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Wiping out polio More... |
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Poliomyelitis has been eliminated from all but four
countries—Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and
Pakistan—as a result of the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative, the largest international
public health effort to date. Thanks to the Initiative,
spearheaded by the World Health Organization,
UNICEF, Rotary International and
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly
5 million children are walking who would otherwise
have been paralyzed by polio. A disease that
once crippled children in 125 countries is on the
verge of being eradicated.
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Responding to HIV/AIDS More... |
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| The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) coordinates global action against an epidemic
that affects some 33 million people. It works in more
than 80 countries to provide universal access to HIV
prevention and treatment services, as well as to reduce
the vulnerability of individuals and communities and
alleviate the impact of the epidemic. UNAIDS brings
together the expertise of its 10 co-sponsoring UN
organizations.
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Eradicating smallpox More... |
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A 13-year effort by the World Health Organization (WHO)
resulted in smallpox being declared officially eradicated
from the planet in 1980. The eradication has saved
an estimated $1 billion a year in vaccination
and monitoring, almost three times the cost
of eliminating the scourge itself.
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Halting the spread of epidemics More... |
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| The World Health Organization helped to stop the spread
of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In March 2003,
it issued a global alert and emergency travel advisory, and its
leadership helped to stop this new disease, which had the
potential to become a worldwide epidemic. WHO investigates
over 200 disease outbreaks each year, 15 to 20 of which
require an international response. Some of the more prominent
diseases for which WHO is leading the global response include
meningitis, yellow fever, cholera and influenza.
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Pressing for universal immunization More... |
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| Immunization saves more than 2 million lives every year. As a
result of efforts by the World Health Organization, UNICEF,
other organizations and Governments, an estimated 79 per cent of the
world's children are now vaccinated with the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus
vaccine, up from 20 per cent in 1980. Between 2000 and 2006, measles
deaths in Africa declined by 91 per cent, with a two-thirds reduction globally.
Barriers to introducing new vaccines are gradually being overcome, and
contacts forged through immunization are being used to provide
additional life-saving assistance, such as insecticide-treated nets to protect
against malaria and vitamin A supplements to prevent malnutrition.
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Reducing child mortality More... |
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| In 1990, 1 out of 10 children died before they were five
years old. Through oral rehydration therapy, clear water and
sanitation and other health and nutrition measures undertaken by
UN agencies, child mortality rates in developing countries had
dropped to less than 1 in 12 by 2006. The goal is now to reduce
the 1990 under-five mortality rate by two thirds by 2015.
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Promoting reproductive and maternal health More... |
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| By promoting the right of individuals to make their own decisions
on the number, spacing and timing of their children through
voluntary family planning programmes, the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has helped people to make informed
choices and given families, especially women, greater control
over their lives. As a result, women in developing countries
are having fewer children—from six in the 1960s to three
today—slowing world population growth. Fewer unintended
pregnancies also means less maternal death and fewer unsafe
abortions. When UNFPA started work in 1969, under 20 per
cent of couples practiced family planning; the number now
stands at about 63 per cent. UNFPA and several partners
also help to provide skilled assistance during childbirth and
access to emergency obstetrical care to reduce maternal
deaths. UNFPA supports safe motherhood initiatives in
about 90 countries.
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Protecting consumers' health More... |
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| To ensure the safety of food sold in the marketplace, FAO and the
World Health Organization, working with Member States, have
established standards for over 230 food commodities, safety limits
for more than 3,000 food contaminants, and regulations on food
processing, transport and storage. Standards on labelling and
description seek to ensure that the consumer is not misled. More
food than ever before is travelling the globe, and the United Nations
works to make sure that it is safe.
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