The World Health Organization: 

    Enlightened Goals and Remarkable Achievements

    世界衛生組織：高遠的目標、卓越的成就

    Introduction

    The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded in 1948 as a special agency of the United Nations. With nearly two hundred member countries, the agency implements worldwide programs to prevent and eliminate disease. But the WHO's mission goes beyond the mere treatment of physical illness, its stated objective being "the attainment of the highest possible level of health for all people in the world" with health defined as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being."

    世界衛生組織（World Health Organization,簡稱WHO）成立與1948年，是聯合國的一個專門機構，目前大約有200個會員國。自成立以來，WHO一直不斷地推動各項防治疾病的計劃，但其任務并不僅局限與防治身體上的疾病，而是以「使全世界的人都能獲致最高的健康水平」為宗旨。此外，WHO為「健康」所下的定義是：身體、精神及社會福利都達到健全的狀態。意謂著其目標已擴大到全面改善世人的生活品質。

    AchievementsOver the years, the WHO has continually found ways to achieve this goal, with its first major accomplishment the eradication of smallpox, long considered the most deadly and persistent human infectious disease. Smallpox had caused millions of deaths and much suffering for centuries, but once the agency set out to eradicate it, WHO personnel traveled the world to conduct a massive vaccination program. And as a result, smallpox was eliminated in 1977. Since then, the WHO has turned its attention to other diseases such as polio and leprosy, which are now on the verge of eradication as well.

    多年來，WHO不斷地尋求各種方法來達成這項目標。第一項成就，是使天花從世上絕跡。這個致命的傳染病，曾奪走了數百萬人的生命，并帶來許多苦難。但是WHO展開根除天花的計劃，服務范圍無遠弗屆；只要有人居住的地方，都有專人將牛痘疫苗送達該處。由於他們的努力，天花已於1977年宣告自地球絕跡。此，WHO將工作重點轉向小兒麻痹、麻瘋等疾病的防治。目前這兩種疾病也即將消失無形。

    In addition to fighting illness, the World Health Organization has been a key player in promoting worldwide disease prevention and health programs. Working with partners in health research, the WHO gathers data on global health conditions and needs, particularly in developing countries. One of its most recent initiatives is the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. This project, mandated by the World Health Assembly in May 2002, arose through the discovery that more and more people in the developing world were suffering from chronic disease.

    除了對抗疾病，WHO在推展增進世人健康和預防疾病的全球性計劃方面，也擔任舉足輕重的角色。他們和參與計劃的伙伴，一起從事相關的研究工作，收集有關健康情況與需求的資訊，尤其是開發中的國家。有 於在這些國家中，有越來越多的人民飽受慢性病之苦，WHO最近推動了一項專案計劃--「全球飲食、運動及健康對策」，這項計劃由世界衛生大會於2002年5月授權發起。

    Increasing urbanization was found to play a large part in changing health conditions among residents of developing countries. In addition, it was long known that city dwellers are more likely to consume energy-dense diets high in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. For the newly urban poor, this sudden change in diet, along with the transition to a sedentary lifestyle, resulted in an increasing incidence of chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and respiratory ailments. However, most risk factors for these conditions - high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased body weight and decreased physical exercise - are largely preventable.

    隨著大量農村人口放棄耕作，遷往都市發展，使得都市化程度日益升高，這是造成開發中國家人民健康情況改變的一大原因。眾所周知，都市人偏愛高熱量食物，而這些食物通常含有大量飽和脂肪和精致的碳水化合物，對這些都市新貧而言，飲食習慣的突然改變，加上久坐的生活型態，逐漸造成嚴重的健康問題；諸如心臟病、糖尿病、中風、癌癥和呼吸道疾病等慢性病，有日益增多的趨勢。然而，這些慢性病的致病因素--高血壓、高膽固醇、體重過重、缺乏運動等，絕大多數都是可以事先預防的。

    Research conducted after the World Health Assembly found that diet and exercise are key elements in combating many of these risk factors. For example, diets rich in fruit and vegetables, which contain immune-system boosting micronutrients, enhance the body's natural defenses against infectious disease. Specifically, the following recommendations for preventive health were made by the WHO:

    * Eat more fruit and vegetables, nuts and whole grains

    * Engage in daily physical activity

    * Replace saturated animal fats with unsaturated vegetable oil-based fats

    * Cut the overall amount of fatty, salty and sugary foods in the diet

    * Maintain a normal body weight

    * Stop smoking

    WHO與2002年召開世界衛生大會之后，在一項研究中發現，飲食和運動是戰勝許多致病因素的要訣。例如，多吃富含微量營養素的蔬菜水果，可以提升免疫系統的功能，增加身體抵抗力，預防傳染病。WHO并明確提出以下幾項防治疾病的建議：

    * 多吃蔬菜水果、堅果類和全谷類。

    * 每天規律的運動。

    * 選用不飽和脂肪的植物油，取代飽和脂肪的動物油。

    * 避免攝取高脂肪、高鹽分、高糖分的食物。

    * 維持正常的體重。

    * 不抽煙。

    While these guidelines do not specify a completely vegetarian diet, they clearly emphasize fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and vegetable fats. In addition, the recommendations are based on data gathered from all over the world, and so reflect both a concern about nutrition and a respect for cultural diversity, including groups that value vegetarianism from the standpoint of compassion for animals. For example, the WHO received input from the International Vegetarian Union, an organization with a worldwide membership founded in 1908.
    
    雖然這些健康指引并沒有指出要吃全素，但很明顯地強調要多攝取水果、蔬菜、堅果、谷類和植物油。此外，這些指引系根據世界各地收集來的資料綜合而成；不僅顧慮到營養的層面，而且也尊重不同文化背景和信仰的差異，例如，顧及到有些人基于對動物的慈悲心，非常重視素食。例如：WHO接受「國際素食聯盟」（International Vegetarian Union，屬于世界性的組織，創于1908年）的加入成為其工作伙伴。

    In May 2004, the World Health Organization will present these suggestions as a global prevention-based proposal to the World Health Assembly to provide the Assembly's member states with solid evidence for implementing national health strategies. The WHO will also seek interaction with the international food industry to stress the business sector's responsibility in helping to achieve these goals.

    WHO于2004年5月將「預防保健」提案提交世界衛生大會審議，此項全球性提案能夠提供各會員國有力的明證，繼而使其推動國內的健康對策。同時，WHO也將與全球的食品業者進行溝通，強力要求他們負起責任，以協助他們達成這些目標。

    Other recent WHO projects include campaigns to reduce tobacco use worldwide, and research on the health effects of the electromagnetic field surrounding cell phones.

    除此之外，近來WHO更展開降低全球煙草使用的行動，以及研究手機電磁波對人體的影響。

    ConclusionDuring its fifty-six year history, the World Health Organization has performed earthly miracles. In the above-mentioned case of smallpox eradication alone, the agency accomplished in twenty years what the medical profession had not been able to achieve in the previous two hundred. For, although the smallpox vaccine was discovered in 1796, it was only after the WHO began carrying the torch to eliminate it that the disease was finally wiped out in 1977.

    綜觀WHO成立五十六年以來的成就，的確創造了不少世界奇跡。單以天花為例，盡管牛痘疫苗早在200多年前（西元1796年）就已發現，人類卻一直無法將它根絕，而WHO在20年之內就完成使命，天花終于在1977年完全消失。