WHO works across sectors with Member States, and national and international partners and stakeholders to support road safety evaluation, implementation and planning. As the lead agency for road safety in the United Nations, WHO plays a key role in guiding global efforts by continuing to advocate for road safety at the highest political levels, compiling and disseminating good practice in prevention, data collection, trauma care, and raising awareness of road safety. 

Self care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.

 Self care recognizes individuals as active agents in managing their own health care, in areas including health promotion; disease prevention and control; self-medication; providing care to dependent persons, and rehabilitation, including palliative care.

A people-centred approach
Self-care interventions support the needs and rights of individuals through a people-centred approach that is grounded in human rights and gender equality.

This is a holistic approach to the health and well-being of each person, taking account of their circumstances, needs and desires across a lifetime, as well as the environment in which they live.

Pandemics and humanitarian crises
In situations where existing health systems are stretched, there is often an unprecedented demand on individuals and communities to manage their health.

Innovative strategies that go beyond the conventional health sector response is urgently needed given that:

Early identification of symptoms and timely establishment of appropriate clinical management are critical elements to reducing the risk and impact of sepsis. The detection of some biomarkers, such as C reactive protein and procalcitonin, can be effective in diagnosing the condition.

After early recognition, diagnostics to help identify a causal pathogen of infection leading to sepsis are important to guide targeted antimicrobial treatment. The appropriate antimicrobial therapy (for example, antibiotics and antifungals) should be given within one hour of sepsis identification.

evere acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a SARS-associated coronavirus. It was first identified at the end of February 2003 during an outbreak that emerged in China and spread to 4 other countries. WHO co-ordinated the international investigation with the assistance of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and worked closely with health authorities in affected countries to provide epidemiological, clinical and logistical support and to bring the outbreak under control.

There is no cure or vaccine for SARS and treatment should be supportive and based on the patient’s symptoms.

Controlling outbreaks relies on containment measures including:

Sexual health is fundamental to the overall health and well-being of individuals, couples and families, and to the social and economic development of communities and countries. Sexual health, when viewed affirmatively, requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. The ability of men and women to achieve sexual health and well-being depends on their:

WHO has been working in the area of sexual health since at least 1974, when the deliberations of an expert committee resulted in the publication of a technical report entitled “Education and treatment in human sexuality” (WHO, 1975).

Starting in 2000, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO convened a number of expert consultations to review terminology and identify programme options. The culmination of these meetings was a Technical Consultation in 2002,  where the working definitions of the key sexual health-related terms below were developed. 
 

The International Health Regulations (2005) states that the public health sector must be prepared to respond and to provide medical care to the injured.

WHO established the Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance Network (REMPAN) to promote preparedness for radiation emergencies and to advise health authorities in the event of overexposure of people to any source of radiation. The Network’s centres provide emergency medical assistance after radiation accidents and conduct technical training as a preparedness measure.

Radiation emergencies can be accidental or deliberate, when caused by terrorists. They refer to non-routine situations where there is a release of radiation or risk of exposure. Regardless to whether the accident is an isolated event or a large-scale catastrophe, such as Chernobyl, radiation emergencies can greatly impact life, property and the environment.

Radiation emergencies include:

Radiation is energy that travels in the form of waves or particles and is part of our everyday environment. People are exposed to radiation from cosmic rays, as well as to radioactive materials found in the soil, water, food, air and also inside the body.

Human-made radiation sources are widely used in medicine, industry, and research. There are two types of radiation: ionizing and non-ionizing radiation