Health Conditions in the Americas, 1961-1964

Abstract

[INTRODUCTION]: The present report is the fifth in a series on health conditions in the Americas covering the period from 1950 to 1964. The first three were prepared .for the XIV, XV and XVI Pan American Sanitary Conferences, and the fourth, a two-year report, for the XV Meeting of the Directing Council. Data for this series of reports were collected through special questionnaires completed in the countries and other areas of the Region. The same questionnaires have also been the source of information for the Reports on the World Health Situation prepared for the XI, XV, XVII and XIX World Health Assemblies. During the past four' years the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization have also collaborated in a joint annual request to countries for data on mortality by cause and age, on vaccinations, on hospitals and health personnel, and the responses received are used in publications of both Organizations. The recent questionnaire for the Third Report on the World Health Situation was less extensive than the preceding ones since information in many fields was being provided through the annual questionnaires. In addition publications of the countries and official reports from the countries to the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization and the United Nations have served as source documents for this and previous reports. When data from different sources were not in agreement, effort was made to determine the most reliable or consistent figure. Coordination within the country to produce official figures, is essential to avoid arbitrary decisions. This report follows the plan of the previous reports with chapters on general vital statistics, child mortality, communicable diseases, health services, hospitals, environmental sanitation and health personnel. Whenever comparable data are available, trends in mortality, morbidity and on the availability...