Many Children's Deaths Preventable: WHO
Over five million children die each year from disease, infections and accidents related to their environment although many of these deaths are largely preventable, says the World health Organization.
On Monday, the WHO asked governments and citizens around the world to take action to create healthy environments for children as it celebrated World Health Day.
"The biggest threats to children's health lurk in the very places that should be safest-home, school and community," said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of the WHO at the day's launch in New Delhi, India.
"Every child has the right to grow up in a healthy home, school and community. They future development of our children-and of their world-depends on their enjoying good health now. We have their future in our hands. Now we must work more effectively together to reduce the risks from the environment which our children face," Brundtland said.
This year's theme, "Healthy Environments for Children" focuses on the many dangers faced by children in and around the places where they live and play.
These include inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation, insect-borne diseases, air pollution, chemical hazards and injuries from traffic, falls, burns and drownings.
Communities around the world organized events to promote awareness of children's health issues, which included drawing contests for schoolchildren in Vietnam, street plays in India, puppet shows in Namibia professional lectures for policy makers in Germany and elsewhere.
Activities also took place in cities across Canada on Monday, including Calgary, Montreal, Halifax and Ottawa.
Although children under five represent only 10 per cent of the world's population, they bear 40 per cent of the global disease burden, says the WHO. And as much as one-third of the total burden of disease may be caused by environmental factors.
World health Day has been celebrated on April 7th since 1950. Each year the WHO chooses a theme to highlight areas of particular concern. Last year's theme, Move for health, focused on promoting physical activity as part of healthy living. [卫生类A]
世界卫生组织:许多孩子的死亡是可以预防的
世界卫生组织报告,每年都有500万以上的儿童死于与他们所处环境有关的疾病、感染或事故,尽管其中的许多情况都是可以预防的。
周一,世界卫生组织在庆祝世界卫生日时,呼吁全世界的政府和人民都采取行动,为孩子们创造一个健康的环境。
世界卫生组织的总干事高·哈兰姆·布朗德特兰博士今天在印度新德里的启动仪式上说:“家庭、学校和社会应该是最安全的地方,可是对儿童健康的最大威胁就是存在于这些本该是最安全的地方。”
“每个孩子都有权享受在家庭、学校和社区健康成长的权利。我们孩子们未来的发展和他们的世界的发展都取决于他们现在是否能享有良好的家庭。”布朗德特兰博士说,“我们现在应当更有效地工作,以减少我们孩子所面临的来自环境的危险。”
今年的主题“为孩子创造健康环境”重点关注在孩子们居住和玩耍的地方所可能面临的危险。
这些危险包括,利用不到安全的饮用水和卫生的环境、昆虫传播的疾病、空气污染、化学品的危害和交通事故、摔跤、烧伤、溺水带来的伤害。
世界各地的团体组织各种各样的活动来提高对儿童健康问题的认识,像在越南举行的学龄儿童的绘画比赛、印度的街头表演、纳米比亚的木偶剧以及在德国及其他一些地方面向政策制定者们所做的一些职业讲座。
周一,包括卡尔加里、蒙特利尔、哈利法克斯和渥太华在内的加拿大各城市也举行了各种活动。
世界卫生组织说,尽管5岁以下的儿童只占世界人口的10%,但他们却背负着全球疾病总量的40%,而全球疾病总量的1/3是由环境因素导致的。
自从1950年以来,每年的4月7日都作为世界卫生日来庆祝。而且每年世界卫生组织都选择一个主题来强调某一领域的特殊问题。去年的主题是“为健康而行动”,强调了增强体育运动作为健康生活的一部分。[卫生类A]
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