Health day

This World Aids Day (1 December) marks forty years after the first five cases of AIDS were first identified in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), in June 1981. Today, 38 million people are living with HIV.

This week marks the beginning of the annual World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), aiming to create awareness around the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that cause disease stop responding to existing medicines.

Today is Global Handwashing Day. On this day the Global Handwashing Partnership raises awareness on the importance of hand hygiene. At IDA Foundation we underline the importance of practicing hand hygiene, to prevent sickness and the spread of infectious diseases.

On World Hepatitis Day we raise awareness about viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that can have severe consequences. Every thirty seconds a person is dying from hepatitis-related illness, and many who have it are unaware. This is why early diagnosis and effective treatment are essential when it comes to elimination of viral hepatitis. The tools to eliminate viral hepatitis exist, but without an urgent upscaling of needed services, the opportunity to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 will be lost.

On World Refugee Day, we honour the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. As part of IDA's goal of Universal Health Coverage, we supply emergency kits and other essential medicines and supplies in bulk to international NGO’s and UN organisations supporting refugees.

On World Health Day, we celebrate the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on April 7 in 1948. This year’s campaign is ‘building a fairer, healthier world’, emphasising the importance of equality in access to healthcare.

Just over a year after the start of the corona pandemic it is clear that covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the progress of existing tuberculosis (TB) programmes. For latent and progressive infectious diseases, such as TB, early diagnosis and treatment are essential.

While coronavirus (COVID-19) dominates the news, we need to remember that another respiratory disease kills 1.5 million people per year: tuberculosis (TB). This is an opportunity to unite forces in the fight against TB and coronavirus.

Each year we recognise World TB Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic impact of TB and urge acceleration of efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day, a day to show support for people living with HIV and remember those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.

This small but dangerous animal causes devastating diseases, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.