Day Observances
World Water Day
Since 1993, the United Nations has celebrated 22 March as World Water Day to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people worldwide who live without access to safe drinking water. This year’s UN campaign focuses on preserving glaciers, highlighting the need for global action to manage meltwater sustainably to ensure vital water resources for the […]
World Women’s Day
The United Nations (UN) officially declared March 8 as International Women’s Day, as an action aimed at combating gender discrimination in the world. Gender equity and equality are fundamental values of the Pan American Health Organization, integrated into all its programs, policies and technical cooperation actions. In DeCS, the descriptor Women covers the concept of […]
World Hearing Day
Hearing health is observed every year on March 3. In the WHO Region of the Americas, approximately 21.52% of the population lives with hearing loss. It is estimated that by 2050, this figure could reach 322 million people in the region. PAHO recommends that its Member States incorporate people-centered hearing care into national health plans, […]
World Cancer Day
PAHO is working with countries in the Americas to reduce premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, by 25% by 2025. In February, PAHO observes two cancer awareness days: World Cancer Day and International Childhood Cancer Day. International Childhood Cancer Day is a collaborative global campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and express […]
World Leprosy Day
Leprosy is one of the 30 diseases or conditions that the PAHO Elimination Initiative aims to overcome in the countries of the Americas region by 2030. In the context of public health, World Leprosy Day* is observed on the last day of January. Some of DeCS’ descriptors that may be associated with this disease, by […]
Universal Health Day 2024
12 December 2024: Equitable Access with Financial Protection Investing to achieve universal health enhances equity and social cohesion, while also benefiting the national economy by improving health and well-being, increasing workforce participation and productivity, and strengthening the resilience of individuals, families, and communities. In DeCS, some descriptors cover this subject, such as: Disaster VulnerabilityFinancial StressHealth […]
Human Rights Day
Every December 10, the world remembers the extraordinary achievement of that day in 1948, when nations came together to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including health as a human right in their Constitution. In DeCS, the descriptor Human Rights term is located between three points of the tree of concepts and has several […]
World Diabetes Day
Every November 14, World Diabetes Day is commemorated. This is an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of diabetes on the health of people and to highlight the opportunities to strengthen the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes. Several descriptors cover this topic in DeCS. Some of them are: More
World Rabies Day
The World Rabies Day is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), and celebrated every September 28 to reinforce awareness about prevention, the fight against this Zoonotic Disease and their achievements. When searching the DeCS/MeSH portal for the term “Rabies” using “Any term”, the descriptors related to the disease that appear are: Explore DeCS and […]
World Sepsis Day
Sepsis is a complication that arises when the human body mounts an indiscriminate, and overt, response to an infection. Sepsis is a medical emergency. If not diagnosed and treated early, sepsis can lead to irreversible tissue damage, septic shock, multiple organ failure and potentially death. Septic shock is a severe type of sepsis in which […]
World Breastfeeding Week
World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated every year from 1 to 7 of August, is a global campaign coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) to raise awareness and galvanize action on themes related to breastfeeding. WHO and UNICEF recommend: To find descriptors related to breastfeeding in DeCS, search for human milk, breastfeeding, etc., and browse the […]
World Hepatitis Day
Hepatitis is a disease caused by viruses, responsible for high levels of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recognizing the important public health problem that hepatitis represents, the 63rd World Health Assembly held in 2010 designated July 28 as the World Day to Combat Hepatitis and makes a worldwide call for a comprehensive response in the fight […]
