Diplomats meeting in San
Francisco, California to form the United Nations agree that throughout modern
history, there has been insufficient collaboration between countries to control
the spread of dangerous diseases across the world. Together they decide on the
need for a global organization overseeing global health.
1946: WHO Constitution approved
WHO's Constitution is drafted
and then approved at the International Health Conference in New York City.
1947
First-ever global
disease-tracking service
WHO establishes the first-ever
global disease-tracking service, with information transmitted via telex
1948
WHO Constitution comes into
force
WHO's Constitution comes into
force on 7 April ̶ a date we now celebrate every year as World
Health Day. Following the mandate
established by Member States, WHO begins its first two decades with a strong
focus on mass campaigns against tuberculosis, malaria, yaws, syphilis, smallpox
and leprosy.
1950
Discovery of antibiotics
The great era of discovery of
antibiotics begins, and WHO begins advising countries on their responsible use.
1952
Inactivated polio vaccine
Jonas Salk develops the
inactivated poliovirus vaccine (given by injection), paving the way for mass
global campaigns facilitated by countries, WHO and other partners that have led
to the near-eradication of polio.
1961
Attenuated live-virus polio
vaccine
Albert Sabin develops the
attenuated live-virus vaccine (given orally), paving the way for mass global
campaigns facilitated by countries, WHO and other partners that have led to the
near-eradication of polio.
1969
International Health Regulations
The World Health Assembly
establishes the first International Health Regulations, which represent an
agreement between WHO Member States to work together to prevent and respond to
acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten
people worldwide.
1972
Special Programme of Research,
Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction
1974
Expanded Programme on
Immunization
WHO founds the Expanded
Programme on Immunization to bring life-saving vaccines to all the world's
children.
1975
Special Programme for Research
and Training in Tropical Diseases
1977
First Essential Medicines List
The first Essential Medicines
List is published. This list outlines the medicines that a basic health system
needs. Each medicine is selected based on evidence for its safety,
effectiveness and value for money.
1978
"Health for All" goal
set
The International Conference on
Primary Health Care, in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, sets the aspirational goal,
"Health for All", laying the groundwork for WHO's call for universal health coverage.
1978
Global diarrhoeal diseases
programme
1980: Smallpox eradication
Following an ambitious 12-year
global vaccination campaign led by WHO, smallpox is eradicated.
1981
International Code of Marketing
Breastmilk Substitutes
1983: HIV discovered
The Human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV), which causes AIDS, is discovered. In 1987, the first antiretroviral
medication to control HIV infection and prevent it from progressing to AIDS is
licensed, prompting a shift in WHOs priorities.
1988: Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Countries of the world come
together to call for the eradication of polio at the World Health Assembly at a
time when the disease was paralysing more than 350 000 children every year in
more than 125 endemic countries. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative
(GPEI), is launched.
1994: Comprehensive definition of reproductive health
At the International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, countries agree to
the adoption of a comprehensive definition of reproductive health and a
recognition of reproductive rights.
1995: Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy
The Integrated Management of
Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy was launched by WHO and UNICEF to promote
health and provide preventive and curative services for children under five in
countries with more than 40 deaths per 1000 live births.
WHO played a pioneering role in
emergency contraception by confirming the effectiveness of levonorgestrel,
which resulted in changes in regulations in countries of differing income
levels and its inclusion in the list of essential medicines. Since 1998 these
pills have been licensed in more than 100 countries.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines
and Immunization (now Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) is established. The Alliance
consists of major players in global immunization, including WHO,
1999: Global strategy for noncommunicable diseases
The first global strategy for
the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
At the Millennium Summit in
September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopts the UN
Millennium Declaration, committing nations to a new global partnership to
reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a
deadline of 2015.
2000: GOARN
The WHO Global Outbreak Alert
and Response Network (GOARN) is established to detect and combat the
international spread of outbreaks.
The Twenty-sixth special session
of the United Nations General Assembly adopts the Declaration of Commitment on
HIV/AIDS as a matter of urgency to address the HIV/AIDS crisis worldwide as
well as to secure a global commitment to enhancing coordination and
intensification of national, regional and international efforts to combat it in
a comprehensive manner.
2001: Global Fund
The Global Fund to fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, a new partnership and funding mechanism initially
hosted by WHO, is created in collaboration with other UN agencies and major
donors.
