who are doing the work in the
trenches."  PAHO and the IDB should work on developing a
common agenda for health in the hemisphere by the next
decade in time for the IDB's annual meeting in the year
2000, she said.

The IDB, which has 46 member-nations, has mobilized
financing for projects that represent a total investment
of $206 billion. The Bank's annual lending has grown
from the $294 million in loans approved in 1961 to $6.7
billion in 1996.

The IDB-PAHO meeting was arranged by PAHO's External
Relations chief, Dr. Irene Klinger, and the IDB's
principal social development specialist, Dr. Alfredo
Solari, with top experts from both organizations.
Similar meetings to foster collaboration will be held
every six months.

The Pan American Health Organization was established in
1902 to collaborate with the countries of the Americas
to combat disease, lengthen life, and promote the
physical and mental health of their peoples.

For more information, contact PAHO's Office of Public
Information: Tel (202) 974-3459 Fax (202) 974-3143; e-
mail:  [log in to unmask]

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