Join us on November 14, 2024, from 12:00 to 13:30 (EST) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Pan American Sanitary Code. This webinar aims to honor the Code’s legacy and its ongoing relevance in promoting public health across the Americas.
A Century of the Pan American Sanitary Code in the Americas
The Pan American Sanitary Code, signed ad referendum by 18 countries of the Americas on 14 November 1924 in Cuba, represents a remarkable milestone in public health. It was the first multilateral treaty of its kind, committing the Region of the Americas to cooperative efforts in preventing the international spread of communicable diseases and promoting public health across the hemisphere.
The Code remains in force today and is one of the greatest achievements in health policy, as it laid the foundation for a unified approach in the region, significantly improving the health and well-being of its populations. It continues to underpin the work of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and its Member States and highlights the scope and importance of health cooperation and the values of Pan-Americanism.
Read more about the Code and the history of PAHO
The Code ratified by all countries in the Region of the Americas, defined the functions and duties of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PAHO Secretariat) and established responsibilities for countries to report diseases among themselves. It promoted standardization in prevention and control measures and the collection of morbidity and mortality data, while recognizing the importance of health cooperation for international trade development.
The Pan American Sanitary Code: Toward a Hemispheric Health Policy
Pro Salute Novi Mundi: A History of the Pan American Health Organization
The first fifty years of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (Spanish)
Join us to celebrate this milestone
Learn more about the origins and evolution of the Code, its impact on health systems, the history and future of immunization under the Code, and other interesting topics such as tracing the roots and evolution of aviation codes and their relation to the Pan American Sanitary Code.
Opening Remarks
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr.,
Director, PAHO
Genesis and evolution of the Pan American Sanitary Code
Sir George Alleyne
Director Emeritus, PAHO
Dr Mirta Roses
Director Emeritus, PAHO
Video - Pan American Sanitary Code: a century protecting health in the Americas
Panel: A Century of the Pan American Sanitary Code in the Americas
Moderator
Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas
Assistant Director, PAHO
Health systems in the context of the Pan American Sanitary Code
Dr. Ximena Aguilera
Minister of Health
Chile
Health surveillance and the Pan-American Sanitary Code: A century of collaboration towards global health security
Dr. Mandy K. Cohen
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
United States of America
Scientific research and innovation for the prevention, control and elimination of infectious diseases
Dr. Vivian Kourí Cardella
Director, Pedro Kouri Institute
Cuba
Advancing collaboration to prevent and control health emergencies in the Region of the Americas
Dr. Nisia Trindade
Minister of Health
Brasil
Aviation codes through time: tracing their roots and evolution including the Pan American Sanitary Code
Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar
Secretary General
International Civil Aviation Organization
A century of immunization under the Pan American Sanitary Code: triumphs, setbacks, and the road ahead
Dr. Peter Figeroa
Professor Public Health, Epidemiology & HIV/AIDS, University of West Indies
Jamaica
Closing remarks
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr.,
Director, PAHO
DATE: 14 November 2024
TIMES: 12:00 to 13:30 (EST)
LANGUAGES: Simultaneous interpretation will be available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The event will take place virtually.
Photo Gallery
The code was signed at the assembly hall of the former Academy of Medical, Physical, and Natural Sciences (now the Carlos J. Finlay Museum of Science History), in Cuba. The images showcase the hall on the day the Pan American Sanitary Code was signed, featuring the authors of the Code, as well as recent photos of the auditorium.
The history of PAHO is replete with men and women of vision, determination, knowledge, and dedication. Over the generations, they have formed a pageant of mostly nameless movers and shakers that have blazed a trail of progress toward health for all. Yet, in the end, it is the institution, the Pan American Health Organization—a coalition of countries— maintaining a united front against disease and improving health care throughout the Americas.
