Most of us that have the luxury of being online right now live in place where the most common cause of death is heart disease.
Though keeping your heart as healthy as possible through diet and exercise seems like pretty simple advice, not everyone actually "walks the walk."
To celebrate World Health Day and the mission of the World Health Organization, McCann Worldwide called on their 22,000 employees to each walk or run at least 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) - a collective distance that would circumnavigate the globe - to send a public global message about the importance of exercise.
The McCann team in Norway 'walks the walk.'
World Health Day has been celebrated around the world since 1950 and, while the theme changes from year to year, the overall goal is the same: to call attention to the subject of global health.
This year's theme is "anti-microbial resistance: no action today, no cure tomorrow."
With the discovery of the first antibiotics in the 1940s, it seemed that the human race would no longer have to worry about tuberculosis, leprosy, and so many others.
Prior to these miraculous meds, the most common ailments – from infected scraped knees to sore throats - could prove fatal. The challenge now would be making medications available to everyone.
Keep a Child Alive - socialvibe.com/keepachildalive - provides antiretroviral treatment to kids with HIV/AIDS.
While we still struggle to reach many populations with vaccines and treatments, more and more of these "miracle drugs" are becoming less effective.
Tuberculosis, once all but eradicated, has surfaced once more, with nearly half a million cases each year.
Although resistance is a natural process, misuse of valuable drugs has accelerated it.
Things like dispersing low quality drugs, inappropriate use of medications on farm animals and not finishing antibiotics prescribed to us can cause sneaky bacteria, viruses and some parasites to resist drugs sooner than they should.
The result is that new, stronger, and often more expensive drugs must be developed.
The success of treatments like organ transplants, chemotherapy and major surgery, as well as progress made towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals could be compromised.
One very simple way to help slow antimicrobial resistance is to limit your use of antibacterial products. They're great when you need them, but use simple soap and warm water next time you lather up!
Another biggie is making sure that you finish antibiotics – don't stop taking them once you feel better unless your doc says it's okay.
Last but certainly not least, take a cue from the folks at McCann and do something today to improve your overall health!
You can earn free donations for health-related causes around the world by completing simple activities on SocialVibe!
