International Health Organizations

Alongside security and economy, health is one of the many matters that the international community takes seriously. Who can forget about the notorious SARS when it created worldwide panic in 2002? Who didn't get scared when news of bird flu virus broke out? Most of all, what country did not care about AIDS when it first appeared a few decades ago?

Good thing there are international health organizations to help mankind in the battle against diseases and threats to human health. Two of the most trusted and the most established of them are the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Red Cross or Red Crescent Movement.

World Health Organization (WHO)

A specialized UN agency, The World Health Organization acts as UN's coordinating authority on public health. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and established in 1948, it coordinates international efforts to monitor, prevent and treat diseases such as malaria, smallpox, SARS and AIDS. The agency also supports the distribution and development of safe, effective vaccines, drugs and pharmaceutical diagnostics. One of the most remarkable successes of WHO is the eradication of smallpox in 1980 after two decades of fighting the viral disease. It was the first disease to be eradicated by human effort.

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

A leading international humanitarian movement, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has an estimated 97 million volunteers around the world. Their mission is to protect human life and health, alleviate and prevent human suffering, and ensure respect for the human being without any discrimination based on race, nationality, religion, class or political opinions. The

Health is indeed a major concern in the international community. Thus, many global and regional institutions have set up organizations aiming to prevent pandemics, support studies that would elevate medical science and technology, and protect the overall health of people across the globe. Every country has its own health institution that ensures all these. However, a little help from international health organizations won't hurt especially when it comes to major outbreaks, calamities and other hazardous situations.