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World Health Day is celebrated globally every year on 7 April to mark the founding of the World Health Organization and to raise awareness of a key global health issue.

The theme of World Health Day 2008 is: Protecting Health from Climate Change.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the World Health Organization (1948-2008).

"Celebrating 60 years of services of health" is the Regional slogan to mark the occasion in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
 
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Stop tobacco industry interference

WHO has selected "Tobacco industry interference" as the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2012 to:

expose the attempts by the tobacco industry to undermine the efforts of international organizations and governments to reduce tobacco use

highlight the many innovative ways being used to counter the tactics of the tobacco industry to subvert tobacco control policies

stress the importance of implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which specifically addresses protecting tobacco control policies from tobacco industry interference.

Tobacco is the only legal consumer product that kills when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer. World No Tobacco Day will help to save more lives and to limit the damage caused by tobacco use.

The key messages of this year's World No Tobacco Day are that governments, policy-makers and civil society must:

regulate the activities of the tobacco industry using strong national legislation

refrain from collaborating with the tobacco industry in developing tobacco control policies

reject attempts by tobacco companies to use corporate social responsibility initiatives to improve their public image

launch large-scale media campaigns to expose the tactics and practices of the tobacco industry

monitor the activities of the tobacco industry in its attempt to undermine tobacco control

follow the guidelines on implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC.
 
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World Health Day 2001 was dedicated to influencing public opinion and stimulating debate on how to improve the current condition of mental health patients around the world. Nobody is immune to mental disorders, and their impact in psychological, social and economic terms is very high.

Advocacy activities focused on the key concerns of care and exclusion as demonstrated by depressive disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, alcohol dependence, epilepsy and mental retardation. Countries and organizations adapted activities to focus on the problems and disorders which have a significant impact in their communities.
 
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“Hepatitis: It’s closer than you think. Know it. Confront it.”

This is the theme of this year's World Hepatitis Day, which takes place every year on 28 July.

World Hepatitis Day provides an opportunity to raise public awareness about viral hepatitis and focus attention on what can effectively be done for its prevention and control.   

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. There are five main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. These five types are of greatest concern because of the burden of illness and death they cause and the potential for outbreaks and epidemic spread. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Health workers examining blood bagsHepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B, C and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected body fluids. Common modes of transmission for these viruses include receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment and for hepatitis B transmission from mother to baby at birth, from family member to child, and also by sexual contact.

Hepatitis can be acute or chronic and may result in serious complications and even death. Viral hepatitis affects 1 in every 12 people worldwide. It affects those close to them too. Around 500 million people worldwide are chronically infected with two types of bloodborne hepatitis: hepatitis B and C. Approximately 1 million people die each year from related complications, most commonly from liver diseases including liver cancer.

All types of viral hepatitis occur throughout the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Some countries in the Region have higher infection rates for hepatitis C and hepatitis E than any other country in the world. Approximately 17 million people in the Region are living today with hepatitis C infection and approximately 4.3 million people Region-wide are infected with hepatitis B infection every year.

Acute infection of viral hepatitis may occur with limited or no symptoms, or may include symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. 
 
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The world is celebrating World Hepatitis Day on 28 July. The global theme of the day is “This is hepatitis. Know it. Confront it”. The day also marks the birthday of Professor Baruch S. Blumberg who discovered the hepatitis B virus. In accordance with World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution WHA 63.18, the Day was first celebrated last year across the globe to raise public awareness on the risk and burden of viral hepatitis for individuals and communities and also to strengthen prevention and control efforts of viral hepatitis and its related disease. 

Viral hepatitis is a group of diseases causing inflammation of the liver. There are five main types of hepatitis virus - A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis is a potentially fatal disease. Many people experience no symptoms if left untreated. The danger and extent of hepatitis as a threat to public health is largely being ignored in the world. More needs to be done to stop this “silent epidemic”.

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