The United Nations
regularly focuses attention on issues that affect the world population using stamps as an effective tool to spread the message.
Health is one such theme. Stamps are issued to
highlight different aspects of an issue. A set of six stamps was issued recently on themes relating to the
promotion of better living.
Water and sanitation was one theme. The amount of fresh water so essential for life is limited. Preserving the quality of water is important for drinking water supply, food production and
recreational water use. Water quality can be
compromised by the
presence of infectious agents, toxic chemicals and
radiological hazards.
Inadequate sanitation is
a major cause of disease
worldwide. Improving
sanitation has a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. The word 'sanitation' also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions through garbage collection,
wastewater disposal and other such services.
 |
ECOSOC
(on the stamps) stands for UN Economic and Social Council. (ECOSOC) serves as the central forum for
discussing
international
economic and social issues and formulating policy
recommendations. |
Drinking water and
adequate sanitation
facilities are crucial to enhanced global public health.
Traditional medicine
is the second theme. Traditional medicine has been described as the sum total of the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and
experiences indigenous to
different cultures.
Ayurveda which is popular in our country is one
example. This type of
medicine is used in the
maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. Many
countries in Asia, Africa
and Latin America use
traditional medicines to help meet some of their primary healthcare needs.
Improving maternal health is another vital area highlighted. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year over 500,000 women die from
difficulties during pregnancy and child birth or in the first six weeks after delivery. Every year over one million newborns die within their first 24 hours of life due to lack of quality care. Maternal mortality is one
of the largest health
inequalities in the world with 99 percent of the deaths
occurring in developing
countries – half of them in Africa.
There are medicines
essential to satisfy the
priority healthcare needs of the people. These are
intended to be available
within the context of
functioning health systems at all times in adequate
amounts, in the
appropriate dosage forms, and at a price the individual and the community can afford. One stamp features this theme.
Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases is another priority area in
promoting healthcare. It has been estimated that every day, 7,500 people become infected with HIV and 5,500 die from AIDS mostly due to a lack of HIV prevention and treatment services. The poorest
countries in the world also face the threat of malaria and tuberculosis.
Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. Many children who survive a severe attack of malaria may suffer from learning
impairments or brain
damage. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also particularly
vulnerable to malaria, which is a major cause of prenatal mortality, low birth weight and maternal anaemia.
The need to reduce child mortality is highlighted in the final stamp. Every year
nearly 11 million children die before their fifth
birthday. Of these,
99 percent are in low and
middle income countries
particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Even within the poor
countries it is the poorest who suffer the most. Malnutrition is the single most important underlying cause of child mortality.
It is associated with 54
percent of all child deaths.
A strong national
immunization programme has been established in many countries in recent years to ensure that the child population is
immunized against several common diseases. |
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