All you need to know about World Health Day

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When is World Health Day celebrated?

People celebrate World Health Day on the 7th of April every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) takes the initiative every year to raise awareness about the overall health and well-being of people across the entire world.

What was the theme of 2020?

Every year has a specific theme for World Health Day. The theme for the previous year, 2020, was to support nurses and midwives. Who chose the theme “Year of Nurse and Midwife.” It did so to honor their contribution to making the world a better and healthier place. Actually, nurses and midwives play a huge role in taking care of people everywhere. They work all throughout the day in times of breakouts and settings that are fragile or in conflict.

Globally speaking, 70 percent of the health and social workforce comprises women. Nurses and midwives represent a large part of this. In 2020, WHO honored the health workers who played a key role in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When was the first World Day celebrated?

In 1948, the WHO held the first World Health Assembly. This assembly decided to celebrate the 7th of April of each year as World Health Day. This would be put in effect from 1950 as decided. This day marks the founding of WHO. That is why people celebrate it. The organization sees it as an opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health every year.

What is done on World Health Day?

On this day, the WHO organizes programs, both international and regional. There are local events as well. All these events take place related to a particular theme. Various governmental and non-governmental organizations acknowledge World Health Day. They have interests in public health issues, organize activities, and also highlight their support in media reports, such as the Global Health Council.

There are 11 official global health campaigns which WHO marks. This day is one of them. The others are World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World AIDS Day, World Hepatitis Day, World Chagas Disease Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Patient Safety Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, World Malaria Day, and World Immunization Week.

What is the theme of World Health Day 2021?

The theme of World Health Day 2021 is “Building a fairer, healthier world.” They chose this theme because of several reasons. Health is not just about physical well-being. It is also about the mental and social aspects. If a person possesses all three, he is seemimgly healthy. According to WHO, health makes an important contribution to economic progress, as living populations live longer and are more productive. The campaign of 2021 highlights WHO’s constitutional principle that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

What are some of the previous themes of this day?

Some of the previous themes of World Health Day are:

  • 2019: Universal Health Coverage-Everyone, Everywhere
  • 2018: Universal Health Coverage-Everyone, Everywhere
  • 2017: Depression- Let’s Talk
  • 2016: Diabetes

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