Pan American Health Organization facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pan American Health Organization Organización Panamericana de la Salud  (Spanish) Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde  (Portuguese)
Flag of the World Health Organization
Org type	Specialized agency of the United Nations and Organization of American States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C., United States

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is a special group that works with the United Nations (UN). Its main job is to help keep people healthy across the Americas. They help countries work together to fight diseases. They also make health care better and respond when there are emergencies.

PAHO has 35 member countries and four associate members. Its main office is in Washington, D.C., United States. It is also the main health office for the World Health Organization in the Americas. In Latin America, it is known as the OPS (Spanish: Organización Panamericana de la Salud) or OPAS (Portuguese: Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde).

What PAHO Does

PAHO has many experts at its main office and in 27 country offices. They also have three special centers. All these teams work with countries in the Americas. Their goal is to solve important health problems.

The health leaders from PAHO's member countries decide what PAHO should do. They set the rules for how PAHO works. All 35 countries in the Americas are PAHO members. Puerto Rico is an associate member. Other countries like France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom also take part. Portugal and Spain are observer states.

Helping People Stay Healthy

PAHO's main goal is to make health systems stronger. They want to improve the health of people in the Americas. They work with health ministries and other groups. These groups include government agencies, international organizations, and community groups.

PAHO wants everyone to have access to health care. They help countries fight many diseases. These include infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. They also help with non-communicable diseases like heart disease and cancer. PAHO works with governments to make sure health is part of all policies. They also use research to make smart health decisions.

Focusing on Vulnerable Groups

PAHO tries to help those who need it most. This includes mothers and children, workers, and people who are poor. They also help the elderly, refugees, and displaced people. PAHO focuses on making health care fair for everyone. They encourage countries to work together on common health issues.

Some of PAHO's special projects include:

• Helping to get rid of diseases like smallpox and polio.
• Working to make the Americas tobacco-free.
• Improving water and sanitation to prevent cholera.
• Making sure blood donations are safe.

Protecting Children's Health

A big goal for PAHO is to reduce the number of babies who die. They are working to prevent 25,000 infant deaths each year. They do this by training health workers. These workers learn how to check children's health. They learn to spot signs of illness and treat them. They also teach parents how to keep their children healthy at home. If a child is in danger, they know to get help right away.

Improving Water and Sanitation

Getting clean drinking water and good sanitation is still a top goal for PAHO. They also want to make sure poor people can get health care. PAHO helps countries understand their populations' health. They want to find where health differences exist. Their programs aim to fix these differences. They show how good health helps other parts of human development.

Working Together Across the Americas

The idea of "Pan-Americanism" means countries in the Americas work together. This spirit helps PAHO encourage health cooperation. PAHO has helped countries team up on health projects. These projects are in Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean Region, and the Southern Cone. For example, countries helped Central America after hurricane Mitch.

Over 20 years ago, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean started buying vaccines together. This was a big success.

Eradicating Diseases

One of PAHO's biggest achievements was getting rid of smallpox in the Americas by 1973. This led to smallpox being wiped out globally five years later.

In 1985, the Americas started a big effort to get rid of polio. By September 1994, the Americas were officially polio-free. The last case of polio in the Americas was in Junín, Peru, on August 23, 1991. Since then, no polio cases have been found. PAHO helps countries get the vaccines and treatments needed for all vaccine-preventable diseases. They are also close to getting rid of measles. They are introducing new vaccines for diseases like Haemophilus influenzae B. This helps reduce meningitis and breathing problems.

PAHO also works to reduce deaths from diarrheal diseases, including cholera. They teach how to treat these diseases and prevent dehydration. They also help diagnose and treat acute respiratory infections. This saves the lives of many children every year.

Sharing Health Information

PAHO shares scientific and technical health information. They do this through their publications and website. They also have a network of libraries and health centers.

