History of International Sanitary Conference & WHO

The formal international public health action dates back to 1851 in the form of International Sanitation Conference in Paris. It was in the response of a series of long and devastating epidemics of Cholera, Plague, Small Pox and Black Water fever in Europe. The Following countries participated in the conference 

Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, Russia, Spain, four sovereign states of Present Italy and Turkey.

The conference was mainly focused on the Quarantine Laws, even after several rounds of discussion, no consensus was reached as a common law. Some countries was in favour of quarantine, while others opposed it. Although this conference failed to reach any fruitful conclusion, it succeeded in initiation a dialogue action on health. Several such conferences were held in subsequent years. Finally in 1892, an international sanitary convention was adopted by European countries. It was restricted to the measures for preventing Cholera epidemics. Later in 1897, another international convention was adopted, this time dealing with preventive measures against Plague.

While Europe was struggling to evolve an international consensus on health issues, American states had already worked up. In January 1902, an international conference of American states was held at Maxico in the name of “Pan American Sanitary Bureau”. This convention set up a permanent council in Washington D.C. on 2-4 December 1902, known as International Sanitary Bureau. Almost two decades later, the fifth international conference of American states, held in Santiago, Chile from 25^th March to 3^rd May 1923, changed the name of international sanitary conference and International Sanitary Bureau to Pan American Sanitary Conference and Pan American Bureau respectively .In 1947, the bureau became an executive agency of newly constituted Pan American Sanitary Organization, which was later recognized by WHO, as its regional office for Americans in 1949. It was finally renamed in 1950 as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

Looking at the successful international cooperation in America, the Europeans tried to rejuvenate their efforts and established a permanent international health bureau “The Office International D’ Hygiene Publique” (OIHP), IN 1907 AT Paris. It had 12 member states , out of which 9 were from Europe. The OIHP was more successful than the earlier efforts because it covered wider health issues.

After the First World War, President Woodrow Wilson of USA proposed an international body of nations, which could improve communication between the nations and work for international peace. In 1920, the League of Nations thus came into existence, with head quarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Although the idea of this international forum was given by America, it never became a member of League of Nations. In 1923, a health organization was established under the auspices of League of Nations.

The role of health organization was quite extensive and it made sincere efforts for international coordination in health, not only in Europe, but also in Far Eastern countries including Japan, China, Singapore and India. It established an Eastern Epidemiological intelligence center at Singapore in 1922-23.

The Second World War brought devastation world over. The league of Nations being a peace making organization could not survive the war and went into oblivion. However the health organization of the League of Nations continued to function. Its monthly epidemiological report was never discontinued, later; its operations were carried forward by the World Health Organization.