World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations that specialized in international public health. Established in 1948, the WHO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is headed by a Director-General, employing over eight thousand people in 147 countries. The objective of the WHO is the attainment of the highest possible level of health of all people in the world.

The WHO distributes its budget through thirteen areas, two of which are communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS. In 2014, the WHO announced that polio, once nearly eradicated, is again a world health emergency, with alarming outbreaks in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The WHO marks World Health Day each year (April 7) by focusing on a health promotion topic, which changes from year to year. The WHO also has campaigns such as World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, and World AIDS Day. The WHO also has a list of eight Millennium Development Goals, including reducing child mortality, reducing maternal death, and halting the spread of AIDS.

The WHO also collects and disseminates health information around the globe, including the World Health Survey and the MiNDbank online database. The WHO publishes an annual or biennial World Health Report. This report provides policymakers with information required to make health policy and funding decisions.