The idea of protecting our health and that of our communities is not new. In fact, caring for each other, as a core form of altruism, has been a necessary survival requirement in our evolution, in an often-dangerous world. Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced since perhaps as early as 5,000 years ago in the Indus Valley. Herbal medicine was used by the Mayans to treat the souls of sick people, who they thought had been seized by ghostly beings, and the Aztecs wore amulets to protect them from evil. Hippocrates and other ancient Greeks introduced medical terms such as ‘symptom’ and ‘diagnosis’ to describe a range of diseases. The ‘Hippocratic Oath’ became a foundation of medical ethics. The Romans advanced public health through practices such as burying the dead outside of villages, supplying water through aqueducts, and building public baths and sewage systems. They were followed by Middle Eastern medicine that, in the Middle Ages (between 500 and 1500) was the most forward-looking in the world.

As towns and cities grew with the industrial revolution that started in the 1700s, disease spread more easily and scientists turned their attention to dealing with this challenge. In 1798, Edward Jenner created the world’s first vaccine with the smallpox vaccine. Smallpox left extensive blistering all over the body, sometimes leading to blindness and at the time caused 10% of all deaths globally. The existence of a vaccine was the beginning of a medical attack on smallpox. Similarly, John Snow’s pioneering systematic investigation of cholera in 1855, where he was able to pinpoint the source of an outbreak in London to one public water pump, was another step to modern epidemiology. As were Sir Edwin Chadwick reports on poor and insanitary conditions that led to the Public Health Act and that hinted at future welfare systems.

By the late 1800s, the ball had been set rolling and scientists massively expanded our knowledge of health over the coming years. Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch were able to isolate the bacteria responsible for diseases. Joseph Lister used Pasteur’s newfound knowledge to revolutionize surgery by developing an antiseptic to reduce post-surgical infections, which were caused by bacteria. Ronald Ross discovered that malaria was carried in the gastrointestinal tract of mosquitos in 1897. 

Shortly thereafter, Carlos J. Finlay, Walter Reed and James Carroll demonstrated that mosquitoes were also responsible for yellow fever. In 1898, Paul-Louis Simond, based in Karachi, Pakistan demonstrated that fleas transmit the bacteria causing bubonic plague, which is spread from rat to rat, and from rat to human. Brazilian scientist Carlos Chagas identified a new disease caused by a nasty parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi). New vaccines were developed, such as the yellow fever vaccine in 1935, an influenza vaccine in 1945, and a polio vaccine in the 1950s. Additionally, the discovery of penicillin in 1928 and its first clinical use in 1941 opened the doors to the development of antibiotics.

“Health is wealth” was coined by American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson © Freepik

The welfare state that we all know today, with healthcare as an intrinsic component, really came into its own after the Second World War. The Britannica Online Encyclopedia defines a welfare state as a “concept of government in which the state or a well-established network of social institutions plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life.” In practice, public healthcare reduces poverty and increases GDP growth and countries from the United States of America to countries in Europe and Asia, to the Middle East and Africa, have benefitted immensely from it.

After WWII it became clear that the world would need an overarching body to coordinate public health actions and really make a difference to countries around the world, and WHO was founded in 1948. The WHO constitution made it clear that health was not a luxury but a fundamental human right. This was a huge task: from developing and conducting vaccine campaigns, to using insecticides and a range of other new pharmaceutical technologies, to tracking and eradicating diseases, WHO would support countries to leapfrog public health into the 20th century.

It was also recognized that diseases are not confined within national borders. What affects one country could affect its neighbours. With the rise of air travel, origins ceased to matter: each disease had a global potential, and so it made sense to support a global system of protection for all. In 1980, WHO was able to eradicate smallpox after a 12-year global campaign. We are on the cusp of eradicating polio. WHO played an essential role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diseases remain a threat to us to this day and pandemics are a reminder that we must work together to contain diseases and safeguard ourselves. No person and no country lives in isolation.

WHO has a long list of accomplishments and achievements. It works across the whole spectrum of ill health, and in a breathtaking number of areas. In fact, the WHO website lists nearly 200 health conditions that it works on, with staff in 152 country offices, some which support more than one country. It’s an incredible effort. WHO invests in countries, including your country, to strengthen health.

To put it formally, WHO is “responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.”

The organization describes itself a little less dryly: “The World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to achieve better health for all. By connecting countries, people and partners, we strive to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. From emerging epidemics such as COVID-19 and Zika, to the persistent threat of communicable diseases including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, we bring together 194 countries and work on the frontlines in 150+ locations to confront the biggest health challenges of our time and measurably advance the well-being of the world’s people.”

Whichever way you define it, WHO plays an immeasurably important role, and most people are aware of this. When COVID hit, the world turned to WHO for guidance and information. I know, because I was in the WHO COVID team and produced the daily situation report, which was read by many millions of people. Like many in the Organization, I often worked till late at night, racing to ensure the information came out on time. WHO continues to work tirelessly to push the boundaries of global health to ever higher levels and to safeguard the health of you and your community. 


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