Oral

The proposed session will provide a health situation analysis of the U.S. Mexico Border as well as an analysis of the trans and cross border cooperation in environmental public health along the U.S.-Mexico Border. A review of immunizations across the lifespan among border communities will be presented. Also included in this panel will be a situation analysis of infectious diseases along the U.S. Mexico Border, and the various programs that carry out surveillance, as well as prevention and control. It will include a review of strategies and plans currently implemented, successful and promising experiences and lessons learned with community based programs involving Community Health Workers (CHWs) also known as promotores de salud; including STIs, TB, HIV-AIDS; and NCDs. Innovative experiences will be presented, analyzed and discussed including training CHWs with primary health care professionals, strengthening mental health in primary care. The role of the PAHO/WHO Border Office in technical cooperation and collaboration with local institutions and communities to improve health on the U.S. Mexico Border will be analyzed and lessons learned will be discussed.

Session Objectives: 1. To analyze and discuss the status of immunizations across the lifespan along the U.S. Mexico. 2. To describe innovative programs, research and evaluation in mental health and prevention of violence and injuries on the U.S. Mexico Border. 3. To present the situation analysis of TB and HIV-AIDS along the U.S. Mexico Border, including infectious disease surveillance. 4. To analyze transborder cooperation in environmental public health along the U.S.-Mexico Border. 5. To describe an initiative to improve media coverage of health news, especially to reduce the impact of media articles about violence and injuries.