Food safety - the theme of World Health Day 2015
April 7, 2015, 06:00
April - mid-spring, a time when nature awakens, I want to start over, to do good and not to repeat the mistakes of the past. It is this positive note, the spring was created World Health Organization, or WHO for short. A few years later to the day of its creation, it was decided to establish an international celebration - World Health Day. Behalf of the World! If in the Middle Ages to the spread of infections on the planet took years, but now, in modern transport and quite a few hours. Preserve human life on the planet, is possible only together!
The need to establish that date also follows from the fact that the world sorely lacking health workers. Especially in Africa south of the Sahara, where, according to some estimates, 700 million people account for only 700 thousand doctors, that is, one employee (for example, a simple nurse) per thousand people.
In fact, the World Health Day - is another festival dedicated to raise awareness of the strengths and ruling this world to the health problems. By the profession of health workers, which in most states for their hard work and practically priceless receive a pittance. Besides that the planet has a category of people who are sick are not yet curable disease and are in need of financial assistance and moral support. Among them children and the elderly, and young people.
Disease control depends not only on the work of doctors. Its success depends on understanding and willingness of people to create for themselves a healthy future, prevent the destruction of their own habitat and to change their behavior.
During the existence of the WHO humanity has managed to win over many diseases. Important achievements in this struggle were: the discovery of penicillin, insulin and antibiotics, the invention of new vaccines, immunization with 80% of children in the world, to improve measures of sanitation and hygiene, as well as the complete eradication of smallpox. Many of these successes would not be possible without the dedicated international cooperation.
World Health Day has been celebrated every year on 7 April, since its creation in 1948 by the World Health Organization. Currently, the WHO operates in more than 200 countries. Its headquarters are in Geneva, one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in Switzerland.
In 2015, the theme of the day was food safety.
Background
Unsafe foods are associated with the death of approximately 2 million people each year, mostly children. Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals contained in food, are the cause of more than 200 diseases, from cancer to diarrhea.
Constantly there are new threats to food safety. Changes in the technology of food production, distribution and consumption; changes in the environment; Emerging and re-emerging pathogens; microbial resistance - all these factors create problems for national food safety systems. Activation of movement of people and trade increase the likelihood of international spread of unsafe products.
The five principles of food safety
Food safety - a shared responsibility. Security must be guaranteed throughout the food production chain, from farmers and producers and ending with retailers and consumers. For example, in the WHO "Five key principles of safe food" provides a practical guide for merchants and consumers in the processing and preparation of food:
Principle 1: Keep food clean
Principle 2: Separate raw foods from the products subjected to heat treatment
Principle 3: Expose products thoroughly cooked
Principle 4: The heat treatment is carried out at the desired temperature
Principle 5: Use safe water and safe raw food.
World Health Day 2015 provides an opportunity to draw the attention of those who are working in various government sectors, farmers, producers, retailers, health professionals and consumers on the importance of food safety and the role that everyone can play to ensure that the in which every person can feel confident that the products on which it is relaxed, safe for consumption.