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Washington, D.C., 4 December 2012 (PAHO/WHO) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) this week marks the 110th anniversary of its founding in 1902 as an international organization dedicated to protecting and advancing public health in the Americas.
At 110, PAHO is the world’s oldest international public health
agency. During its century-plus existence, it has catalyzed Pan American
cooperation that has contributed to such major regional health
achievements as:
- A gain of 30 years in average life expectancy since 1902.
- The eradication of smallpox and polio from the Americas.
- The elimination of endemic transmission of measles and rubella.
- Major reductions in infant mortality.
- Significant expansions of health coverage for poor and vulnerable populations in PAHO member countries.
“Today we celebrate the fact that the peoples of the Americas have a
life expectancy that is three decades longer than it was 110 years ago,
thanks to the vision and values of our forefathers and the tireless work
of many generations of public health leaders in the Americas,” said
PAHO Director Mirta Roses Periago during a celebration at the historic
Willard Hotel, where the International Sanitary Bureau (PAHO’s
precursor) was established on Dec. 2, 1902. “Those who gathered here 110
years ago were visionaries. We have followed in their footsteps and we
still have a long way to go.”
Representatives of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States,
and Uruguay—five of PAHO’s 11 original founding countries—were among the
guests at the anniversary event.
U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin quoted one of her predecessors,
U.S. Surgeon General Walter Wyman, who served as PAHO’s first Director
and who spoke at the 1902 founding convention: “No subject could be more
important to be discussed at this conference than the protection of
people against disease, and ensuring that people live in an environment
that puts them in a position to reach the highest levels of health.”
“These words ring true today as much as they did 110 years ago,” said Dr. Benjamin.
In the early years, Pan American health cooperation was focused on
yellow fever and other infectious diseases that were being spread by the
growing maritime commerce of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Over the past 100 years, PAHO has kept its focus on improving health by
promoting collaborative efforts among its member countries. Recent
examples include Pan American action to address the rise of chronic
non-communicable diseases, which helped spur the first United Nations
High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases, held in New York in
2011.
Other regional public health achievements to which PAHO has contributed include:
- The establishment of Vaccination Week in the Americas, which
celebrated its 10th year in 2012 and inspired the first World
Immunization Week, also in 2012.
- The ratification by 29 of 35 countries in the Americas of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, the highest rates of coverage
with antiretroviral treatment for people with HIV of any
middle-lower-income region.
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, the lowest infant mortality rates of any developing region.
- Significant expansion of access to water and sanitation services, for both rural and urban populations.
“We are making fantastic progress by working together and thanks to our
commitment to leave no country behind,” Dr. Roses told participants in
the 110th anniversary event. “Our region’s strength lies in its capacity
to bridge differences between countries with different economies and of
different sizes, to unite and take the best action possible for the
health of our peoples.”
Also as part of its 110th anniversary celebration, PAHO hosted a Dec.
3 panel discussion on health planning and gender equity, two
longstanding areas of PAHO technical cooperation and leadership that
have contributed to regional health progress.
Today PAHO is a multilateral organization with 35 Member States from
throughout the Americas. From its Washington, D.C., headquarters and
country offices throughout the region, it provides technical cooperation
in areas including epidemiology and outbreak response, health services
organization and health planning, mental health, environmental health,
health legislation, regulatory agencies, immunization, and many others
(see PAHO Projects and Programs).
As Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization
(WHO), PAHO is a member of the United Nations System. It simultaneously
serves as the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System,
together with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
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Media Contacts:
Leticia Linn,
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Tel. + 202 974 3440, Mobile +1 202 701 4005, Donna Eberwine-Villagran,
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Sebastián Oliel,
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, Phone +1 202 974 3459, Mobile 202 316
5679, Knowledge Management and Communications, PAHO/WHO–www.paho.org
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