A key function of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is to disseminate information on the health situation and trends in the region of the Americas. The organization has performed this function without interruption since 1956, the first year in which an assessment of the health status of the population in the Americas was published-Summary of Reports on Health Conditions in the Americas. This is PAHO's principle vehicle for producing, compiling, analyzing, and disseminating information on the health situation for use by member governments (Director-PAHO)