Historical & Current Events dictionary

World Health Day

What is World Health Day?

World Health Day is an annual observance established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to draw attention to and raise awareness about international public health issues.

The WHO is an agency of the United Nations that works to promote public health around the world. One of its principal focuses is combating communicable diseases, such as influenza, HIV, malaria, and COVID-19.

Each year, the day is given a different theme relating to specific health priorities. The theme for 2021 is “building a fairer, healthier world.”

The focus of the day has included things like mental health, maternal health, and climate change. Many of the programs highlighted during World Health Day are not limited to the day itself but continue throughout the year or beyond.

⚡️When is World Health Day?

World Health Day is held every year on April 7.

Related words

👨‍⚕️ Man Health Worker emoji, 👩‍⚕️ Woman Health Worker emoji, coronaversary, 😷 Face With Medical Mask emoji, syndemic

Where does World Health Day come from?

World Health Day has been observed annually since 1950. The idea for the day came out of the First Health Assembly held by the WHO in 1948—the year the WHO was founded.

Examples of World Health Day

Yesterday was World Health Day, an incredible day in our history to reflect on the commitment our physicians have to care for patients. So impressed with their agility to quickly move to treating patients virtually.
@sjutt, April 8, 2020
It’s World Health Day, and we owe a profound debt of gratitude to all our medical professionals. They’re still giving their all for us every day, at great risk to themselves, and we can’t thank them enough for their bravery and their service.
@deliciousmusha, April 9, 2020
From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948, World Health Day took effect from 1950 onwards, with an annual day aimed at raising awareness of important health issues, including mental health, maternal and child care, and climate change.
Helen Johnson, The Scotsman, April 7, 2020
SEE MORE EXAMPLES

More information and context on World Health Day

Did you know … ?

  • The establishment of World Health Day was one of the first acts of the World Health Organization.
  • The theme for World Health Day in 2020 was Nurses and Midwives.

What are other words used in discussion of World Health Day?

Just Added

March Madness, Pi Day, effective altruism, 😶‍🌫️ Face in Clouds emoji, International Women's Day

Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of World Health Day like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of World Health Day that will help our users expand their word mastery.