Last year, a news story reported that the World Health Organization (WHO), which is supposed to be devoted to improving the health and medical care of people around the globe, will for the first time endorse a belief system called "traditional Chinese medicine."
In a major breakthrough, the World Health Organization (WHO)has finally approved the inclusion of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in theamendment of its influential International Classification of Diseases recently.
Wildlife scientists and conservationists from around the world oppose this decision, they say – "The WHO's formal support of traditional Chinese medicine could authorize the hunting of wild animals for their body parts."
Rhinoceros, Tigers, Elephant and many endangered species, have been killed by poachers solely for their body parts. But WHO's this move could authorize the hunting of wild animals for their body parts.
The decision, widely expected for months, occurred during the World Health Assembly in Geneva On May 25. At least 400 traditional Chinese medicine diagnoses have been added to the current volume.
However, the WHO said that including TCM in the volumedoesn't mean it excuses the harvest of wild animals protected by internationallaw.
Panthera – the only organization in the worldthat is devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world's 40 wild catspecies and their landscapes and other organizations acknowledge that manygroups supporting this health care approach no longer advocate the inclusion ofwildlife parts in medications.
The organizations also note that traditional Chinesemedicine was the source of the important malaria treatment artemisinin.
"While choosing to endorse TCM, the WHO seems to have ignored the compelling data that links illegal wildlife trade to the mortality rates of frontline forest staff and the exploitation of forest-dwelling communities." – Wildlife Conservation Trust President Anish Andheria said in a statement.
