HIV/Aids Africa

The highlight for this year?s celebration of World
Health Day on 7 April, was that ?2005 is a critical year for maternal, newborn,
and child health … We have an opportunity to focus global attention on what
should be obvious: every mother, and every child counts?, said the World Health
Organisation’s (WHO) Director General, Dr Lee Jong-wook.Too many mothers and
children in the world were dying or suffering from the effects of ill-health,
poor nutrition and inadequate health care. In developing countries, pregnancy
and childbirth were one of the leading causes of death for women of reproductive
age, the director general said.World Health Day was a unique opportunity to
raise awareness of this needless tragedy and of the efforts needed by all to
ensure life and good health among these precious members of society. According
to a toolkit issued by the WHO, ? ? when a mother is sick or dies, her
productive contribution to the home, workforce, economy and society is lost, and
the survival and education of her children are jeopardised?.The WHO warns
further that not enough mothers and children were receiving existing and
affordable life-saving interventions. The WHO millennium development goals
identify the actions needed across many different fronts for social and economic
development. The goals are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve
universal primary education, promote gender equality and to empower women,
reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other
diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and to develop a global
partnership for development.According to the WHO, everyone was responsible for
making a difference – the global community, governments, other concerned parties
and individuals. The global community, through international aid and global
health policies should support co-ordinated actions across different programmes
and sectors. Governments could develop comprehensive policies, strategies and
plans for ensuring universal access to appropriate and effective
health-promoting and life-saving interventions. This should include ways of
mobilising national partnerships that aim to bring health services to
communities, as well as to strengthen both home-care practices and
health-seeking behaviour.Other concerned parties (non-governmental
organisations) including professional bodies, academic institutions and the mass
media had crucial and complementary roles to play. Individuals could inform
themselves and practice behaviours that ensure the health of their families, the
WHO said.