Health Events

The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed 1-7 August, 2012, as the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). It is intended to reiterate the importance of breastfeeding, and the pivotal necessity of supporting it throughout the world. It seeks, also, to trace the results and achievements of the efforts aiming to encourage breastfeeding all over the world.

 

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was first appointed in 1986, based on the recommendations made at the International Conference for Narcotics Control, Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

 

The theme of the 2012 World Blood Donor Day campaign, “Every Blood Donor Is a Hero”, focuses on the idea that every one of us can become a hero by giving blood. While recognizing the silent and unsung heroes who save lives every day through their blood donations, the theme also strongly encourages more people all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly.

 

This year's World Environment Day commemorates the 40th anniversary of event first launched by the UN General Assembly in 1972, by organizing Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The theme of this year's Day is: “Green Economy: Does it include you?” It places particular emphasis on the improvement of people's living conditions, and the adoption of justice and equality, along with diminishing environmental risks and increasing the proficiency of human resources.

 

The World Hypertension Day is celebrated every year on May 17th, with the aim to find out the number of cases, and reduce the incidence of arterial hypertension amidst people. According to the National Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on a random sample (form 15 to 64 years), hypertension increased by 21.1% (24.1% in males, and 18.3% in females).

 

The World Thalassaemia Day is celebrated on 8 May. This year's day is held under the them: “Patients Rights – Revisited”. It is intended to give rise to patients' rights, and facilitate their access to health services. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has organized an awareness campaign meant to familiarize patients, their families and the public with the nature of this disease, how to live with it, and how to avoid it. Within this framework, the MOH has obligated all couples about to marry to undergo premarital examinations, seeking to protect the coming generations against genetic disorders, including thalassaemia.

 

The World Asthma Day is celebrated throughout the world every year on the 1st of May. This year's Day is held under the theme: “You Can Control Your Asthma”, in pursuit of raising awareness of both patients, their families and the entire community on how to avoid and treat asthma.

 

The world celebrates the World Malaria Day every year on April 25th, 2012. This year's Day is held under the theme: “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria”. Key interventions to control malaria include: prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies; use of insecticidal nets by people at risk; and indoor residual spraying with insecticide to control the vector mosquitoes.

 

Held every year on April 17th, the “World Hemophilia Day” draws attention to importance of providing best diagnostic and curative services for hemophilia patients. Around 75% of people suffering from hemophilia disorders do not receive proper treatment. Therefore, the theme of this year's World Hemophilia Day is: “Close the Gap!” 

 

On this year's World Health Day, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is aiming at going beyond the stage of raising awareness and implementing concrete actions, making a positive change and engaging all segments of society

 

This week is meant to raise awareness among all society members, especially children, of the importance of caring for oral and dental health, and shed light on the relationship between oral health and food, in addition to activating the preventive role of those working in the field of dentistry.

 

The World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year, commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch's announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch's discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.

 

The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) has proclaimed March 13th, every year, as the Gulf Nursing Day (also known as GCC Nurses Day). In 2012, this day falls on Rabi' II 20th, 1433H. As already well known, the Muslim woman has been first involved in nursing work on Ramadan 17th, in the second Hijri year.

 

World Kidney Day 2012 (WKD 2012) is a global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. It also aims to nourish healthy behaviors, and encourage kidney donors. The campaign is celebrated every year on the second Thursday of March in more than 100 countries on 6 continents.  WKD is a global action jointly organized by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).