World Health Organisation Targets Urbanisation
The
World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrated World Health Day on 7 April
2010. This year the event, which marked the organisation’s 62nd
anniversary, kicked off a year-long campaign to highlight health
threats arising from the worldwide trend toward urbanisation.
Traditionally the WHO has fought to eliminate diseases and reduce the
incidence of slums, poor sanitation and hunger. Health education plays
a key role within the organisation’s mandate, and over the years its
collaborative platform has successfully engaged governments in
international co-operation to reduce both the spread and mortality
rates of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer and
SARS. The goals and ambitions set forth at this year’s World Health Day
– themed ‘Urban Health Matters’ – are equally commendable, even if they
do occasionally evince a touch of international nanny statism.
