WHO Announced The End To Covid-19 Global Health Emergency
It’s been more than three years since when World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. This deadly virus took the lives of nearly 7 million people worldwide. On Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the end of the Covid global public health emergency.
The downward trend of the pandemic is because of the increased immunity from rapid vaccination across the world. This trend is continued for more than a year now and had helped in decreasing the infection and mortality rates: the director-general of WHO said in a press conference at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
He added, “This trend had helped most countries to return to normal as we knew it before Covid-19.” The director-general said; therefore, it is been declared that covid-19 as a global health emergency is over now. This decision of WHO comes days before the United States is set to end its national public health emergency.
The World Health Organization is responsible for coordinating and providing support to countries for public health. It was formed in 1948 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization has played a significant role in achieving global health. They took several initiatives to eradicate diseases like smallpox, polio, malaria, tuberculosis, etc.
The organization relies on private donors and member states for funding. This is an organization of 194-member states. The main objective of the organization is to attain the highest possible level of health worldwide.
WHO’s Contribution to world health
- The organization’s goal is to ensure universal health coverage.
- Improve access to quality healthcare services.
- To prepare the world for emergencies; the development of tools necessary during outbreaks.
- Detection of acute health emergencies.
- Improve access to essential pharmaceutical products.
- Eradication of high-impact communicable diseases.
- Prepare the world for global health emergencies i.e. Covid-19 pandemic.
- Work towards financial protection and sustainable financing.
WHO’s country offices provide support to governments and are considered primary contact points with countries. WHO’ ‘s contribution to world health is vital and forms a base for coordination between countries. The organization is working forefront to provide immunization to children with six major communicable diseases; diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, tetanus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough.
During the first decade of its establishment (1948 to 1958), it worked on specific infectious diseases that include malaria, yaws, tuberculosis, and venereal diseases. During this time they also focused on maternal and child health services, standardization of drugs and vaccines, environmental sanitation, etc.
From 1958 to 1968, the organization was highly influenced by the national liberation of several former colonies of Africa, which became voting members of the organization. In the 1960s, WHO collaborated with the world chemical industry to develop new insecticides to treat schistosomiasis and to fight the vectors of onchocerciasis (river blindness).
The following periods were crucial to eradicate smallpox, promoting worldwide research and development on human reproduction, promoting safe drinking water and making provisions for the same, controlling infantile diarrhea with oral rehydration therapy, fighting with Ebola outbreak in Congo, etc.
