CALL FOR PAPERS

Special issue of the Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública / Pan American Journal of Public Health  (PAJPH) on

Health and human security in border communities

The Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública / Pan American Journal of Public Health, published by the Pan American Health Organization, announces an open call for original papers, brief communications, and reviews for its next special issue, which will cover topics related to health and human security.

The Pan American Health Organization has selected health and human security as the theme for this special issue, given the significant increase of violence and injuries as a global health problem. Each year, more than 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence. For every person who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems. Violence places a massive burden on national economies, costing countries billions of US dollars each year in health care, law enforcement and lost productivity. The PAHO/WHO work with partners to prevent violence through scientifically credible strategies that are conceived and implemented in relation to causes at the levels of the individual, family, community and society[1]

The security and safety of all people in the entire world is interrelated, as highlighted in global current events pertaining to goods, services, finances, people and images indicated by the Commission on Human Security (CHS 2003). Approximately 2,800 million are affected by poverty, illiteracy, bad health and sickness. Conflict and deprivation are mutually related and have many causal links to violence. Violence and wars kill people, destroy mutual trust, increase poverty and crime and stall the economy. Effectively addressing these elements of lack of security and safety demand a comprehensive approach[2].

Main theme - Health and human security with specific context grounded in the United States-Mexico border and other border communities around the world:

• Impact of violence and injuries on health and development
• violence and injuries financial costs
• violence and injury prevention and risk factor identification
• violence and injury surveillance, data collection and analysis

(among them: observatories, standardized indicators systems and databsed, geographic information systems)

• evidence based and research on human security involving other disciplines

(among them: medicine, epidemiology, sociology, psychology, criminology, teaching and economy)

• conflict and humanitarian emergencies impact on public health
• mental health and care of victims

Papers will be accepted in Spanish, English or Portuguese, and the manuscript selection process will follow the Journal standards.

In submitting papers, authors should follow the publishing standards of la Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública / Pan American Journal of Public Health, available at http://new.paho.org/journal.

Manuscripts should be no longer than 3 500 words (excluding tables, figures, and references). They should be submitted for publication to the following address: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rpsp. The letter of introduction should indicate that the manuscript is being submitted for the special issue on health and human security.

Deadline to present manuscripts: August 15th, 2011.

[2] United Nations: Commission on Human Security Report. http://www.humansecurity-chs.org/finalreport/index.html (Dec 1, 2010)