[afro-nets] WHO Launches Virtual School for Public Health Information

[Claudio Schuftan <aviva@netnam.vn>]

WHO Launches Virtual School for Public Health Information
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From: UN News Service <UNNews@UN.Org

WHO today launched the Health Academy, a virtual school that
aims to promote public health around the world by teaching peo-
ple health information using Internet-based technology.

In a joint project with Cisco Systems, Inc., WHO has set up two
pilot studies for the Health Academy in Egypt and Jordan, with
teenage students in 41 schools, during the 2003-04 academic
year. If they are successful, the Health Academy could be ex-
panded around the world.

The Health Academy will demystify medical practices and make the
knowledge of health specialists available to everyone, WHO said
in a statement released in Geneva, adding that the subjects in
the Academy will feature language that all people can under-
stand, regardless of their cultural backgrounds.

WHO's Director-General Dr Lee Jong-wook said: "It is more than
just education; it is a means to influence attitudes and behav-
iour towards a healthier lifestyle, which in turn may help re-
duce gaps between prosperity and poverty and health and sick-
ness."

WHO's statement said the Academy's curriculum would help stu-
dents develop their critical thinking and encourage interactiv-
ity, thanks to technology provided by Cisco Systems.

For more information see:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr92/en/