2011: Antimicrobial resistance
The theme of World Health Day 2011, celebrated on April 7, 2011, was “Antimicrobial Resistance and its Global Spread” and focused on the need for governments and stakeholders to implement the policies and practices necessary to prevent and counter the emergence of highly resistant microorganisms.
When infections caused by resistant microorganisms fail to respond to standard treatments, including tibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs – also known as drug resistance – it can lead to long-term illness and greater risk of death.
On World Health Day 2011. WHO called for a stronger global commitment to protect antimicrobials for future generations. The organization unveiled a six-point policy package to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance:
Implementing a comprehensive, funded national plan with accountability and civil society participation.
Strengthening surveillance and laboratory capacity.
Ensuring continued access to quality-assured essential medicines.
Regulate and promote the rational use of drugs, including in livestock, and ensure appropriate patient care; reduce the use of antimicrobials in farm animals.
Strengthen infection prevention and control.
Promote innovation, research and development for new tools.
2012: Aging and Health
World Health Day 2012 was marked by the slogan “Good health adds life to years.” Life expectancy is increasing in most countries, meaning that more and more people are living longer and entering an age when they may need medical care. Meanwhile, fertility rates are generally falling. Countries and health systems need to find innovative and sustainable ways to cope with the demographic shift. As John Baird, director of the WHO Department of Aging and Lifestyles, said, “With a rapidly aging population, finding the right model for long-term care is becoming more and more urgent.”
2013: Healthy Blood Pressure
Healthy in the World Day 2013 theme on April 7, 2013 was the need to control high blood pressure (hypertension) as the “silent killer of the global public health crisis.” The campaign slogan was “Healthy Heart, Healthy Blood Pressure.” The WHO reports that preventable and treatable hypertension exacerbates the burden of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure and is an important cause of premature death and disability. The organization estimates that one in three adults has high blood pressure.
2014: Small Bite, Big Threat
Aed es aegypti yellow fever mosquito feeding
World Health Day 2014 drew attention to some of the most widely known vectors, such as mosquitoes, mosquitoes, bugs, ticks and snails, which carry a wide range of parasites and pathogens that cause many different diseases. Mosquitoes, for example, carry malaria–the deadliest vector-borne disease, causing an estimated 660,000 deaths annually worldwide–as well as dengue fever, lymphatic filariasis, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever. More than half of the world’s population is at risk for these diseases.
The goal of the 2014 World Health Day campaign was to better protect against vector-borne diseases, especially for families living in areas where the diseases are transmitted by vectors and travelers to countries where they pose a health risk. The campaign urged public health authorities in countries where vector-borne diseases are a public health problem or an emerging threat to take steps to improve surveillance and protection.
2015: Food Safety
WHO promoted food safety as part of the 2015 World Health Day campaign. Unsafe food – food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals – causes more than 200 diseases and is linked to about 2 million deaths each year, mostly children. Changes in food production, distribution and consumption; changes in the environment; new and emerging pathogens; and antimicrobial resistance all pose challenges to food safety systems.