WHO launches the "3 by
5" initiative, which aims to bring treatment to 3 million people living
with HIV by 2005 and lays the groundwork for reaching 13 million people
infected with HIV with antiretroviral treatment by 2013.
The World Health Assembly
unanimously adopts WHO's first global public health treaty, the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control, which aims to reduce tobacco-related deaths and
disease worldwide.
The UN Road Safety Collaboration
is established. WHO and the World Bank launch the first ever world report on
road traffic injury prevention.
WHO's Strategic Health
Operations Centre is used for the first time to coordinate emergency response
support following the Indian Ocean tsunami. The Centre is the nerve centre of
global alert and response for health emergencies.
The International Health
Regulations are revised, giving countries clear and tested guidelines for
reporting disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies to WHO, and
triggering response systems to isolate and contain threats.
The number of children who die
before their fifth birthday declines below 10 million for the first time in
recent history.
WHO Child Growth Standards are
launched to help every child grow in an equitable way. These are unique tools that
define malnutrition in children under 5 years of age.
Heart disease and stroke emerge
as the world's number one killers ̶ indicating a global shift from infectious
diseases to noncommunicable diseases,
The world braces itself for the
first influenza pandemic since 1968 with the emergence of the new H1N1
influenza virus. WHO works with collaborating centres and pharmaceutical
industries to develop influenza vaccines in record time.
WHO issues a menu of options for
raising sufficient resources and removing financial barriers so that all
people, especially those with limited resources to spend on health care, have
access to essential health services.
The first rapid molecular test
for the detection of TB is established after decades of using only sputum-smear
microscopy. Sputum-smear microscopy had poor specificity and reliability. The
new tests help diagnose TB more accurately and identify drug resistance
earlier.
The adoption of the Pandemic
Influenza Preparedness Framework paves the way for equitable access to
countermeasures during pandemics.
For the first time, WHO Member
States set global targets to prevent and control heart disease, diabetes,
cancer, chronic lung disease and other diseases.
The World Health Assembly adopts
WHO's implementation plan on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition.
The first global Comprehensive
Mental Health Action Plan is endorsed. More than 100 countries have used the
Mental Health GAP Action Programme (mhGAP) for the integration of mental health
at primary health care level since that time.
2014: Every Newborn Action Plan
The Every Newborn Action Plan is
endorsed by the World Health Assembly. The Plan presents evidence-based
solutions to prevent newborn deaths and stillbirths.
2014: Ebola outbreak in West Africa
The Ebola outbreak in West
Africa 2014-2016 was the largest since the virus was first discovered in 1976.
HIV treatment coverage expanded
rapidly with well over 17 million people living with HIV on antiretroviral
therapy by the end of 2015.
Cuba becomes the first country
in the world to receive validation from WHO that it has eliminated
mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.
The WHO European Region becomes
the first Region in the world to achieve the interruption of indigenous malaria
transmission.
2015: Child-friendly formulations of anti-TB medicines
The first ever child-friendly
formulations of anti-TB medicines, which are water-dispersible tablets, are
introduced.
In 2015, all United Nations
Member States adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It sets out 17
Goals, which include 169 targets.
The UN General Assembly adopts a
political declaration on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and calls for the
establishment of an ad-hoc inter-agency coordination group on antimicrobial
resistance to provide practical guidance to ensure global action against AMR.
2016:
Progress towards polio-free certification in African Region
Treatment of neglected tropical diseases
Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health
Ebola outbreak in West Africa: progress
Zika assocation declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
2017: Antibiotic-resistant "priority pathogens"
WHO publishes its first ever
list of antibiotic-resistant "priority pathogens" – a catalogue of 12
families of bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health.
2019: UN Declaration on universal health coverage
World leaders adopt a high-level
United Nations Political Declaration on universal health coverage, the most
comprehensive set of health commitments ever adopted at this level.
Global outbreak of novel
coronavirus declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
First oral regimen for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
At the end of December 2021,
28.7 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy, up from 7.8 million
in 2010. This meant that 75% of all people living with HIV were accessing treatment.
Malaria vaccine for children
Tuberculosis prevention and care
Agreement for cooperation on the
health of humans, animals, plants and the environment
Updated edition of "Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers"
WHO’s 75th anniversary year is
an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved
quality of life during the last seven decades - and to look forward to motivate
action to tackle the health challenges of today and tomorrow.
(Source WHO)
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