You can mark you interesting snippets of text that will be available through a unique link in your browser.


World Health Organization

Translation
World Health Organization
WHO or, in French, OMS (Organisation Mondiale de la Sante), a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1948 to further international cooperation for improved health conditions. Although it inherited specific tasks relating to epidemic control, quarantine measures, and drug standardization from the Health Organization of the League of Nations (set up in 1923) and the International Office of Public Health at Paris (established in 1909), WHO was given a broad mandate under its constitution to promote the attainment of "the highest possible level of health" by all people. WHO defines health positively as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." WHO has administrative headquarters in Geneva. It operates through three principal organs: the World Health Assembly, which meets annually as the general policy-making body; an Executive Board of health specialists elected for three-year terms by the assembly; and a Secretariat, which has regional offices and field staff throughout the world. The organization is financed primarily from annual contributions made by member governments on the basis of relative ability to pay. In addition, after 1951, WHO was allocated substantial resources from the expanded technical-assistance program of the UN. The work of WHO may be divided into three categories: {{}}It provides a central clearinghouse and research services. It established a codified set of international sanitary regulations, for example, designed to standardize quarantine measures without interfering unnecessarily with trade and air travel across national boundaries. The central WHO Secretariat also keeps member countries informed of the latest developments in the use of vaccines, cancer research, nutritional discoveries, control of drug addiction, and health hazards of nuclear radiation. It sponsors measures for the control of epidemic and endemic disease by promoting mass campaigns involving nationwide vaccination programs, instruction in the use of antibiotics and insecticides, the improvement of laboratory and clinical facilities for early diagnosis and prevention, assistance in providing pure-water supplies and sanitation systems, and health education for people living in rural communities. These campaigns have had some success against tuberculosis, malaria, and venereal disease. There has also been considerable progress against cholera, trachoma, yellow fever, and yaws. In May 1980 smallpox was globally eradicated, a feat due largely to the efforts of WHO. It encourages efforts to strengthen and expand the public health administrations of member nations. The organization, on request, provides technical advice to governments in the preparation of long-term national health plans, sends out international teams of experts to conduct field surveys and demonstration projects, helps set up local health centres, and offers aid in the development of national training institutions for medical and nursing personnel. It also makes teachers available for on-the-spot training, and it grants traveling-fellowship awards to doctors, public-health administrators, nurses, sanitary inspectors, and laboratory technicians.
* * *
A unit of the United Nations devoted to international health problems.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

  
Share  

Look at other dictionaries:

  • World Health Organization — an agency of the United Nations, established in 1948, concerned with improving the health of the world s people and preventing or controlling communicable diseases on a worldwide basis through various technical projects and programs. Abbr.: WHO * …   Universalium

  • World Toilet Organization — Infobox Organization name=World Toilet Organisation founder=Jack Sim type=Non profit organisation formation=2001 headquarters=Singapore area served=Global focus=Improving toilet and sanitation conditions method=Advocacy, capacity building and… …   Wikipedia

  • World Trade Organization — WTO redirects here. For other uses, see WTO (disambiguation). World Trade Organization (English) Organisation mondiale du commerce (French) Organización Mundial del Comercio (Spanish) …   Wikipedia

  • World Tourism Organization — The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism Rankings [ [http://unwto.org/facts/eng/barometer.htm UNWTO …   Wikipedia

  • Health organization — Health organizations vary in scope from municipal to global. The World Health Organization is a health organization of such global scope. Organizations exist for all fields of health, such as medicine, health promotion, and health education …   Wikipedia

  • World Health Organization — n. An agency of the United Nations that works to promote international public health. abbrv. WHO The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008 …   Law dictionary

  • World Health Organization — WHO redirects here. For other uses, see Who (disambiguation). World Health Organization منظمة الصحة العالمية 世界卫生组织 Organisation mondiale de la Santé Всемирная организация здравоохранения Organización Mundial de la Salud …   Wikipedia

  • World Health Organization — Flagge der WHO Weltgesundheitsorganisation, Genf Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (engl. World Health Organization, WHO) ist eine Sonderorganisation der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • World Health Organization — Organisation mondiale de la santé Pour les articles homonymes, voir OMS (homonymie) et Who. Organisation mondiale de la santé …   Wikipédia en Français

  • World Health Organization — орг. сокр. WHO межд. эк. Всемирная организация здравоохранения, ВОЗ (специализированное учреждение ООН ставящее целью достижение всеми народами более высокого уровня здоровья; создано в 1948 г.) See: United Nations Organization, United Nations… …   Англо-русский экономический словарь

Фильмы