“No man is an island, entire of itself.” Certainly not the 23 million citizens and 400,000 plus foreign nationals residing in Taiwan. Regrettably, for over a quarter of a century, people in Taiwan have been unjustly denied normal access to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the opportunities to contribute to and benefit from this major health forum of the world.

Pandemics don't discriminate, nor do they know national boundaries. Today, Taiwan serves as not only an important hub of international human and cargo traffic, but also a transit stopover for 351 species of migratory birds around 1.25 million in number. By excluding Taiwan from the WHO, a gap has been created in the global health network. If that gap continues to exist, it could be detrimental to the international effort to fight infectious diseases, such as the potential outbreak of avian influenza, which, according to the WHO estimate, could cost millions of lives worldwide.

The WHO enshrines in its Constitution the attainment of the highest possible level of health for all peoples. It is time for the WHO to put its money where its mouth is. People in Taiwan are exposed to the same health threats as people in other parts of the world. Denying one segment of the world population regular and normal access to the WHO could have a catastrophic impact on all members of the international community. Show your support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the WHO!