World Health Day 1999 is being observed April 7th In Washington and throughout the Americas with the theme, "Active Aging Makes a Difference." The initiative by the Pan American Health Organization focuses on neighborhood, community and national activities designed to highlight the challenges of an aging population, which affect all aspects of society.
In Washington, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher will give the keynote address at the U.S. observance of World Health Day on Wednesday, April 7, at 9 a.m., at PAHO Headquarters, 525 23rd St., NW. A distinguished panel of experts on aging will then discuss the U.S. initiative, "Healthy Aging, Health Living -- Start Now," organized by PAHO and the American Association for World Health.
Panelists include Julia Alvarez, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations; Dr. Robert Butler, president of the International Longevity Center; Marta Larraechea de Frei, First Lady of Chile; John Feather, Director of the AARP Andrus Foundation; Jeannette Takamura, Assistant Secretary for Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Terri Wetle, Deputy Director, National Institute on Aging.
Remarks are also expected from Dr. George Alleyne, Director of PAHO; Nils Daulaire of the Global Health Council, and Dr. Mohammed Akhtar of the American Public Health Association.
According to Dr. Alleyne, "The time clearly has come to promote greater public awareness about the ways in which we can make the latter years of life healthy and enjoyable ones."
PAHO, Dr. Alleyne said, "believes that encouraging mutual solidarity and support between people of all ages builds greater social cohesion across generations and enhances everyone's quality of life. This process also ultimately enriches the socioeconomic well-being of the nations of this Hemisphere." Active aging, he said, "reminds us that healthy aging consists of more than just the avoidance of disease. The true message behind the theme is that if we adopt healthy behaviors and lifestyles early in life, we can expect our middle and later years to be particularly stimulating and productive ones."
"By becoming and staying physically and mentally active, we can give life to our years and not just years to our life," Dr. Alleyne said. Today there are an estimated 580 million people in the world age 60 and over, 330 million of whom live in developing countries. He added, "If we discover ways to prolong and maintain our physical and intellectual vitality over as long a period as possible, we can continue to contribute to our families and the community around us while they continue to benefit from our experiences and accomplishments."
World Health Day, celebrated every April 7 to mark the founding of the World Health Organization, involves all types of observations and celebrations in communities and cities throughout the Americas, ranging from official declarations to publications to contests, walks and other events.
The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health of their peoples and raise their living standards. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.