Archives

Highlights

2008

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2008

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The World Environment Day slogan for 2008 is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. More information, click here

WORLD  NO TOBACCO DAY 2008

Globally, most people start smoking before the age of 18, and almost a quarter of these individuals begin using tobacco before the age of 10. The younger children are when they first try smoking, the more likely they are to become regular tobacco users and the less likely they are to quit.

It is clearly proven that exposure to direct and indirect pro-tobacco advertising, together with other marketing strategies used by the tobacco industry, leads to an increase in experimentation by young people and, in turn, to the very real risk of their becoming regular users of tobacco products. The tobacco industry spends tens of billions of dollars worldwide every year to effectively market its products in as many ways as possible.

In response to this threat to young people, this year's World No Tobacco Day campaign focuses on the following main message:

One of the most effective ways countries can protect young people from experimenting and becoming regular tobacco users is to ban all forms of direct and indirect tobacco advertising, including promotion of tobacco products and sponsorship, by the tobacco industry, of any events or activities.

For more information please visit

         WHO HQ’s website on World No Tobacco Day 2008, click here

         WHO SEARO’s website on World No Tobacco Day 2008, click here

CYCLONE NARGIS UPDATE

As Bangkok became the natural hub for goods and humanitarian workers waiting to be deployed for Cyclone Nargis relief operation in Myanmar, WHO Thailand and the Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response (CSR) Sub-unit, a Bangkok-based forward outfit from our South-East Asia Regional Office in New Delhi, have been playing an essential role in getting international assistance to Myanmar. As the lead agency coordinating the relief effort in the public health sector, WHO and her partners – nongovernmental organisations and other UN agencies – have made available more than 350 tonnes of medical supplies and equipment for the cyclone-affected areas. The concern at this stage is preventing major outbreaks of diseases. None have occurred so far.

Humanitarian Information Centre for Myanmar, click here

SEARO Emergency and Humanitarian Action Cyclone Nargis, click here

SEARO EHA Guidelines for Health Emergencies, click here

World MALARIA DAY 2008  

Malaria is both preventable and curable. Yet every year more than 500 million people become severely ill with malaria and more than one million of them die. The casualties are mainly infants and young children; a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. It is a disease that puts 40% of the world’s population at risk and though deaths are largely in sub-Saharan Africa – Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected.

Malaria’s devastating effect causes an average loss of 1.3% annual economic growth in countries with intense transmission, but global awareness of malaria remains low despite the high death toll and cost of the disease. That is why the World Health Assembly, WHO’s governing body, resolved in May 2007 that World Malaria Day shall be commemorated annually on April 25^th. It is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world. On this year's World Malaria Day, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership – which includes WHO – will focus on malaria as a global health problem. The partners will engage the international community in their fight against malaria.

More Information…

-         World Malaria Day, click here

-         Roll Back Malaria Partnership, click here 

-         WHO Global Malaria Programme, click here 

-         WHO SEARO Malaria’s website, click here

-         WHO SEARO Regional Director’s message on World Malaria Day 2008, click here

-         Mekong Malaria Programme (MMP), click here

World TB Day 2008

The World TB Day, which falls on 24 March each year, has highlighted the urgent need to continuously strengthen the tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control programme worldwide.  This year, the slogan has been set as “I Am Stopping TB”. 

This sentence of “I Am Stopping TB”, which is used in a two-year campaign, has far more meaning since it is the message of empowerment and it encourages all the people concerned to do their part to stop TB.

For more information, please click here.

World HEALTH Day 2008

World Health Day, 7 April, marks the founding of the World Health Organization and is an opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year. In 2008, World Health Day (WHD) focuses on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change and the theme “protecting health from climate change” puts health at the centre of the global dialogue about climate change. WHO selected this theme in recognition that climate change is posing ever growing threats to global public health security. 

For more information, please click here.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TURNS 60: OUR HEALTH, OUR FUTURE

When diplomats met to form the United Nations in 1945, one of the things they discussed was setting up a global health organization. Three years later, in 1948, the World Health Organization was born. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Organization and presents it with an opportunity to celebrate achievements in global public health over the last 60 years.

A lot has changed in six decades and it is a testimony to the relevance of the WHO that it has been able to respond to these changes and in the process makea lasting impact on the health of the world’s populations. But WHO at 60 is not only an occasion to demonstrate the impact of its work but also to address the challenges that it will face in the future. Thus the slogan for the WHO60 campaign is “Our health, our future”.

WHO60 will kick off with the launch of a photo exhibit at the start of the Executive Board on 21 January 2008 in Geneva. The exhibit will tell the story of the Organization over the last 60 years featuring key milestones, including the development of the first successful polio vaccine, eradication of smallpox, primary health care, tobacco control and the revision of International Health Regulations, to name a few. From April 2008 onward, a series of communications events charting WHO's future direction will highlight cutting edge themes such as protecting health from climate change (the theme for this year's World Health Day), the future of primary health care and information and communication technologies. All WHO regional and country offices will also contribute to WHO60 by organising or branding their events under the WHO60 umbrella.