What is the World Health Organization?
The WHO is a part of the UN, a volunteer organization of countries. Its only power is the power granted to it, by the member countries. The WHO, like its parent, the UN, is a totally voluntary organization and it includes scientists and health care workers from countries throughout the world. Unfortunately the WHO is not an organization without politics. It is influenced, to some degree, by the various member states (and not always equally or fairly). The WHO is NOT an organization or government that can dictate to individual countries. It has no army to back it up, and individual countries do not have to follow the dicates of the WHO (or the UN, for that matter). As nations, we have given psychological power to the WHO during the current pandemic crisis. Perhaps we have done this because, otherwise, there is no international health leader to turn to. We all want someone to tell us what is going on—and that things will be OK. And we want someone to be in charge!
What Does the WHO Do?The World Health Organization has advisors, many of whom are experienced scientists and doctors, who interpret information and give advice.While the WHO requests that health related statistics (on certain diseases i.e. bird flu, tuberculosis, ebola, swine flu, etc.) be reported to its organization, countries have not all shared information equally. And, just as suspect, the WHO's statistics have not always been consistent nor have they been shared equally among the world's scientists. And they have not been shared promptly. In essence, the WHO's purpose is collection of information, interpretation of information and dissemination of information to the various member countries. Countries are each responsible for what they do with the information given to them.
WHO's Pandemic Alert SystemWhen the bird flu, H5N1 became an issue a few years ago, the WHO developed a pandemic alert system. The system was designed to alert nations to a developing pandemic and to set into play the various levels of their pandemic programs.For the second time, the WHO is considering changing the rules for determining its pandemic phases . It looks as though they will now include severity of illness, not just transmission (how fast a disease is spread). By doing so, the WHO will be able to delay raising the pandemic alert phase to 6. By the World Health Organization's own definition, we are in the beginning phases of a worldwide pandemic— pandemic alert level 6 . If the WHO will admit the truth, countries will put their pandemic plans into action, and we can all take the steps needed to prevent further spread of the swine flu virus and protect our peoples from what could be the next
superbug!
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