Other Important Work

The organization helps with many public health areas. They prepare for emergencies and help coordinate disaster relief. They support efforts to make national health systems stronger. They also work to control diseases like malaria, Chagas' disease, and leprosy. PAHO also helps with nutrition problems like malnutrition. They are working to get rid of iodine and vitamin A deficiencies.

PAHO also helps countries with health problems from development and city life. These include non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer, and accidents. They also address issues like smoking and injuries.

PAHO also manages projects for other United Nations groups. They work with organizations like the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. They also partner with governments and charities.

PAHO trains health workers at all levels. They offer scholarships, courses, and seminars. They also use advanced communication tools to share information and promote health. They work with journalists in many countries.

PAHO works with private companies that provide health services. They also get money from their member governments. They look for extra funding to support special health programs. You can donate to the PAHO Foundation to help their health and education projects.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa from Brazil became PAHO Director on January 31, 2023. Dr. Mary Lou Valdez from the United States is the Deputy Director. Marcos Espinal from the Dominican Republic is the Assistant Director.

PAHO's History

PAHO was started in December 1902. It was first called the Pan-American Sanitary Bureau. In 1949, PAHO and WHO signed an agreement. This made PAHO the main WHO office for the Americas.

The first effort to get rid of smallpox in the entire Western hemisphere was by PAHO in 1950. This campaign successfully removed smallpox from almost all countries in the Americas.

Headquarters Building

Pan American Health Organization building, Washington, DC

Stage of the Pan-American Health Organization building Auditorium in Washington, DC

In 1960, the U.S. government gave land for PAHO's main office in Washington, D.C. In 1961, Uruguayan architect Román Fresnedo Siri won a competition to design the building. The PAHO Director, Abraham Horwitz, said the building would be a "monument to the ideal of better health for the peoples of the Americas." He called the design "graceful and useful."

The building was built in 1965 in a modern style. It has 29 round bronze seals on the outside. These seals represent the founding nations of PAHO. American sculptor Michael Lantz designed them. The building is made of concrete, steel, glass, and marble. It is known as a great example of mid-century modern architecture in Washington.

The building has two main parts. There is a curved ten-story building for offices. Next to it is a round four-story building. This part is used for meetings of PAHO member countries and other events.

Leaders of PAHO

Here is a list of the past and current Directors of PAHO:

Name	Years of Tenure
Walter Wyman	1902–1911
Rupert Blue	1912–1920
Hugh Smith Cumming	1920–1947
Fred Lowe Soper	1947–1959
Abraham Horwitz	1959–1975
Héctor Acuña Monteverde	1975–1983
Carlyle Guerra de Macedo	1983–1995
George Alleyne	1995–2003
Mirta Roses Periago	2003–2013
Carissa Etienne	2013–2023
Jarbas Barbosa	2023–

Public Health Heroes

PAHO honors people who have made important contributions to public health in the Americas. They are called "Public Health Heroes." This award is PAHO's highest honor. In 2002, for its 100th anniversary, PAHO named 12 people to this list.

List of Honorees by Year

• 2018 - Dr. Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay
• 2018 - Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis, Bahamas
• 2015 - Dr. María Isabel Rodríguez, El Salvador
• 2014 - Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Brazil
• 2012 - Dr. David Tejada de Rivero, Peru
• 2002 - Dr. José Jordán, Cuba
• 2002 - Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann, Brazil
• 2002 - Dr. Carlos Canseco González, Mexico
• 2002 - Dr. Jacinto Convit, Venezuela
• 2002 - Dr. Myrna Cunningham, Nicaragua
• 2002 - Dr. José Roberto Ferreira, Brazil
• 2002 - Hon. Marc Lalonde, Canada
• 2002 - Dr. Donald A. Henderson, US
• 2002 - Dr. Edgar Mohs, Costa Rica
• 2002 - Dr. Elsa Moreno, Argentina
• 2002 - Dr. Ruth Puffer, US
• 2002 - Sir Kenneth Standard, Barbados

See Also

• Pan American Journal of Public Health
• Vaccination Week In The Americas