World Health Organization

About: World Health Organization is a government organization based out in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 13330 authors who have published 22232 publications receiving 1322023 citations. The organization is also known as: World Health Organisation & WHO.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: current burden and future projections

Abstract: SERIES “THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE” Edited by K.F. Rabe and J.B. Soriano Number 2 in this Series ### Summary ⇓Information about the comparative magnitude of the burden from various diseases and injuries is a critical input into building the evidence base for health policies and programmes. Such information should be based on a critical evaluation of all available epidemiological data using standard and comparable procedures across diseases and injuries, including information on the age at death and the incidence, duration and severity of cases who do not die prematurely from the disease. A summary measure, disability-adjusted life yrs (DALYs), has been developed to simultaneously measure the amount of disease burden due to premature mortality and the amount due to the nonfatal consequences of disease. Approximately 2.7 million deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) occurred in 2000, half of them in the Western Pacific Region, with the majority of these occurring in China. About 400,000 deaths occur each year from COPD in industrialised countries. The increase in global COPD deaths between 1990 and 2000 (0.5 million) is likely to be partly real, and partly due to better methods and more extensive data availability in 2000. The regional (adult) prevalence in 2000 varied from 0.5% in parts of Africa to 3–4% in North America. ### Introduction Health systems must increasingly address a broad spectrum of health issues, ranging from epidemic outbreaks to advanced therapeutic care. They must, or should, also support disease prevention and health-promotion activities. Recognising that resources for health were unlikely to grow as quickly as demand, in 1993, the World Bank proposed a series of intervention packages for countries at different stages of development which, if implemented, would probably lead to the greatest gains in population health at affordable cost. The evidence for these recommendations was based …

Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa — The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections

Abstract: Editor's note: A Chinese version (中文译本) of this article is available. BackgroundOn March 23, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Gu...

Alcohol Consumption and Mortality among Middle-Aged and Elderly U.S. Adults

Abstract: Background Alcohol consumption has both adverse and beneficial effects on survival. We examined the balance of these in a large prospective study of mortality among U.S. adults. Methods Of 490,000 men and women (mean age, 56 years; range, 30 to 104) who reported their alcohol and tobacco use in 1982, 46,000 died during nine years of follow-up. We compared cause-specific death rates and rates of death from all causes across categories of base-line alcohol consumption, adjusting for other risk factors, and related drinking and smoking habits to the cumulative probability of dying between the ages of 35 and 69 years. Results Causes of death associated with drinking were cirrhosis and alcoholism; cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, and liver combined; breast cancer in women; and injuries and other external causes in men. The mortality from breast cancer was 30 percent higher among women reporting at least one drink daily than among nondrinkers (relative risk, 1.3; 95 percent confidence interval,...

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: development of an evidence based global public health treaty

Abstract: Many health problems require international action, but getting governments to agree on strategies for prevention or treatment is difficult. By making use of scientific evidence on the effects of tobacco, the member states of WHO have negotiated their first global health treaty. If the treaty can be implemented effectively, it could act as a possible model for tackling other health issues When Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland became director general of the World Health Organization in 1998, she clearly stated that the tobacco epidemic should be tackled by an international collective action and that WHO should take a leadership role.1 In 1999, WHO started work on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was endorsed by member states on 21 May 2003. It is the first time WHO has used its constitutional authority in global public health to develop a legal instrument aimed at improving population health. The initiation and negotiation of the framework convention was based strongly on the accumulation of scientific evidence.2 We review the development and scientific basis of the convention and discuss its implications and the potential of international collective action against threats to global public health. The structural basis for framework conventions is to use an incremental process in making law. It begins with a framework convention that establishes a general consensus on the relevant facts and the system of governance for an issue. This is followed by the development of more specific commitments and institutional arrangements in subsequent protocols.3 However, depending on the political will, framework conventions can also include quite specific provisions. In the case of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the powerful political momentum behind the treaty has ensured that several detailed provisions have been incorporated into the final text.4 The framework convention is the first …

Global Burden of Shigella Infections: Implications for Vaccine Development and Implementation of Control Strategies

Abstract: Few studies provide data on the global morbidity and mortality caused by infection with Shigella spp.; such estimates are needed, however, to plan strategies of prevention and treatment. Here we report the results of a review of the literature published between 1966 and 1997 on Shigella infection. The data obtained permit calculation of the number of cases of Shigella infection and the associated mortality occurring worldwide each year, by age, and (as a proxy for disease severity) by clinical category, i.e. mild cases remaining at home, moderate cases requiring outpatient care, and severe cases demanding hospitalization. A sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate the high and low range of morbid and fatal cases in each category. Finally, the frequency distribution of Shigella infection, by serogroup and serotype and by region of the world, was determined. The annual number of Shigella episodes throughout the world was estimated to be 164.7 million, of which 163.2 million were in developing countries (with 1.1 million deaths) and 1.5 million in industrialized countries. A total of 69% of all episodes and 61% of all deaths attributable to shigellosis involved children under 5 years of age. The median percentages of isolates of S. flexneri, S. sonnei, S. boydii, and S. dysenteriae were, respectively, 60%, 15%, 6%, and 6% (30% of S. dysenteriae cases were type 1) in developing countries; and 16%, 77%, 2%, and 1% in industrialized countries. In developing countries, the predominant serotype of S. flexneri is 2a, followed by 1b, 3a, 4a, and 6. In industrialized countries, most isolates are S. flexneri 2a or other unspecified type 2 strains. Shigellosis, which continues to have an important global impact, cannot be adequately controlled with the existing prevention and treatment measures. Innovative strategies, including development of vaccines against the most common serotypes, could provide substantial benefits.