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Public Health Associations Today Observe World Health Day During National Public Health Week

Posted on: Thursday, 7 April 2005, 12:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, April 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Public Health Association (APHA) and the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) today join together to celebrate World Health Day 2005. The theme this year is "Make Every Mother and Child Count," and the observance will focus on reducing the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes and the deaths of newborns and young children from preventable diseases.

"Maternal and child health have long been a central focus for public health at both national and international levels," said Allen K. Jones, PhD, secretary general of WFPHA and director of Education and Global Health Resources at APHA, a member association of WFPHA. "It is fitting that World Health Day 2005 challenges the world to commit anew to improving the health of women and children. It is not a question of knowing what needs to be done. We know that.

"The challenge is to exercise the political will and provide the resources to actually achieve the results we want," said Jones. "In responding to the challenge, let's close the gap between knowledge and action in this critical area of global health."

Each year, more than half a million mothers die in childbirth and 10.6 million children die, 40 percent of them in the first month of life. Among all child deaths each year, nearly 4 million are among newborns. About 99 percent of maternal deaths and under-5 child deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries, particularly in sub- Saharan Africa and South Asia, and many deaths could be prevented with well-known interventions, if they were more widely available.

"Today, world health leaders will highlight the burgeoning need to save the lives of women and children by improving their access to preventive services and even such necessities as nutritious food," said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of APHA. "Far too many children succumb to such treatable and preventable conditions as pneumonia, malaria and measles. Postpartum hemorrhages, hypertension and infections are among the leading causes of maternal deaths. We can, and should, take more action to ensure the well-being of women and children across the globe."

World Health Day is celebrated every April 7 to raise awareness of global health concerns. More information is available at http:// www.who.int/world-health-day/2005/en.

World Health Day coincides this year with the commemoration of National Public Health Week in the United States, which is observed April 4 to April 10. During National Public Health Week, APHA and its partners will focus on identifying and reducing the barriers that keep older Americans from getting the health care and information they need to live stronger, longer lives. More information is available at http://www.apha.org/nphw.

WFPHA is an international, nongovernmental organization of over 60 public health associations from around the world. WFPHA brings health workers throughout the world together for professional exchange, collaboration and action, and it enjoys official relations with the World Health Organization. More information is available at http://www.apha.org/wfpha.

The American Public Health Association, the oldest organization of public health professionals, represents more than 50,000 members from over 50 public health occupations. More information is available at http://www.apha.org.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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