Funday Times

UN highlights need for better living

Stamp Corner by the Collector

The United Nations regularly focuses attention on issues that affect the world population using stamps as an effective tool to spread the message. Health is one such theme. Stamps are issued to highlight different aspects of an issue. A set of six stamps was issued recently on themes relating to the
promotion of better living.

Water and sanitation was one theme. The amount of fresh water so essential for life is limited. Preserving the quality of water is important for drinking water supply, food production and recreational water use. Water quality can be compromised by the presence of infectious agents, toxic chemicals and
radiological hazards. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease worldwide. Improving sanitation has a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. The word 'sanitation' also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions through garbage collection, wastewater disposal and other such services.

ECOSOC (on the stamps) stands for UN Economic and Social Council. (ECOSOC) serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating policy recommendations.

Drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities are crucial to enhanced global public health. Traditional medicine is the second theme. Traditional medicine has been described as the sum total of the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to
different cultures.

Ayurveda which is popular in our country is one example. This type of medicine is used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. Many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America use traditional medicines to help meet some of their primary healthcare needs.

Improving maternal health is another vital area highlighted. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year over 500,000 women die from difficulties during pregnancy and child birth or in the first six weeks after delivery. Every year over one million newborns die within their first 24 hours of life due to lack of quality care. Maternal mortality is one of the largest health inequalities in the world with 99 percent of the deaths occurring in developing countries – half of them in Africa.

There are medicines essential to satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the people. These are intended to be available within the context of functioning health systems at all times in adequate amounts, in the
appropriate dosage forms, and at a price the individual and the community can afford. One stamp features this theme.

Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases is another priority area in promoting healthcare. It has been estimated that every day, 7,500 people become infected with HIV and 5,500 die from AIDS mostly due to a lack of HIV prevention and treatment services. The poorest countries in the world also face the threat of malaria and tuberculosis.

Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. Many children who survive a severe attack of malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to malaria, which is a major cause of prenatal mortality, low birth weight and maternal anaemia.

The need to reduce child mortality is highlighted in the final stamp. Every year nearly 11 million children die before their fifth birthday. Of these, 99 percent are in low and middle income countries particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Even within the poor countries it is the poorest who suffer the most. Malnutrition is the single most important underlying cause of child mortality.

It is associated with 54 percent of all child deaths. A strong national immunization programme has been established in many countries in recent years to ensure that the child population is immunized against several common diseases.

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