From 3 April to 8 May, an exhibition "Health is the main value of a person" dedicated to World Health Day runs in the Official Documents Division (room 207).
World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7 April since 1950. In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) held the First World Health Assembly, during which this day was established. It is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization.
Millions of people around the world mark the importance of health to have active and happy life and to achieve physical, mental and social well-being.
In the 21st century, health is a general society’s responsibility which includes providing of free access to basic health care. In most parts of the world life expectancy is increasing, infant mortality is decreasing, and diseases are under control, as more people have access to basic health care, immunization, safe drinking water and water supply.
World Health Day gives a unique opportunity to attract public attention to issues on public health and people’s health and to encourage governments, international organizations, business circles and civil society to work together on solving these problems.
The UN intergovernmental body, which is established to coordinate international cooperation in the field of health and global actions to combat the disease, is the World Health Organization.
Each year the theme of World Health Day is selected highlighting a priority area of public health concern in the world. The theme for 2013 is high blood pressure.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. CVDs affect both the poor and the rich. Causes of CVDs are disorders of the heart and blood vessels. They include high blood pressure, also known as raised blood pressure or hypertension. According to the WHO, one in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure that causes around half of all deaths from stroke, heart disease and kidney failure. The proportion of people with high blood pressure increases with age, from 1 in 10 people in their 20s to 40s to 5 out of 10 people in their 50s and 60s.
High blood pressure is both preventable and treatable. The good news, however, is that 80 % of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable. In nearly all high-income countries, widespread diagnosis and treatment with low-cost medication have led to a dramatic drop in mean blood pressure across populations – and this has contributed to a reduction in deaths from heart disease. However, in some African countries more than 45 % of adults thought to be affected. Many people with high blood pressure in developing countries remain undiagnosed, and so miss out on treatment that could significantly reduce their risk of death and disability from heart disease and stroke.
So the campaign for World Health Day 2013 raises such specific objectives as to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of high blood pressure, encourage self-care to prevent high blood pressure, make blood pressure measurement affordable for all.
The exhibition contains over 100 documents: books, booklets and periodicals in Russian, French and English.
The exhibition includes the following sections:
International guidelines and standards related to health care.
- Health protection of citizens in the Republic of Belarus.
- Maternal and child health.
- Infectious diseases and HIV / AIDS.
- Hypertension: prevention and treatment.
- The policy on healthy lifestyle and medication.
The exhibition will be useful to health care professionals, researchers, teachers, students, and anyone interested in the issues of health care and healthy lifestyle.
Telephone: (+375 17) 293 27 34
Useful links
- World Health Day – 7 April 2013
- Previous World Health Days
- Q&As on hypertension
- Avoiding heart attacks and strokes
- Cardiovascular disease
- What can be done to prevent heart attack and stroke?
- Controlling high blood pressure
- World Health Report
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