April 7 of each year marks the celebration of World Health Day.
From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and since taking
effect in 1950, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a
specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the
World Health Organization.
The history of World Health Day is
directly linked to the formation of the World Health Organization. The
World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations that
focuses on the public health of the world at large. The WHO has a
constitution that countries involved in the United Nations had an
opportunity to sign, and unanimously did, agreeing to the tenets laid
out within to promote the general health of the globe.
Established in 1950, World Health Day is an important event that includes a theme each year that is meant to draw attention to a current health issue in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has 194 member states who are tasked with putting together regional, local, and international events on this day related to the particular health theme. Local governments also tend to jump on this band-wagon of promoting health issues. After all, global health means everyone on the planet!
The World Health Organization has been involved in mobilizing many health efforts all over the world for the past 70 years by describing what medicines are essential for public health and which diseases to give a particular focus to.
One important success of the WHO was the movement to eradicate smallpox. It started in 1958, initiated by pressure from Viktor Zhdanov, the Deputy Minister of Health for the then USSR. In just over 20 years, in 1979, the WHO declared that smallpox had in fact been eradicated, making it the first disease in history to be eliminated by the dedicated efforts of humans working together from all over the globe.
Through the efforts of this organization, the world has seen the eradication of smallpox, and its focus then turned to communicable diseases, with a particular focus on tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization has also played an important role in the experience of the global pandemic caused by the coronavirus.
Each year, World Health Day focuses on a particular theme. Themes throughout the years have varied, but they always cover important issues of the day, including everything from the Global Polio Eradication and staying active while aging, to road safety. All of these issues have been deemed to be important enough to global health that they merited an occasion of their very own on this date.
Some other themes worth noting have included: Our Planet, Our Health, Building a Fairer, Healthier World, Support Nurses and Midwives and Health for All: Everyone, Everywhere.
Established in 1950, World Health Day is an important event that includes a theme each year that is meant to draw attention to a current health issue in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has 194 member states who are tasked with putting together regional, local, and international events on this day related to the particular health theme. Local governments also tend to jump on this band-wagon of promoting health issues. After all, global health means everyone on the planet!
The World Health Organization has been involved in mobilizing many health efforts all over the world for the past 70 years by describing what medicines are essential for public health and which diseases to give a particular focus to.
One important success of the WHO was the movement to eradicate smallpox. It started in 1958, initiated by pressure from Viktor Zhdanov, the Deputy Minister of Health for the then USSR. In just over 20 years, in 1979, the WHO declared that smallpox had in fact been eradicated, making it the first disease in history to be eliminated by the dedicated efforts of humans working together from all over the globe.
Through the efforts of this organization, the world has seen the eradication of smallpox, and its focus then turned to communicable diseases, with a particular focus on tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization has also played an important role in the experience of the global pandemic caused by the coronavirus.
Each year, World Health Day focuses on a particular theme. Themes throughout the years have varied, but they always cover important issues of the day, including everything from the Global Polio Eradication and staying active while aging, to road safety. All of these issues have been deemed to be important enough to global health that they merited an occasion of their very own on this date.
Some other themes worth noting have included: Our Planet, Our Health, Building a Fairer, Healthier World, Support Nurses and Midwives and Health for All: Everyone, Everywhere.
