Cuban-American pop singer Jon Secada has been awarded a Champion of Health award by the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO.
In Washington Wednesday, Mr. Secada was recognized for his contributions in support of PAHO's public awareness campaigns. The Grammy-award winner has appeared in public service announcements for the organization's vaccine, AIDS awareness and teenage pregnancy campaigns.
Established in 1902, PAHO works with all the countries in the Americas to strengthen national and local health care systems.
Through a system of bulk purchasing, the organization says it has provided more than $90 million of high quality vaccines at affordable prices to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. PAHO officials say one of the organization's most notable successes was the eradication of smallpox from the Americas in 1973.