WESTERN PACIFIC
a region of contrasts
T
he Western Pacific Region of WHO spans a huge section of the globe, from the Republic of Korea in the north to Ne\N Zealand in the south, and from the remote west of China to Samoa and Tonga in mid-Pacific. The region embraces countries as varied as Australia, with its federation of states, the largely agricultural Lao People's Democratic Republic, Japan with its booming population and industrial strength, and tiny Kiribati with a land mass smaller than Ne\N York City.Its variety is its strength. The striking contrasts among its member countries oblige each one to recognise the health problems of others, and to work together to find common solutions.
Among the problems common to most are the health of elderly people, environmental pollution, the eradication of polio and the control of malaria and other communicable diseases, an increase in "diseases of affluence" which are no longer confined to industrialised countries, and the perennial need to train more health personnel.
The region's agenda for the 1990s foresees a time of consolidation and reorientation of activities in public health, and the ne\N decade will be a time of
preparing for health in the 21st century. •
WHO/WPRO
Anti-clockwise from left: A lesson in nutritious food for mothers and children in Fiji.
Health workers take to a canoe in the Solomon Islands.
Spraying against malaria-carrying mosquitos.
Elderly Chinese playing a game of chance in a public park.
Chengke ©
Below: Nets impregnated with insecticide protect sleepers from mosquito bites, and are already reducing the spread of malaria in some Western Pacific areas.
Bottom: Cheerful nurses wait for patients to come for their prescribed drugs at a dispensary in the South Pacific. Several countries of the region are collaborating in the field of phannaceuticals.
Above: "Looking ahead." Today's healthy youngsters will be the parents - and the health providers - of the 21st century.
Below: A heart patient in Australia uses an inhaler to help him to breathe easily. A poster advises what is the best weight for people at diHerent ages if they are to
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avoid heart problems.~
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DISPENSARY
WHO(f. Farkas
WORLD HEALTH. November 1989 17
