The Main Role Of The World Health Organization

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The main role of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to guide and manage health internationally in the United Nations’ system. (What We Do, n.d.). WHO’s objective is to encourage “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health” (Skolnik, R., 2012). WHO employs individuals who specialize in science, medicine, public health, management, economy, health statistics, and emergency relief (WHO - Its People and Offices, n.d.). In the area of medicine, the emergency medical teams (EMTs) are important in the response to emergency medical needs worldwide. Dental medicine helps promote the importance of oral health and oral disease prevention globally (World Health Organization, n.d.). Besides generating strategies …show more content…

The two most common ways of mother-to-child transmission is via delivery and breastfeeding. The baby has a 15-30 percent of contracting HIV through delivery and a higher risk of 90 percent through breastfeeding. There are several ways to try to prevent the mother-to-child transmission as well as the prevention of HIV in girls and woman. Globally, there are counseling services and testings’ that are given to pregnant women along with supplying family planning services to reduce pregnancy in infected mothers. Preventive antiretroviral drug therapies are available with the proper follow-up care and treatment for mother and infant, and if needed, nutritional counseling and breast-milk substitutes. Boehringer-Ingelheim is a pharmaceutical manufacturer of nevirapine, and has provided this drug for free to help with the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Third world countries have run out of funds to supply the most effective drug therapy, HAART. Due to the over usage of this drug, nevirapine, mothers are becoming resistant to it, so WHO is currently promoting the use of cotrimoxizole prophylaxis to all children and mothers who are HIV-infected. (Lamptey, Johnson, & Khan, 2006, p.

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