Raising awareness about healthcare topics and causes is one of the ways we at Bikham Healthcare are working hard to make the world a better place. Every year on April 7, we are proud to celebrate World Health Day – an annual event designed to draw attention to a specific healthcare concern that affects people all over the world.
What is World Health Day?
World Health Day commemorates the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO), which was founded on April 7, 1948. Having been celebrated every year since 1950, World Health Day is one of the oldest healthcare events still recognized today. Each year, the WHO chooses a new healthcare topic, cause, or concern to highlight on World Health Day. This year, the topic of World Health Day is the impact of environmental concerns on public health.
World Health Day 2022: Our Planet, Our Health
World Health Day 2022: Our Planet, Our Health focuses on the need to create a healthier planet. While the risks of climate change are largely well understood, many people don’t realize the various ways in which climate change is impacting public health. The climate crisis, however, is also a health crisis – and If we want to be healthier as a species, though, creating a healthier environment is a vital place to start.
According to the WHO, 90% of the world’s population breathes unhealthy air due to pollution from burning fossil fuels. This creates a range of health concerns, from mild issues such allergies and asthma to serious issues such as loss of lung function and cancer.
Along with these issues created by polluting our air, pollution in the world’s oceans has created a number of health concerns as well. Pollution such as plastic waste and heavy metals has been found in the deepest, most remote parts of the ocean and has leached into the food chain, creating health risks for anyone who consumes food from the seas.
Another health consequence of climate change is the fact that a warming climate means larger populations of mosquitoes. Considered the deadliest animal in the world due to the number of diseases that they spread, mosquitoes are estimated to be responsible for around one million deaths each year. As the climate warms and mosquito populations grow larger, diseases such as malaria, Zika virus, and yellow fever are bound to become more common.
Displacement due to land degradation, water scarcity, and extreme weather events creates a number of health concerns as well as people are forced into poverty and are no longer able to live a healthy lifestyle.
Finally, there’s the fact that the processed food and beverage industry is estimated to account for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time driving a wave of obesity, heart disease, and cancer. In other words, the unhealthy foods and beverages that most of us now consume on a regular basis are destroying both our health and our environment at the same time.
All of these issues and concerns make climate change and its impact on public health a topic that deserves far more attention and a topic that we at Bikham Healthcare feel is highly important to highlight.
Doing Our Part to Make the World a Healthier Place
Climate change isn’t just an issue that will affect the world generations from now; it’s one that is currently impacting the world in a number of negative ways, including creating a range of health concerns.
While it is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of what we’ve done to our planet, though, it’s not too late to reverse course. The decisions regarding environmental health that are made today will impact the planet and the people who live here for generations to come, and the time to act is now.
Raising awareness and showcasing just how harmful climate change can be is an important first step on the path to a healthy, sustainable environment. This World Health Day, we hope that you will join us in our commitment to raising awareness about this all-important cause and preserving the health of the only home we have.
