Translation of Environmental Epidemiology into Public Health Action: An International Perspective titled The Perspective of the Pan American Health Organization for the Region of the Americas.

Abstract

The Region of the Americas is diverse, complex, and unequal. About 13% of premature deaths in high-income countries and 19% in low- and middle-income countries are attributed to known avoidable environmental risks, amounting to about 1,016,000 deaths each year. The impact of these risks on premature mortality differs significantly among countries, ranging from 8% in Canada to 23% in Haiti. Important advances have been made to protect people’s health from environmental risks. Nonetheless, uneven development has left behind large populations across the Region. Environmental public health has suffered of an invisibility crisis in several countries. Roles and responsibilities of government agencies are unclear, surveillance systems are weak, the health sector has not assumed its environmental responsibilities, and cities and communities have only partially addressed the challenges of environmental determinants of health. Knowledge gaps, insufficient research to fill these gaps and limited research translation and communication continue to prevent efficient and effective implementation of public health actions. To address these challenges, the Pan American Health Organization has proposed an integrated and evidence-informed regional plan of action to systematize the response within the health sector and across sectors. The objective is to reduce the burden of disease and inequity in health attributable to environmental risks with emphasis on air pollution, chemical-related impacts, climate change-related impacts, and unsafe food, water, and sanitation. The implementation of the plan would follow four strategic lines of action: Improve the performance of environmental public health programs; strengthen environmental public health surveillance; foster an environmentally responsible and resilient health sector; and promote environmentally healthy and resilient communities. This is a call to action for intersectoral and multisectoral collaboration with a significant support from the academic community to close the existing knowledge gaps and help translate environmental epidemiology into public health action in the Americas.