World Asthma Day takes place each year on the first Tuesday in May. Organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the aim is to raise awareness of asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world.

The first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was celebrated in more than 35 countries. Participation has increased with each World Asthma Day since then, making it one of the world’s most important asthma awareness and education events.

Each year, GINA chooses a theme for World Asthma Day and materials and resources are made available on the organisation’s website for use by health care professionals, educators, and members of the public who want to help raise awareness of asthma.

Resources

World Asthma Day
Access resources to help you plan activities for World Asthma Day.

World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April 2013 to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948.
Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of public health concern in the world.

The theme for 2013 is HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

About high blood pressure:

High blood pressure – also known as raised blood pressure or hypertension – increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and heart failure. The risk of developing these complications is higher in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes. One in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure. The proportion increases with age, from 1 in 10 people in their 20′s and 30′s to 5 in 10 people in their 50′s. Prevalence of high blood pressure is highest in some low-income countries in Africa, with over 40% of adults in many African countries thought to be affected.

However, high blood pressure is both preventable and treatable. In some developed countries, prevention and treatment of the condition, together with other cardiovascular risk factors, has brought about a reduction in deaths from heart disease. The risk of developing high blood pressure can be reduced by:

Goals: Greater awareness, healthy behaviours, improved detection, and enabling environments

The ultimate goal of World Health Day 2013 is to reduce heart attacks and strokes.

Specific objectives of the campaign are:

http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/

World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March 2013

World TB Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the burden of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide and the status of TB prevention and control efforts.
It is also an opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress.

Progress towards global targets for reductions in TB cases and deaths in recent years has been impressive: TB mortality has fallen over 40% worldwide since 1990, and incidence is declining. New TB tools such as rapid diagnostics are helping transform response to the disease.

But the global burden remains huge and significant challenges persist:

In 2011, there were an estimated 8.7 million new cases of TB and 1.4 million people died from TB; over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Poor communities and vulnerable groups are most affected, but this airborne disease is a risk to all; TB is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44; there were an estimated 0.5 million cases and 64 000 deaths among children in 2011; there is slow progress in tackling multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB): with 60 000 patients enrolled in treatment by end 2011 – this is only one in five of the notified TB patients estimated to have MDR-TB; provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for TB patients known to be living with HIV needs to double to meet WHO’s recommendation that all TB patients living with HIV promptly receive ART; and the African and European regions are not on track to meet the target of halving deaths from TB between 1990 and 2015.

http://www.who.int/campaigns/tb-day/2013/en/index.html

The 2012 theme for World AIDS Day is “Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation”.

World AIDS Day, 1 December 2012

World AIDS Day on 1 December brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world.

Between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths”. The World AIDS Campaign focus on “Zero AIDS related deaths” signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now. It is a call to honor promises like the Abuja declaration and for African governments to at least hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.

What is HIV / AIDS?

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. As the infection progresses, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS; antiretroviral drugs can slow down the process even further.

HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse (anal or vaginal), transfusion of contaminated blood, sharing of contaminated needles, and between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

Fireworks-related injuries are common during certain festivities such as the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and others. Injuries are frequent during said festivities because of the heavy use of firecrackers and other low explosive pyrotechnic devices. People who actively use firecrackers and firework devices are more prone to fireworks-related injuries compared to bystanders. Firecrackers and other low explosive pyrotechnic devices can cause bodily harm and ignite fires.

Fireworks-related injuries are often caused by lack of safety measures, negligence, lack of adult supervision and use of defective firecrackers and other forms of fireworks. Based on a 1998 assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the people most prone to fireworks-related injuries are:
1. Children and young adults – In the 1998 CDC study, more than 4 of every 10 people injured due to fireworks were children under 15 years of age. While 58% of injuries were associated with young adults under twenty years of age.
2. Males – Based on observations, most of the injuries occurred among males.

Types of injuries:
a. Hands and fingers – The most common injuries inflicted on hands and fingers are cuts and burns. The degree of cuts and burns can range from minor to severe. Big explosions can permanently damage hands and fingers. There is even a possibility of losing parts of the hands and fingers.
b. Face – The face is also susceptible to cuts and burns.
c. Eyes – There is a possibility of foreign objects hitting the eyes. Severe eye injuries can lead to blindness.
d. Others – The rest of the body can also sustain injuries such as cuts, burns and bruises. Severe burns can lead to permanent scarring.
Severe fireworks-related accidents (explosions and fires) can even lead to death.

First aid treatment:

1. Wash the injured area of the body with soap over running water.
2. Check for presence of foreign objects or debris. Carefully remove any debris found.
3. Gently dry the area and apply antiseptic on the wound.
4. Cover the wound with a clean gauze, bandage or cloth.
5. Bring the patient to the nearest clinic or hospital for complete medical attention.
6. The physician may give the patient an anti-tetanus vaccine injection or booster shot depending on the patient’s last vaccination.
7. Severe burns will need proper medical attention. Do not attempt to treat injury at home.
8. Severe cuts or wounds might need surgery.

Prevention and control:

The most effective way to prevent fireworks-related injuries is to refrain from using firecrackers. If you choose to do so, make sure you exercise strict caution. Here are some basic tips on how to prevent fireworks-related injuries:
1. Adults should not allow young children to handle firecrackers and other forms of fireworks.
2. Adults should supervise children while watching firework displays.
3. Maintain safe distance from fireworks.
4. Handle firecrackers with caution. Move away immediately upon lighting.
5. Do not light firecrackers inside the house or near things that can easily go in flames.
6. Do not go pick up firecrackers that failed to explode.
7. Do not relight or recycle firecrackers.
8. Do not attempt to make homemade firecrackers. Experimenting on your own small pyrotechnic explosive or devices can be very dangerous.
9. Do not throw firecrackers at people, vehicles or near flammable objects.