The World Health Organization (WHO) has celebrated World Health Day on April 7 since 1950.
The Day highlights the advances in public health that have made a significant contribution to improving people’s quality of life since 1948. It is also a call to action to meet the health challenges facing the world today and in the future. The aim is always to put in place measures to “safeguard the health of human beings and the planet, and to inspire a movement to build societies focused on well-being.”
This year, it is also launching an annual campaign on maternal and neonatal health. Under the theme Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, the campaign calls on governments to implement effective measures to “promote healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and better postnatal health.”
Nearly 300,000 women lose their lives every year as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Recent data also show that more than 2 million infants die before the age of one month, and some 2 million are stillborn.
If current trends continue, it is estimated that four out of five countries will fail to meet targets to improve maternal survival by 2030, while one in three will fail to meet targets to reduce neonatal mortality.
World Health Day is one of eight global campaigns put forward by the WHO to raise international awareness of various issues:
- World Tuberculosis Day
- World Immunization Week
- World Malaria Day
- World No Tobacco Day
- World AIDS Day
- World Blood Donor Day
- World Hepatitis Day