WASHINGTON, September 29, 2026 – Health ministers and other delegates from throughout the Western Hemisphere convened on September 28, 2026, to begin the 63rd session of the Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization. The yearly meeting of governors opened on a note of celebration for some public health successes that had been hard-fought, along with a stark reminder of how tenuous regional gains continue to be.
In his address to the member states, the PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, delivered the Annual Report, in which he provided an account of the achievements realized by countries in the region between July 2025 and June 2026. Many achievements were made in disease elimination in this period. Mother-to-child HIV transmission was eliminated in Brazil and the Bahamas, whereas the Turks and Caicos Islands achieved elimination, along with confirming elimination of hepatitis B. In the south, Chile achieved leprosy elimination, while five provinces of Argentina succeeded in eliminating Chagas disease transmission.
Yet, Barbosa stressed that these wins shouldn’t invite complacency. The revocation of the country’s reputation of being free of the disease due to the presence of sustained transmission once again demonstrated the rapidity with which gains may be lost when vaccinations become less regular. Another warning was the emergence of yellow fever in several regions. Although the number of children under age one who did not receive vaccinations decreased from 1.3 million to 1.1 million, the low coverage rate of measles vaccinations is still an ongoing problem.
The problem is that health security of a region requires collective commitment rather than individual actions. According to Lisa Cummins, outgoing Directing Council President, the Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados, PAHO serves as crucial “shared infrastructure” for the Americas.
In addition to efforts in combating diseases, the report indicated success in the field of primary care and non-communicable diseases. The number of centers covered by the HEARTS program in PAHO increased to over 14,000 primary health centers covering about 50 million adults. There was an impressive increase in treatment for hypertension patients from 20% to about 6.9 million patients within one year.
Moreover, the conference was notable because it celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Health Emergencies Department of PAHO. It had been created after strong earthquakes in Peru and Guatemala in the 1970s and confirmed once again that it worked well within the last year due to the shipment of 174 tons of health equipment for such cases as the 2026 Venezuela earthquakes and analysis of over 2.2 million signals of public health.
“Lasting public health progress is not delivered to countries,” Dr. Barbosa noted. “It is built with countries. And it starts here.”
During this week’s discussions on policy approaches, digital transformation, and investment in primary health care, it is evident that although there have been tremendous achievements in the Americas, it is imperative to be prepared for future challenges.
