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09/20/2018 - WHO’s 2018 Global TB Report, released in New York on September 18, calls for an unprecedented mobilization of national and international commitments. It urges political leaders gathering next week for the first-ever United Nations High-level Meeting on TB to take decisive action, building on recent moves by the leaders of India, the Russian Federation, Rwanda, and South Africa. Nearly 50 Heads of State and Government are expected to attend the meeting. -
09/17/2018 - More than 18 million new cases of cancer are expected this year and it’s estimated that 9.6 million people will die from various forms of the disease in 2018, the UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said on September 12. -
09/14/2018 - Due to the convening of the Astana meeting to be held in Kazakhstan next October, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Alma Ata Conference and Declaration, the Latin American Association of Social Medicine (Alames) published a statement and launched a online petition addressed to the authorities of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministers of Health of the whole world and the delegates that will be present at the Meeting. -
09/11/2018 - The course, which is free, self-directed and available in English on PAHO’s Virtual Campus for Public Health (https://www.campusvirtualsp.org/en), seeks to strengthen the capacities of primary healthcare professionals in identifying, evaluating and improving the approach towards suicidal behaviors in patients. Interested parties can access the course from 17 September when the platform is made available to the general public. -
09/06/2018 - Insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable disease, negatively impacting mental health and overall quality of life, according to a newly released United Nations health agency study. Published in The Lancet Global Health journal on September 5, the study highlights the well-established benefits of being physically active, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes, as well as breast and colon cancer. Additionally, physical activity has positive effects on mental health, can delay the onset of dementia, and help people maintain a healthy weight. -
08/27/2018 - While 34 Member States of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) maintain their measles elimination status, endemic transmission of the virus has now been reestablished in Venezuela. To stop further spread of measles throughout the region, the Director of PAHO, Carissa F. Etienne, has urged all countries to rapidly increase vaccination coverage. -
08/14/2018 - Hemorrhage is the second leading cause of maternal death in the Americas, an unacceptable reality that we want to change by giving women access to the health services that they need, respecting their rights, strengthening health care workers’ skills and equipping them with simple and effective technologies, and working to dissolve geographic and cultural barriers. -
08/13/2018 - Paraguay has succeeded in interrupting the vector transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in the home, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. This was verified last week by a group of international independent experts convened by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). -
07/31/2018 - Three-in-five babies, mostly born in low- and middle-income countries, are not breastfed within the first hour of life, placing them at higher risk of death and disease, according to a new United Nations report launched on Tuesday (07/31). In the report, Capture the Moment, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) note that while newborns who breastfeed in the first hour of life are significantly more likely to survive, they estimate that 78 million newborns are excluded. “Each year, millions of newborns miss out on the benefits of early breastfeeding and the reasons – all too often – are things we can change,” she continued. “Mothers simply don’t receive enough support to breastfeed within those crucial minutes after birth, even from medical personnel at health facilities.” -
07/25/2018 - Viral hepatitis B and C are major public health challenges, affecting 325 million people globally. They are the root causes of liver cancer, leading to 1.34 million deaths every year. In the region of the Americas 3.9 million people live with chronic hepatitis B and 7.2 million with chronic hepatitis C resulting in over 125 000 deaths each year, a result of liver cancer and liver disease (cirrhosis). WHO will focus on the theme: "Test. Treat. Hepatitis" for World Hepatitis Day 2018 events. WHO events and activities can aim to achieve the following objectives globally, in regions and in countries: (a) To support urgent scale-up of hepatitis prevention, testing, treatment and care services, with specific focus on promoting WHO testing and treatment recommendations; (b) To showcase best practices and promote universal health coverage of hepatitis services; and (c) To improve partnerships and funding in the fight against viral hepatitis. Timely testing and treatment of viral hepatitis B and C saves lives.