WASHINGTON, DC, United States (CMC) — Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Dr Jarbas Barbosa says that following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas, including the Caribbean, there is a need to prioritise and improve child and adolescent health and development in countries in the region.

"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 countries," said Dr Barbosa on Friday during the opening of the Regional Dissemination Webinar: Lancet Series on Optimizing Child and Adolescent Health and Development.

In addition, he said nearly four out of every 100 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 gave birth in the past year in the region.

"These figures are not mere statistics, they are urgent calls to action," said Dr Barbosa, emphasing the importance of an approach focused on equity.

The virtual meeting organised by PAHO discussed the findings and recommendations presented in the Lancet Series 2022 on optimising child and adolescent health and development.

PAHO said it also addressed the importance of modelling health trajectories during the first 20 years of life, with the aim of improving health outcomes and the overall well-being of the population.

"Investment in the first two decades of life is an opportunity for optimal efficiency in human development," Dr Barbosa said. "The early years represent a crucial stage in the development of social and emotional skills and is when the human brain experiences its greatest rate of growth and plasticity."

In this regard, the PAHO director stressed that health and development trajectories that shape later stages of life can be shaped during this period, emphasising the need for "greater investment in primary care-based health systems that prioritise and actively contribute to health outcomes at this crucial stage".

Dr Barbosa, meanwhile, called for reinforced commitment to the health and integral development of children and adolescents in order to ensure "that their journey is not just about survival but that they have the opportunity to thrive and reach their maximum development potential.

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