Garth Rattray

Today is World Health Day. It also marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Since 1950, the day has been celebrated on April 7. Every year, WHO selects a topic that it feels will raise awareness of important global issues. It also organises international, regional and local events to highlight it. This year's theme is, 'Protecting Health From Climate Change'.

Current global warming

Climate change may be a long-term, natural, cyclical occurrence. However, our current global warming is evidently due to the green house gases that we produce. WHO recognises that climate change is posing increasingly serious threats to global public health. The organisation hopes that every country will feel compelled to undertake long-term activities and political commitments to tackle the causes and effects of climate change. WHO expects that with increased collaboration, the global community will be able to "cope with climate-related health challenges worldwide" by protecting health from climate change through the "strengthening of surveillance and control of infectious diseases, ensuring safer use of diminishing water supplies and coordinating health action in emergencies".

Climate change doesn't only fall under the purview of meteorologists, environmentalists and the politicians - it poses serious health-sector problems in the short and long term. The dangers of climate change range from catastrophic and extreme weather to environmental changes that disrupt ecosystems and support vector proliferation, thus increasing infectious diseases. For example, last year, prolonged rains preceded a serious outbreak of dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. We, therefore, need to pre-empt vector-borne diseases (such as dengue and malaria), by performing relentless mosquito control and eradication programmes and not simply reacting to outbreaks.

Not only can we expect climate changes to directly influence the incidence and spread of potentially fatal diseases, we must also consider unnaturally ferocious and frequent storms, hurricanes and floods (that facilitate diseases, take lives, destroy homes, businesses and crops) and droughts (that destroy crops, compromise hygiene and threaten lives). Additionally, we need to find ways to control excessive heat and pollution (greenhouse gases, noxious particulates and solid waste).

Raise awareness

This year's World Health Day aims to raise awareness, advocate for interdisciplinary and intersectoral partnerships, generate effective actions, demonstrate the health community's role in facing the challenges (globally and in regions, countries and communities), and to spark commitment and action.

In all of this, the role of the primary-care physician (general practitioner/family doctor) cannot be overemphasised. We are the frontline 'soldiers' in the fight against diseases.

Many Jamaicans believe that specialisation is the epitome of what a physician can become. However, First World countries rightly view general practitioners (primary care/family physicians) as integral medical-care managers - no less than or inferior to specialists and sub-specialists. Our wide knowledge, all-encompassing experience and first-contact status allow us to recognise and report dangerous diseases and trends. We also manage everything and everybody and only refer to specialists whenever their particular expertise is needed.

Interestingly, this year also marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Alma-Ata at the International Conference on Primary Health Care meeting in Alma-Ata (in then USSR). The conference focus was to protect and promote the health of all the people of the world. The Declaration of Alma-Ata reiterated the WHO concept that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". It emphasised that the basic human right of attaining the highest possible level of health is essential and that it is achievable through good primary health care.