Over 7.9 billion people across the world are celebrating World Health Day today. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Our planet, our health.”

Amidst a Covid-19 pandemic, focus is thrown on a polluted planet, increasing diseases like cancer, asthma, heart disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has therefore drawn attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.

WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. This includes the climate crisis which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The climate crisis is also considered a health crisis.

Social media users have flooded Twitter with campaigns calling for a safer environment. The users also used the opportunity to commend health workers for the important role they continue to play in society.