2021年5月20日是第22个“世界计量日”，国际法制计量组织和国际计量局发布了2021年世界计量日主题“Measurements for Health”及海报，该主题旨在让人们认识到测量在守护我们每个人的平安健康中所发挥的重要作用。为配合“世界计量日”活动开展，市场监管总局将“世界计量日”中文主题正式确定为“测量守护健康”。

　　“世界计量日”是由国际米制公约组织和国际法制计量组织为纪念1875年5月20日《米制公约》签署而设立。1999年经国际计量大会投票表决，决定自2000年起，将米制公约签署日（5月20日）作为“世界计量日”。

　测量守护健康

　　在全世界聚焦如何从新冠肺炎疫情的影响中快速有效地复苏之际, 2021年世界计量日即将到来。

　　2020年伊始，新冠病毒影响世界各地人民的速度之快和程度之烈，迫使各国政府迅速作出反应。在疫情刚刚蔓延之际，新的测量需求就大量涌现。首先是大范围的病毒检测，个人防护设备性能的检测，其后的疫苗开发也依赖于对复杂蛋白和RNA分子的准确识别和测量。

　　这些需求的规模巨大，使许多国家的优先事项发生改变。为应对病毒的挑战，保护民众健康, 政府重新聚焦现有科学能力，全球计量界也加入到了应对这些新的国家和全球挑战的努力中，利用已拥有的测量科学方面的经验来解决诸如以下的国家需求：

·个人防护口罩检测系统的建立；

·医院所需新型呼吸机系统的设计和检测；

·检测样品中病毒分子的识别和计数；

·疫苗免疫效力的测量。

　　计量界已建立了支撑保护和促进健康所需要的各种测量的技术能力，使得上述工作成为可能。这些能力包括：

·为具有测量功能的所有类别的医疗设备制定国际标准，包括自动血压计、眼科仪器和医用注射器等；

·支持临床实验室检测，确保医用温度计的测量与国际认可的温标相符；

·确保患者在X射线检查中接受正确的辐射剂量；

·为保证癌症治疗中准确的放射剂量提供基础。

　　我们选择“测量守护健康”作为今年世界计量日的主题，是希望让人们关注测量在守护人民健康方面所发挥的重要作用，尤其是在世界各国计量机构迅速将其经验和能力转向应对新的国家健康挑战之时，它的到来恰逢其时。

　　祝愿2021年世界计量日取得圆满成功！期待得到各方世界计量日的宣传海报和举办活动方面的更多信息。

Measurement for Health

World Metrology Day in 2021 comes at a time when the world is focussed on making a quick and effective recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The speed and severity with which the virus impacted people around the world at the beginning of 2020 forced governments to respond rapidly. Right from the beginning, new measurement requirements emerged, starting with the need for large-scale testing for the presence of the virus and the performance of personal protective equipment. Subsequently, the development of vaccines has depended on accurate identification and measurement of complex protein and RNA molecules.

The enormous scale of these requirements has changed national priorities globally; governments have re-focussed established science capabilities to meet the challenge of protecting their populations from the impact of the virus. The metrology community around the globe has been involved with these new national and global challenges, and has used its established experience of measurement science to address national needs such as by:

• setting up systems to test masks needed for personal protection,

• contributing to the design and testing of new ventilator systems needed in hospitals,

• identifying and counting virus molecules in test samples, and

• measuring the efficacy of vaccine doses.

  
  

This has been possible because of established technical capabilities to support many of the measurements needed to protect and improve health. These include:

• developing international standards for all types of medical devices with a measuring function, including automated blood-pressure instruments, ophthalmic instruments and medical syringes,

• underpinning clinical laboratory testing by ensuring that measurements made by medical thermometers are in line with the internationally recognised temperature scale,

• ensuring that patients experience the correct dose of X-rays during diagnostic procedures, and

• providing the basis for accurate therapeutic doses of radiation in the treatment of cancer.

  
  

We chose the theme “Measurement for Health” for World Metrology Day this year to draw attention to the importance of measurement to support the protection of health. It comes at a time when the experience and capabilities invested in metrology organisations around the world have been turned at short notice to address new national health challenges.

We wish you a very successful World Metrology Day 2021 and look forward to receiving your posters and details of any events you are holding.