The Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) was launched in 1974 in an effort to combat diseases such as diphtheria, Tetanus, Measles and Tuberculosis. Around ninety per cent of children worldwide are now reached by immunisation services, up from approximately five per cent when the initiative was launched. Malaria, as the single largest cause of death in the developing world, has also been targeted aggressively by the organisation. In 1955 the Global Malaria Eradication Scheme was launched and by 1969 all developed countries, along with large areas of Latin America and Asia were malaria free. By 1997 over ninety per cent of all endemic countries were implementing WHO strategies of disease control to limit the effects of malarial mosquitoes. As perhaps the greatest threat to world health , HIV/AIDS is at the centre of one of the most concerted WHO programs of disease prevention and control in its 55-year history. The WHO was quick to alert world leaders to the imminent threat posed by HIV/AIDS after it was first identified. It also works to combat complacency and denial from both government and those afflicted by the virus, in a bid to prevent it being driven underground. In the past 20years the WHO has assisted member states to strengthen their national AIDS programs, and advocates strategies affordable for all, including condoms, the promotion of blood safety, sex education and the early identification and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections. The World Health Organisation laid the foundations for the United Nations AIDS agency (UNAIDS) through its emphasis on exploration of the behavioral and socio-economic determinates of HIV/AIDS transmission. The WHO was also an early advocate of the rights of those living with HIV/AIDS, demonstrating its commitment to addressing not just the physical but mental and social aspects of health and well-being. .
The WHO is not, however, an agency solely concerned with the prevention and eradication of disease.
