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The WHO is pretty damned good at preventing the outbreak of new contagious diseases, so much so that people make jokes about how overhyped things were.
by nodata 13y ago
The WHO is pretty damned good at preventing the outbreak of new contagious diseases, so much so that people make jokes about how overhyped things were.
- nhaehnle 13y agoThis. Also, remember that infectious disease called smallpox?
- dnautics 13y agoyet, for some reason the WHO is really sucking at finishing off polio.
- ForHackernews 13y agoIt's not entirely their fault. The places where polio still exists are very isolated, and often actively hostile to Western medical teams. Matters have not been helped by the CIA (and others) using vaccination operations as cover for their spies.
- DanBC 13y agoeh, it's taking a lot longer than they expected, but they've done pretty well so far. http://www.unfoundation.org/what-we-do/campaigns-and-initiatives/polio-eradication-initiative/ http://www.unfoundation.org/what-we-do/campaigns-and-initiat... > Polio, which can cause lifelong paralysis, can be prevented with a vaccine that costs only $0.50. In the 1980s, polio paralyzed at least 1,000 children every day all over the world, but today, after international efforts to immunize every child everywhere, 5 million people are walking who would otherwise be paralyzed and the world is almost polio-free. > Since the Initiative’s inception in 1988, the number of polio cases has dropped by 99 percent.
- randomafrican 13y agoisnt that the desease that basically only exists in Northern Nigeria and the Gange Valley ? They have a lot more to fight than the desease to win in those places.
- ekianjo 13y ago> how overhyped things were. It's rather because of mainstream media that the hype occurs.
- MrZongle2 13y agoPlaying Devil's Advocate here: what UN entity, besides WHO, has a track record of accomplishing something positive?
- JamisonM 13y agoOff the top of my head: IMO, ITU, UNESCO, UNICEF, Chemical Weapons Ban Org, IAEA. Also there is the no world war 3 thing, which is obviously over-simplifying but the UN probably should get some credit for. The UN is a mess but it does do a lot of good, the world needs a forum for international multilateral discussions and coordination, it ain't perfect but it sure could be worse.
- randomafrican 13y agoFAO, UNHCR
- DanBC 13y agoUNFPA - http://www.unfpa.org/public/ http://www.unfpa.org/public/ United Nations Population Fund is doing good work to reduce obstetric fistula, and other poor outcomes from giving birth; also about FGM.