World Health Organization - Essay Example

WHO Introduction The acronym used for World Health Organization is WHO. WHO was formulated by the United Nations (UN) on 7 April 1948 to serve as a specialized agency concerned with the improvement of public health internationally. WHO has membership of the UN Development Group. Its headquarters are at Geneva in Switzerland. Health Organization was the predecessor of the WHO and belonged to the League of Nations. The objective of WHO is generally the improvement of healthcare by developing and introducing medical solutions to the health problems.

One of the prime objectives of WHO is “To reduce morbidity and mortality and improve health during key stages of life, including pregnancy, childbirth, the neonatal period, childhood and adolescence, and improve sexual and reproductive health and promote active and healthy ageing for all individuals” (WHO, 2012).Target PopulationThe target population of WHO are all people in the world in general and the poor people in the underdeveloped countries in particular, which do not have adequate resources to ensure the health and safety of their citizens.

UN has introduced a lot of vaccines for the prevention of different kinds of diseases in such countries as India, Pakistan, Sudan, and Ethiopia. “WHO was on the alert in those parts of the world experiencing humanitarian crises, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Horn of Africa, Iraq, Sudan and in particular Darfur, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and elsewhere” (Chaib, 2006). Operative HistoryWHO has an operational history full of successes and few failures since its establishment.

In the year 1947, WHO created an epidemiological service of information through telex and launched the programme for the eradication of malaria in the year 1955. Ten years later, WHO created the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In 1966, WHO shifted in its headquarters building. In 1974, WHO started the Expanded Programme on Immunization. In 1975, WHO launched the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. Between 1986 and 1996, WHO was actively involved in creating awareness about the causes, risks, and prevention of HIV/AIDS and Polio.

It took several measures to providing the patients of HIV/AIDS with medical attention without discrimination on the basis of race or region. In 1988, WHO established the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. AchievementsSmallpox was a major health issue in 31 countries of the world in the year 1967. The victims of smallpox in 1967 was from 10 to 15 million, out of which 2 million patients died while millions got disabled for the rest of their lives. WHO took objective measures to eradicate Smallpox.

Had WHO not taken those measures, Smallpox might have continued to be a fatal disease to date. WHO together with UNAIDS introduced the “3 by 5” initiative in December 2003. This measure resulted in a three-fold increase in people’s access to HIV till the end of 2006, though many challenges still sustain. From December 2003 till June 2006, the number of people receiving the treatment of HIV in the middle-income countries increased from 400,000 to 1.65 million. References:Chaib, F. (2006, Dec. 22). 2006: A year of challenges and achievements.

Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2006/np38/en/index.html. WHO. (2012). Technical programmes in the European Region. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/en/who-we-are/technical-programmes-in-the-european-region.