Every year on 7. April reminds World Health Organization (WHO) of health risks worldwide. This year, the dangers posed by antibiotic resistance are the focus of the campaigns. Experts and aid organizations emphasize the special importance of prevention in this context.
"DART – working together to prevent and combat antibiotic resistance" is the German motto for World Health Day 2011, whose international theme is "Combat drug resistance: no action today, no cure tomorrow". "DART" here stands for the "German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy," which was jointly adopted and published in November 2008 by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It includes measures to detect, prevent and combat antibiotic resistance in Germany and aims to reduce its spread.
Treatment of bacterial infectious diseases is becoming increasingly difficult due to the rise in antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, often resulting in longer treatments and additional burdens for patients due to delayed or non-recovery of the infection. As the proportion of resistant pathogens has increased in recent years and further increases cannot be ruled out, a targeted approach to reducing antimicrobial resistance and strengthening preventive measures at local, regional and national level is necessary.
View of developing countries
In Bonn, CARE Deutschland-Luxemburg called for better healthcare for women in developing countries. According to the organization, about 1.000 women suffer from complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Although the maternal mortality rate has fallen considerably in recent years. However, this positive change has hardly reached countries in southern Africa or South Asia so far, says CARE.
Worldwide, for women, domestic violence is one of the greatest health risks, according to Terre des Femmes. For the most part, women are victims of violence in their relationships, the organization said in Tubingen. Every fourth woman in Germany has experienced physical or sexual violence in a partnership, Terre des Femmes said. In addition to the direct injuries, the psychological consequences are particularly serious, he said. This is also damaging to society as a whole, according to the organization.
Worldwide child vaccination
Global child vaccination is a World Health Day ie for SPD parliamentary group. Karin Roth, the responsible member of the Bundestag, said in Berlin that she sees "light and shadow". Despite a very good situation, 24 million children worldwide would still not receive basic immunization through vaccinations.
Indigenous peoples living in isolation are at high risk of disease, according to the charity Survival International. If their country is not protected, contact with foreigners could trigger devastating epidemics and kill more than half of their population, the organization warned in Berlin. The reason, she said, is that these peoples have weak defenses against diseases such as influenza and measles.
World Health Day 2011 international
WHO is leading a global campaign this year to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics, anti-malarial drugs and HIV/AIDS medicines for future generations. The global spread of antimicrobial resistance not only threatens the effectiveness of drugs currently in use, but also threatens important future advances that could be made in combating dangerous infectious diseases.
To highlight this, the WHO campaign will have a special focus on the HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics. It will call on governments and leaders to implement policies and practices necessary to counter the emergence of highly resistant germs and ensure adequate care for affected people.
