Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, visited the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on June 13 to discuss with experts from the organization, the report on the Global Burden of Disease 2010 (GBD 2010).

Every year, millions of people rely on the generosity of another person to donate blood. Yet, blood donation rates vary considerably and the demands for blood and blood products are increasing worldwide. To meet these needs, more people must come forward to give blood voluntarily, and regularly, says the WHO on World Blood Donor Day.

Representatives of several international organizations pledged this week to promote investments in water and sanitation infrastructure as key steps toward the elimination of cholera from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The pledges were made during the launch of a new Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation for the Elimination of Cholera in the Island of Hispaniola, on June 4 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

The tobacco industry’s interests are irreconcilable with those of public health policy and therefore the industry should not participate in discussions on health, concluded a group of tobacco control experts meeting on 31 May to examine the industry’s tactics for interfering in the Region of the Americas.