Salmonellosis is an important infectious disease because of the major financial losses it causes in the poultry sector and its impact on public health.·

Salmonella enteritidis (SE) is the serotype most commonly isolated from eggs infected via the transovarian route. In hens, the production of antibodies against outer membrane protein A (ompA) during the infection has been demonstrated by inoculating both the complete bacterium and just the protein. The use of DNA vaccines is based on the expression of a gene in eukaryotic cells that codes for a specific protein antigen, which is inserted into a plasmid, inducing effective immunity. 

The winner of the 2009 PAHO/PAHEF Pedro N. Acha Award for Excellence in Veterinary Public Health, Dr. Ilane Morales Hernández, wrote her winning thesis on the topic, “Preparation and assessment of a DNA vaccine versus Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis outer membrane protein A (OmpA) in laying hens.” Her thesis explored finding a vaccine to inoculate hens against salmonella to prevent the disease from reaching humans via affected eggs. Considered a remarkable contribution to veterinary public health, Dr. Morales’ work highlights the need to tackle salmonella at the source before it reaches the human food chain.

The salmonella outbreak in the U.S. has sickened more than 1,300 people and prompted massive egg recalls which have cost producers millions of dollars. To avoid future outbreaks, it is important to learn exactly how salmonella travels via a hen’s system to a human’s—and how it can be avoided.

In October, PAHEF will unveil a new logo and an updated Web site. Our commitment to advancing health in the Americas is as strong as ever, but we have modernized our look to better connect with our audiences. “PAHEF” will be incorporated into our new logo to help us become better known by our acronym. The PAHEF Web site will be easier to use, helping site users more readily find the content they seek. Furthermore, more content will be available in Spanish and Portuguese.

London, September 21, 2010: This year World Contraception Day (WCD) 2010, which takes place every year on September 26, marks the launch of the results from a new multi-national survey entitled 'Contraception: Whose responsibility is it anyway?' The survey, supported by a coalition of ten international organizations with an interest in sexual health and the Youth Task Force, highlights a significant disconnect between young people's attitudes to accepting responsibility for contraception and what they are doing in their day to day lives. The results also highlight that confusion around contraceptive options is still widespread, with highly unreliable contraceptive methods, such as the 'withdrawal method' (withdrawing the penis before ejaculation) still being viewed as effective by a considerable number of young people across all regions included in the survey.1**

WASHINGTON, DC (June 11, 2010) – The Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health recognize those making outstanding public health contributions in Latin America and the Caribbean. The call for nominations is closing soon. Help your colleagues receive the recognition they deserve—submit your nomination before time runs out!

WASHINGTON, DC (April 30, 2010) – The Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are proud to announce the creation of the Sérgio Arouca Award for Excellence in Universal Health Care. Nominations are being accepted now through June 30, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST, at pahef.org/arouca.

WASHINGTON, DC (April 9, 2010) – Nominations are being accepted for the Manuel Velasco Suárez Award for Excellence in Bioethics now through June 30, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST, at pahef.org/mvs. This award, presented by the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recognizes a scholar whose proposed research in the field of bioethics promises to produce a demonstrable output and enhance the scholar's capacity to progress in the field. This year marks the 8th anniversary of the creation of the award.