World Health Day 2022
Our planet, our health
On World Health Day, 7 April, WHO is calling for urgent action to save the planet from environmental threats. Under the theme “Our planet, our health”, the campaign aims to increase awareness of environmental hazards including climate change, toxic chemicals, air pollution and lack of clean water and sanitation. It also aims to make the environment cleaner, economics more well-being centred and the world healthier and fairer.
Regional situation
WHO’s work on environmental health in the Region focuses on supporting the leadership role of the public health and environmental protection sectors in regulating and monitoring environmental health factors and connections with the burden of disease, promoting preventive interventions, and catalyzing adequate environmental health services and actions by all relevant sectors.
11 countries from our Region committed to developing climate-resilient and sustainable health systems at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last year, and we will advocate for more countries to join this major initiative during the upcoming COP27 in Egypt.
Facts from the Region
Each year, 1 million people die prematurely because of living and working in unhealthy environments
Environmental risks, including climate change, are responsible for 23% of the total burden of disease in the Region and as much as 30% of the disease burden for children
99 out of 100 people breathe polluted air
Every minute, air pollution kills one person from lung cancer, heart disease or stroke
161 million people still do not have access to basic sanitation services, including 37 million people practising open defecation
80 million people do not have access to basic drinking-water services
Each year, more than 70 000 people die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by polluted water and poor sanitation, and 40 000 by ingesting contaminated food
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