Priorizar la supervivencia infantil y adolescente en las Américas con un enfoque de equidad: Director de OPS – OPS/OMS

Washington, DC, November 17, 2023 (PAHO) – After the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas, it is necessary to prioritize and improve child and adolescent survival in the countries of the region, said the Director of the Organization Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an equity approach in these efforts.

“We are still faced with the fact that 13 out of every 1,000 children born in the Americas die before their fifth birthday, with significant disparities between and within different countries. Furthermore, almost 4 out of every 100 adolescents between 15 and 19 years old gave birth in the last year in our region. These figures are not mere statistics; They are urgent calls to action,” Dr. Barbosa emphasized during his speech at the Lancet Series regional webinar on “Optimizing the health and development of children and adolescents.”

The virtual meeting organized by PAHO allowed the dissemination and discussion of the results, recommendations and presentations at the Lancet Series 2022 on optimization of child and adolescent health and development. Likewise, the importance of modeling health trajectories during the first 20 years of life was addressed, with the purpose of improving health outcomes and the general well-being of the population.

“Investment in the first two decades of life represents an opportunity for optimal effectiveness for human development. The early years represent a crucial stage in the development of social and emotional skills and is when the human brain experiences its highest rate of growth and plasticity,” highlighted the PAHO Director.

In this sense, he stressed that during this period health and development trajectories can be shaped that forge the later stages of life, emphasizing the need for “greater investment in health systems based on primary care, which prioritize and contribute actively to health outcomes at this crucial stage.”

At the conclusion of his speech, Dr. Barbosa called for reinforcing the commitment to the health and comprehensive development of our children and adolescents in order to ensure “that their path is not only focused on surviving, but that they have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full development potential.”

Academics and health experts from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (United States), the International Center for Health Equity at the Federal University of Pelotas (Brazil), the Harvard TH School of Public Health also participated during the webinar. Chan (United States), and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (Canada).