Overview: International cooperation on the health of seafarers began many years ago. As early as 1921, an international convention regarding this matter was presented to govern- ments of maritime countries for ratification. The First World Health Assembly, in 1948, recommended that WHO should establish, with the International Labour Of- fice, a Joint Committee on the hygiene of seafarers. The first session of this Com- mittee, held in 1949, defined the problems affecting the health of seamen and made a number of recommendations. In the opinion of this Joint Committee, the health of seamen call
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