Over the past few decades the Region of the Americas has undergone major changes which have had repercussions on the health situation of its populations. This increase was largely due to a reduction in infant mortality from 127 per 1,000 live births in the early 1950s to 47 per 1,000 live births in the 1990s. Large differences remain among countries, but the general trend has been toward lower infant mortality. It was estimated at 3 children per woman in the early 1990s. The population in the Region of the Americas is aging, as is the case at the global level.
Malnutrition continues to be an important problem.
The population in several countries does not consume the minimum daily protein and calorie requirements, and suffers from nutritional deficiencies in iodine and iron. Diseases preventable by immunization have continued to decline. The number of cases of poliomyelitis fell from 4,000 annual, in the late 1970s to 500 in 1984 and 1 case in 1991. The elimination of measles is the next challenge that countries in the Region are facing. The re-emergence of cholera after almost a century has been one of the most significant public health events since 1991.