While sages and thinkers the world over have time and again underscored the importance of good health, by equating it with wealth, besides suggesting ways and means of securing optimal mental and physical wellbeing for all, the human race has by and large ignored their wisdom in its mad pursuit for success and money. Still the World Health Organization (WHO) has been making persistent efforts at urging people to pay attention to their health and lead a healthy lifestyle.
The global onslaught of COVID-19 has resulted in continuously increasing fatalities since its outbreak in late 2019, causing WHO to have ‘Building a fairer, healthier world’ as its celebratory theme for World Health Day 2021.
While vaccination drives are being held all over the world, COVID-19 continues to be a killer with its stronger, mutational strains making an appearance just as soon as the humans begin to exult over their victory over one of these through quarantine, vaccination, social distancing, wearing masks and sanitizing their hands, with people from poor socio-economic backgrounds being the most vulnerable to it due to lack of quality health care services.
The misgivings and rumors about the vaccines have prevented a majority of individuals from getting the preventive jab, resulting in the increasing COVID caseload and deaths.
Still WHO is positive that COVID, its mutant tendencies notwithstanding, is still preventable by ensuring conducive living and work conditions, for all. It holds the social, financial, age and environment-related discrepancies in the world responsible for the spike in the COVID caseload and bats for equality in access to health services, enhanced awareness and proper health monitoring of people of all age groups and socio-economic backgrounds.
Its theme ‘Building a fairer, healthier world’ for World Health Day 2021 commemoration is in tune with its efforts aimed at laying the foundations of healthy and happy societies across the globe by encouraging the masses to be sensitive towards their own health and urging political leaders to ensure quality healthcare for all humans, irrespective of their social and economic background. World Health Day is one of the eleven official global health campaigns of the WHO. Instituted in 1948 as World Health Assembly, World Health Day falls on April 7 each year. It has been observed as World Health Day since 1950.
Marking the founding of WHO, this day helps draw attention to health-related issues of global import, each year. International, regional and local events are organized on this occasion under the aegis of WHO to spread awareness among the public about the health-related issues. Besides NGOs, schools, colleges and other private organizations, World Health Day is duly observed by the governments of various countries through activities dedicated to the spread of awareness regarding public health issues as a part of the celebration.
The writer possesses a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has worked with The Indian Express and Hindustan Times. She is currently working as a Public Relations Officer with one of the renowned schools in Amritsar.