WASHINGTON, DC, United States (CMC) – The Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is meeting here to discuss strategies and plans to improve health in the Americas, including the Caribbean.

Three Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda – are members of the committee, whose 158th meeting ends here today.

PAHO said the issues being addressed by the Executive Committee include a strategy for the prevention and control of arboviral diseases, including Zika; action plans for the prevention and control of HIV and sexually transmitted infections; the elimination of neglected tropical diseases; and disaster risk reduction.

They also cover topics such as health systems resilience; access and rational use of high-cost medicines and other strategic health technologies and the health of migrants.

PAHO said delegates are also reviewing a report on the response in the region of the Americas, including the Caribbean, to the Zika virus.

PAHO’s Dominican-born director, Dr Carissa F Etienne, noted that the region has recently faced major public health challenges, including floods and earthquakes.

“Even as we grappled with and responded to these natural disasters, we in the Americas were confronted by the crushing impact of the newly emerging Zika virus epidemic, which once again tested our preparedness and responsiveness to an outbreak emergency,” she said.

PAHO “mounted timely and effective responses to all these disasters and the outbreak, building upon its vast experience in disaster management. We were able to work with partners to ensure strong support to our affected member states,” she added, noting the importance of “an integrated approach to the prevention of Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever” in the new regional Strategy for Arboviral Disease Prevention and Control.

Dr Etienne also stressed the importance of discussing high-cost medicines, saying they “are among the major contributors to the ever-increasing healthcare costs borne by governments, families and individuals, and these exorbitant costs can impede progress towards universal health”.

PAHO said the Committee’s deliberations will determine the final agenda to be discussed during the 55th Directing Council of PAHO, which will meet from September 26-30 this year.

The Executive Committee functions as a working group of the Pan American Sanitary Conference and the Directing Council of PAHO. It comprises nine member states elected by the Pan American Sanitary Conference or the Directing Council of PAHO for overlapping periods of three years. It meets twice a year.

The other members of the Committee are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and the United States.