The World Health Day is being observed today to create awareness about vector-borne diseases, ARY News reports. Vectors are organisms that transmit pathogens and parasites from one infected person to another.
World Health Day is celebrated on April 7 every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948.
The Day provides an opportunity for individuals in every community to get involved in activities that can lead to better health.
Vector-borne diseases are illnesses caused by pathogens and parasites in human populations. They are most commonly found in tropical areas and places where access to safe drinking-water and sanitation systems is problematic.
A WHO report said that around 50 percent of the world population under threat of the diseases caused by mosquitoes. Malaria has been the most deadly vector-borne disease, which causes an estimated 660,000 deaths in 2010. Most of these were African children. However, the world's fastest growing vector-borne disease is dengue, with a 30-fold increase in disease incidence over the last 50 years.
According to WHO around 2.5 people of the world population facing the dengue threat.
Globalization of trade and travel and environmental challenges such as climate change and urbanization are having an impact on transmission of vector-borne diseases, and causing their appearance in countries where they were previously unknown.
Since 2010 the mosquito-borne diseases have been on rise in Pakistan, WHO said in a report.
World Health Day 2014 will spotlight some of the most commonly known vectors – such as mosquitoes, sandflies, bugs, ticks and snails – responsible for transmitting a wide range of parasites and pathogens that attack humans or animals. Mosquitoes, for example, not only transmit malaria and dengue, but also lymphatic filariasis, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever.
The health authorities aims to rise awareness about dengue, malaria, Congo Fever, Swine Flu and other vector-borne diseases. The campaign aims to stimulate families and communities to take action to protect themselves.
