The Inquirer (Monrovia)
7 April 2008
The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with friendly environmental organizations and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will today, April 7, join other international bodies to observe the World Health Day with a call on health ministries to strengthen public health policies.
This year's occasion will be observed under the theme "The Need To Protect Health from Climate Change" and it is expected to be held in Monrovia.
According to the WHO Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan, climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time.
Speaking in a special message, the WHO Director General noted that climate change will affect in profoundly adverse ways some of the most fundamental determinants of health; food, air and water.
She further said that the World Health Day celebration every year is a unique opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health.
The WHO boss added that every event and every voice on every occasion is needed to give new energy and commitment to making the fundamental changes that would both stabilize the climate and prevent human suffering.
She stated further in her message that all populations are vulnerable, but that the poor are the first and the hardest hit. She noted that climate change threatens to reverse the progress in fighting diseases of poverty, and to widen the gaps in health outcomes between the richest and the poorest.
"We need government to put human health and wellbeing at the heart of climate change policy and to renew efforts to protect health through achieving the Millennium Development Goals," she concluded.
Another key message from the World Health Day celebration says that health is one of the areas affected by climate change and it is being affected now.
It further said that the physical effects of climate change would vary in different geographical locations and noted that the human health impacts from climate change are further modified by such conditions as level of development, poverty, education, public health infrastructures, land use practice and political structures.
The message continued by saying that traditional public health tools are important components of effective response to climate change.
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