The World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by all 61 countries of the United Nations by 22 July 1946. As of 2013, WHO has 194 member - states.

WHO has achieved an impressive record in pursuing its main aim, especially in the battle against some of the world's most virulent diseases. Its most remarkable success has been the campaign against smallpox and malaria, the former now completely eradicated from the earth.

One of the main services carried out by WHO is the service of epidemic warnings. WHO gathers information and broadcasts it daily by radio to health authorities, ports, airports and ships at sea. WHO also informs national health services about outbreaks of viral diseases such as influenza and poliomyelitis.

Besides epidemic information WHO also provides services which are needed by all the countries, such as an international quarantine measures, world health statistics, international standardization of medicines and vaccines, development of medical research and technical publication program.

Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; the elimination of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and aging; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse.

WHO also works to "reduce morbidity and mortality and improve health during key stages of life, including pregnancy, childbirth, the neonatal period, childhood and adolescence.

In recent years, the emphasis has shifted to the long-term tasks of building up permanent health services and improving environmental conditions to eliminate the causes of diseases, build up resistance. In other words, the stress is more on prevention than on cure.

WHO Member States appoint delegations to the World Health Assembly, WHO’s supreme decision-making body. The World Health Assembly is the legislative and supreme body of WHO. Based in Geneva, it typically meets yearly in May.

Exercise 8. Answer the questions to the text:

1. When was WHO founded?

2. How many member-states are there in WHO?

3. What are the most active forms of WHO activities?

4. How are national health services informed about outbreaks of viral diseases?

5. Where is a headquarters of WHO stationed.

6. What are the current priorities of WHO?

7. What is the World Health Assembly?

8. What disease has been completely eradicated from the earth?

Exercise 9. a) Form nouns with the meaning “стан, положення, властивість, якість» using the suffix –(i)ty. Translate them:

Model: rapid (швидкий) → rapidity (швидкість)

Severe, immune, morbid, possible, real, formal, safe, mortal, reactive

b) Form adjectives with the meaning “відносини» using the suffix -- ive. Translate them:

Model: regulate (регулювати)→ regulative (що регулює)

Illustrate, construct, connect, inform, attract, prevent, demonstrate, communicate, create, collect, express, progress, reproduce, impress

Exercise 10. Find English equivalents of the following word combinations in the text:

Здорове харчування, медичне дослідження, епідемічне попередження, спалах інфекційних хвороб, умови оточуючого середовища, покращувати стан здоров’я, довготривале завдання, старіння, усувати причини хвороби, законодавчий орган, профілактика, безпека продуктів харчування, ослаблення дії хвороб, вагітність, заразна хвороба

Exercise 11. Match the words with their synonyms in the text:

Exercise 12. Find in the text 7 words that can be the noun and verb at the same time (formed by conversion) in the text:

Example: work – to work

Exercise 13. The words in this list are all verbs. Form the corresponding nouns:

1.prevent 7. develop

2. eradicate 8. treat

3. decide 9. improve

4. establish 10. resist

5. occupy 11. inform

6. achieve 12. warn

Exercise 14. Match the terms with their explanation: