World Health Organization JHUMUNC 2017 1 World Health Organization Topic A: The Prevention of Communicable Diseases Topic B: Response to the Polio Epidemic with the opportunity to rewrite history Thirteenth World Health during the committee sessions. To encourage the achievement of novel results Assembly: Committee rather than the summary of predetermined Overview outcomes in committee, delegates will limit their knowledge of information to the The World Health Organization historical time period leading up to the (WHO) was established on April 7, 1948. Thirteenth World Health Assembly (1960). The WHO is responsible for directing and Increasing polio epidemics in the coordinating international health within the early 20th century quickly became a major United Nations. The WHO engages in topic of concern as they left communities partnerships and provides leadership where handicapped and paralyzed. Advancements joint action is necessary on matters essential in medicine were not able to catch up to the to health. It also shapes the research agenda, devastating effects of polio. Delegates will sets norms and standards of health, provides focus on addressing the aftermath of the technical support, and monitors the health epidemics and developing resolutions that situation in the world. The Committee emphasize rehabilitation strategies and addresses important health issues such as the tactical responses to the outbreaks. eradication of polio, the health effects of air Continuing the spirit of tackling pollution, strengthening care for epilepsy, communicable diseases, delegates will also and monitoring global nutrition. Currently, explore the topic of preventative measures in the majority of the WHO’s budget is aimed terms of facing outbreaks of malaria, towards communicable diseases; to reduce tuberculosis, cholera, and other diseases. the health, social and economic burden of Preventative measures such as surveillance, those diseases in general; and to combat clean water, and containment are essential in HIV/AIDS, polio, malaria and tuberculosis the control of communicable diseases and in particular. will be the focus of the second topic In 2017, delegates will be exploring discussed in committee. two important issues relating to communicable diseases that the world faced in 1960: response and prevention. In order to encourage more thorough and specific resolutions, delegates will be asked to focus on the response and the prevention, respectively, in regard to the topics presented in committee. The historical aspect of the WHO will provide delegates 2 Topic A: The Prevention of the World Health Report released by the WHO stated that recent trends and Communicable Diseases developments in world health point to the fact that countries are promoting health due Introduction to its essential contribution to industrial, agricultural, social and economic Diseases, throughout history, have swept advancement.5 through the world bringing down empires, It is important to keep in mind that destroying economies, and completely with the rapid development of new 1 altering the course of mankind. In order to technologies and methods of transportation, ensure a safer future for humanity, various diseases cease to recognize the limits of organizations, such as the International expansion, especially diseases that spread by Sanitary Conference, were founded. contagion. During the time when the WHO However, due to political differences, was established, international travel committees found it difficult to accomplish occurred via ships and news made its way to cooperation for disease prevention and different nations by telegram.6 Although control. Finally, following the end of World various epidemics such as cholera, plague, War II, the United Nations established the smallpox, and yellow fever were of concern, th World Health Organization on April 7 , the lack of high traffic between countries 1948 with the most fundamental goal of made the diseases fairly “quarantinable”.7 2 preventing the spread of infectious disease. Today, any infection in the world is In 1951, the WHO issued the first less than a day away. Air travel, which set of regulations aimed at avoiding the transports over 2 billion people annually, initial spread of communicable disease provides the perfect opportunity for diseases 3 epidemics. That year marked an to incubate in the aircraft carrier and then undeniable movement towards “world health propagate in new land. In addition, mass consciousness” and the concept of the right population movements due to free trade and 4 of health has been initiated. In the 1951, labor agreements between nations provide diseases with the ideal epidemic carriers.8 1 Hays, J. N. Epidemics and Pandemics: The disease situation in the world today is Their Impacts on Human History. Santa far from stable. Rapid urbanization, Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print. population growth, expansion into new 2 McCarthy, Michael. "A Brief History of territories, pollution, poor farming practices, the World Health Organization." The Lancet and the misuse of antibiotics have all 360 (2002): 1111. Print. contributed to the imbalance of the 3 “The World Health Report 2007, A Safer Future” WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 17 July 2016. 