PAHO News -- March 6, 2003

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

In this issue:
-WEB PAGE FOR WORLD HEALTH DAY 2003 IS NOW AVAILABLE!
-NEW JOURNAL: COST EFFECTIVENESS AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION
-JAPAN PARTICIPATING ACTIVELY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHAGAS' DISEASE
-NATIONAL BLOOD SYSTEMS URGED TO IMPROVE QUALITY AND ACCESS
-NEW WEBSITE FOR PAHO'S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RELIEF
PROGRAM!
-CENTRAL AMERICA TO BE DECLARED FREE OF CHOLERA
-NEW WHO PUBLICATION: SUMMARY MEASURES OF POPULATION HEALTH
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WEB PAGE FOR WORLD HEALTH DAY 2003 IS NOW AVAILABLE!

CSIH, on behalf of the Pan American Health Organization, invites all
health partners to consider marking "Health in the Americas Week," April
7-14, with an event of their own.  World Health Day starts the week off
on April 7th.  This year's World Health Day theme is "Shape the Future
of Life: Healthy Environments for Children."  The idea is to highlight
the critical need to create safe, healthy environments that allow
children to grow into healthy adults. A new web site was created for the
occasion with frequently updated content, background information, press
and multimedia features, a message from the Director of the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO), and a lot more.  For more information or
help in planning your event, visit the PAHO website:
http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/whd03_main.htm.
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NEW JOURNAL: COST EFFECTIVENESS AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION

The new journal Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation has been
launched by BioMed Central, an independent publishing house committed to
providing immediate free access to peer-reviewed biomedical research.
This open access, online journal publishes papers on all aspects of
cost-effectiveness analysis, including conceptual or methodological
tools and developments, trial-based or modelling-based economic analyses
of current or new health care technologies, and policy analysis related
to resource allocation and health care financing at a national or
international level. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation is
interested in publishing a wide range of manuscripts presenting original
research, reviews or commentaries. For further information, visit the
journal website: www.resource-allocation.com.
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JAPAN PARTICIPATING ACTIVELY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHAGAS' DISEASE

In the battle to end Chagas' disease in the Americas, Japan is an
important participant through its Japanese International Cooperation
Agency (JICA). Together with the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO), the Japanese agency is working with the governments of Honduras,
El Salvador, and Guatemala to interrupt transmission of the disease by
2010. Chagas' disease is considered a central public health problem in
Latin America, where it is estimated that 16 to 18 million people are
affected and another 100 million people are at high risk. Since there is
no available vaccine, control and eradication of the insect vector are
the only tools against the disease. For the full press release, visit:
http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/pr030303.htm.
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NATIONAL BLOOD SYSTEMS URGED TO IMPROVE QUALITY AND ACCESS

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Conference on Safe Blood
took place in Washington during the last week of February.  Safe blood
continues to be a central theme in the Americas, where blood collection
and screening has improved, but better quality control is still needed.
How much blood does a country need? According to the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the Red Cross, to meet its needs a country should
collect blood units equivalent to 5 percent of its population. In the
Americas, only Cuba achieves this percentage. The United States and
Curaçao reach 4 percent, and the majority of the countries barely reach
1.5 percent.  For the full press release, visit:
http://www.paho.org/english/dpi/pr030228.htm.
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NEW WEBSITE FOR PAHO'S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RELIEF
PROGRAM!

The Pan American Health Organization’s Program on Emergency Preparedness
and Disaster Relief is pleased to announce that the SUMA website has
been given a complete facelift!  The new website is more dynamic and
interactive, and will allow for better and quicker service.
Visit the new website at:  http://www.disaster-info.net/SUMA.
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CENTRAL AMERICA TO BE DECLARED FREE OF CHOLERA

In her first official trip as director of the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), Dr. Mirta Roses Periago announced in El Salvador
that Central America will be declared free of cholera this year. In an
interview after participating in the inauguration of the Center of
Research and Development in Health (CENSALUD), she said, "We have won
the battle against cholera. We fulfilled the mission and we have to
celebrate, because everyone deserves the credit."
http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/pr030226.htm.
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NEW WHO PUBLICATION: SUMMARY MEASURES OF POPULATION HEALTH

WHO has published "Summary Measures of Population Health: Concepts,
Ethics, Measurement and Applications," a new document that addresses a
wide array of critical issues regarding the measurement of population
health using comprehensive indices combining information on mortality
and ill-health. The various uses of such summary measures of population
health are described, and the appropriate measurement framework and
specific ethical and social value choices are discussed and debated.
Copies of this book can be ordered from:
Marketing and Dissemination -World Health Organization
20 Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva 27 - Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 2476
Fax: +41 22 791 4857
Email: [log in to unmask]
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