Today, The Gambia will join the rest of the world to mark World Health Day, which is centered on the theme: International health Security.

In a speech marking the day, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tamsir Mbowe said with the increasing global threats to health including malaria, sars, avian flu, Tuberculosis and humanitarian emergencies, World Health Day 2007 serves as an ideal occasion for the International Community to consider the growing interdependence of health and security and the need to invest in health in order to build a safer future. SOS Mbowe said threats to health know no borders as globalization has brought the benefits of efficient transport and trade to many people across the world. He said it has also allowed the rapid spread of diseases that otherwise may have been contained by geographical boundaries, and which in earlier times may have transmitted slowly enough to be brought quickly under control.

In today’s world, he said, health security needs to be provided through coordinated action and cooperation between and within government departments, all private and public sectors, civil society, media and individuals. “No single individual or institution in The Gambia has all the capacities needed to respond to international public health emergencies caused by epidemics, natural disasters or environmental emergencies, or by new and emerging infectious diseases. Only by detecting and reporting problems in their earliest hours can the most appropriate experts and resources be deployed to prevent and halt the spread of diseases”, he added.

SoS Mbowe further stated that World Health Day 2007 “International health security”, calls for the need to reduce the vulnerability of people around the world to new, acute or rapidly spreading risks to health, particular those that threaten to cross international borders. In a globalised world, he said health issues present new challenges that go far beyond national borders and have an impact on the collective security of people around the world. “Increased collaboration among government departments, all private and public sectors in The Gambia will enable the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare to be better prepared to strengthen national capacities to detect and respond to disease outbreaks. This will provide a national safety net to deal with key cross-border public health issues and in turn help to make The Gambia more secure. Threats to health security are many and varied. They include sudden shocks to health and the collective security of people around the world.

I am motivated by the conviction that in our increasingly crowded, closely interconnected and mobile world, we must act together to address national and international health security”, he concluded.