World Health Day
World Health Day (WHD) on 7th April marks the foundation of the
World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948. This year, WHO has
selected the theme “Protecting health from climate change” as it is posing an
ever growing threat to global public health security.
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. Through its efforts we have seen the eradication of small
pox, and its focus then turned to communicable diseases, with a particular
focus on tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
The
World Health Organization has been involved in mobilizing many health efforts
the world over. Describing what medicines are essential for public health, and
which diseases to give a particular focus to. The movement to eradicate
smallpox started in 1958, initiated by pressure from Viktor Zhdanov, the Deputy
Minister of Health for the then USSR. 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.
World Health Day 2016: Beat Diabetes
Background
In
2008, an estimated 347 million people in the world had diabetes and the
prevalence is growing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
In
2012, the disease was the direct cause of some 1.5 million deaths, with more
than 80% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries. WHO projects
that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030.
Diabetes
is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce
enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
Insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, gives us the energy that we need
to live. If it cannot get into the cells to be burned as energy, sugar builds
up to harmful levels in the blood.
There
are 2 main forms of the diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes typically make
none of their own insulin and therefore require insulin injections to survive.
People with type 2 diabetes, the form that comprises some 90% of cases, usually
produce their own insulin, but not enough or they are unable to use it
properly. People with type 2 diabetes are typically overweight and sedentary, 2
conditions that raise a person’s insulin needs.
Over
time, high blood sugar can seriously compromise every major organ system in the
body, causing heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness,
impotence and infections that can lead to amputations.
World Health Day 2016: Key messages
WHO is focusing the next World Health Day, on 7 April 2016, on
diabetes because:
1.
The diabetes epidemic is rapidly increasing in many countries, with the
documented increase most dramatic in low- and middle-income countries.
2. A
large proportion of diabetes cases are preventable. Simple lifestyle measures
have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2
diabetes. Maintaining normal body weight, engaging in regular physical
activity, and eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes.
3.
Diabetes is treatable. Diabetes can be controlled and managed to prevent
complications. Increasing access to diagnosis, self-management education and
affordable treatment are vital components of the response.
4.
Efforts to prevent and treat diabetes will be important to achieve the global
Sustainable Development Goal 3 target of reducing premature mortality from
noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by one-third by 2030. Many sectors of society
have a role to play, including governments, employers, educators,
manufacturers, civil society, private sector, the media and individuals
themselves.
Goal
of World Health Day 2016: Scale up prevention, strengthen care, and enhance
surveillance
The main goals of the World Health Day 2016 campaign will be to:
Increase
awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and
consequences, in particular in low-and middle-income countries;
Trigger
a set of specific, effective and affordable actions to tackle diabetes. These
will include steps to prevent diabetes and diagnose, treat and care for people
with diabetes; and
Launch
the first Global report on diabetes, which will describe the burden and
consequences of diabetes and advocate for stronger health systems to ensure
improved surveillance, enhanced prevention, and more effective management of
diabetes.