5 Ibid. <http://www.who.int/whr/2007/07_overvie 6 “The World Health Report 2007, A Safer w_en.pdf>. Future” WHO. World Health Organization, 4 WHO. "The Work of WHO 1951: Annual n.d. Web. 17 July 2016. Report of the Director-General to the World <http://www.who.int/whr/2007/07_overvie Health Assembly and to the United w_en.pdf>. Nations." The British Medical Journal 7 Ibid. 1.4764 (1952): 913. Web. 17 July 2016. 8 Hays, J. N. Epidemics and Pandemics: <http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85 Their Impacts on Human History. Santa 637/1/Official_record38_eng.pdf>. Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print. 3 microbial world.9 In 2017, the primary area or season.”11 You will often see the method in combating epidemics is words “epidemic” and “pandemic” used emergency response. However, in 1960, an throughout this guide. The definitions of alternative strategy to protect public health both of those terms are vague, but for our security exists – stopping a disease at its purposes, epidemic will refer to a disease source and preventing the outbreak before it outbreak of increased frequency and becomes an international threat.10 severity.12 Pandemic will refer to an In our historical committee, you will epidemic affecting a massive area, perhaps be responsible for proposing various plans even worldwide.13 Keep those definitions in that could be put in motion to halt the initial mind as you read about the account of some start of disease. After the Thirteenth World of the worst epidemics and pandemics in Health Assembly, which met in 1960, history, prior to the founding of the WHO. epidemics and pandemics kept affecting the Note the various methods that have been world. In our committee, you have the used in the past to prevent the spread of opportunity to create a resolution that could disease as well as the cause of the spread in have potential put a stop to the cholera, aids, the first place. Only by studying the origins malaria, and Ebola epidemics that followed. of diseases and their means of transmission Throughout this background guide you will can delegates begin to tackle the problem of find information about various epidemics infectious diseases at the core. that occurred in history as well as the causes and nature of their occurrence. This will Historical Background give you insight about the different preventative strategies that could be Plague implemented, such as educating medical One of the world's first recorded professionals, increasing surveillance, clean epidemics, traditionally known as the water initiatives, food control, and focusing “Plague of Athens,” struck in the summer of on research and development to ensure that 430 B.C.E. Thucydides, an Athenian antibiotic resistance does not become a historian who himself suffered from the deadly issue. With this in mind, delegates disease, documented the start of the should reflect the views of their nation and epidemic. According to him, the disease propose solutions that closely resemble their spread to Athens from the adjacent port of country’s point of view. Piraeus during the start of the Peloponnesian War, a tremendous conflict between Athens The World Health Organization 14 defines a disease outbreak as “the and Sparta, which began in 431 B.C.E. occurrence of a disease in larger quantities The city was vulnerable due to the ongoing than what would normally be expected to warfare, which undoubtedly contributed to see in a defined community, geographical 11 "Disease Outbreaks." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 20 July 2016. <http://www.who.int/topics/disease_outbrea 9 “The World Health Report 2007, A Safer ks/en/>. Future” WHO. World Health Organization, 12 Hays, J. N. Epidemics and Pandemics: n.d. Web. 17 July 2016. Their Impacts on Human History. Santa <http://www.who.int/whr/2007/07_overvie Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print. w_en.pdf>. 13 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 4 large political criticism. Prospects of weakness that was generally contagion amplified when the leader, fatal.16 Pericles, began relocating people that lived Ongoing warfare and mass in the countryside of Attica to inside the city migrations into the city contributed to a of Athens. With an elevated amount of mass hysteria in the Athens – people movement in terms of military forces and gathered around public fountains seeking Athenian rural population, an estimated 25 relief from the water. Thousands lay dead in to 35 percent of the Athenian population the street and labor shortages from both the died in this widespread epidemic. Because war and epidemic made proper burials an the disease came on suddenly during a year issue so much so that burial customs were that was otherwise healthy, some Athenians completely disregarded.17 believed that the Spartans were to blame. Another major epidemic, the “Plague Others believed that the gods were simply of the Antonines”, affected the ancient displeased with the Athenians.15 The world in 165 C.E.