El Paso, TX, November 21, 2011 (PAHO/WHO) – The week of October 1st-16th, 2011 has been designated as Binational Health Week (BHW), an annual series to promote binational health, health education, and disease prevention. This is the XI Binational Health Week and this year’s celebration theme is “Camina Alegre por tu Salud” or in English: “Walk Happily for Better Health.”  BHW is one of the largest joint mobilization efforts of community organizations, and international, federal, state, and local agencies to improve the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable population of Mexican and Latin American people living in the United States and in Canada. In 2001, the Mexican government instituted Binational Health Week; it started as a collaborative effort between Mexico and the state of California. Today, this effort has grown to include partnerships between nine countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.