Empirics prove – The WHO is effective.
WHO ’23 [December 20; The United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Also leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage; World Health Organization, “Global health achievements 2023,” https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/global-health-achievements-2023]//av
The year 2023 was a record year for disease elimination, with several countries eliminating infectious diseases thanks to dedicated national efforts, and collaborative action by countries and health partners worldwide.
In March, WHO certified Azerbaijan and Tajikistan malaria-free, followed by Belize in June. Malaria affects some of the world’s most vulnerable people, and these extraordinary achievements demonstrate how a malaria-free future can become a reality.
Egypt became the first country in the world to achieve "gold tier” status on the path to eliminate hepatitis C – an important milestone towards the goal of achieving full elimination of the disease before 2030. This is an astonishing turnaround for a country that had one of the world’s highest rates of hepatitis C infection less than 10 years ago.
As of today, 50 countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease (NTD), in line with WHO’s ambitious target of having 100 countries achieve this milestone by 2030.
In January, Ghana eliminated gambiense Human African trypanosomiasis, a life-threatening sleeping sickness transmitted by tsetse flies that causes significant harm in rural populations living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
In May Benin and Mali eliminated trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. They were the fifth and sixth countries in Africa to achieve this significant milestone, joined by Iraq from the Eastern Mediterranean region in July.
Bangladesh and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic successfully eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health concern. Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a debilitating parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes.
Bangladesh made history as the first country to eliminate two NTDs in the same year. In a historic achievement, Bangladesh also became the first country in the world to be officially validated for having eliminated kala-azar. Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) is a life-threatening disease transmitted by sandflies which, if left untreated, can prove fatal in over 95% of cases.