Hey there, it's Joe. Happy Saturday.

With recent headlines like an Ebola outbreak in Congo and the Hanta virus-stricken cruise ship,

you might be hearing a lot about the WHO. Maybe you're thinking, what is that? What do they even do?

Aren't they basically just the CDC? No need to keep scratching your head. We've got the cure.

Let's take a look.

Let's start with what is the WHO?

A classic English rock band and also the World Health Organization. Founded in 1948, the WHO is a

United Nations agency that exists to promote, quote, the highest possible level of health for all

peoples. It's an intentionally broad mandate. They're not just around to cure disease. They also work to help people live

mentally, physically, and socially healthy lives and to encourage international cooperation

in doing so. How do they do that exactly? Lots of ways. They operate in over 150 locations worldwide,

working on everything from Ebola outbreaks to HIV treatments,

diabetes management, and cancer research.

In practice, that means getting vaccines and medicine to people who lack access,

funding scientific research, responding to emergencies,

and setting the international standards that keep the global health system running.

They're also one of the institutions behind the sanitary guidelines that govern food safety across borders.

COVID? The WHO was the one to officially declare it a pandemic.

You might be thinking, wait, I thought that was the CDC. Good guess.

The Center for Disease Control is a U.S. federal agency.

They have historically worked closely with the WHO, think sharing data and coordinating research,

but they only have authority in the U.S.

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