Margaret Chan
Margaret Chan
Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, OBE, JPis a Hong Kong Chinese and Canadian physician, who serves as the Director-General of the World Health Organizationfor 2006–17. Chan was elected by the Executive Board of WHO on 8 November 2006, and was endorsed in a special meeting of the World Health Assembly on the following day. Chan has previously served as Director of Health in the Hong Kong Government, representative of the WHO Director-General for Pandemic Influenza and WHO Assistant Director-General for Communicable...
NationalityChinese
ProfessionPublic Servant
CountryChina
We are not in a pandemic situation. It is still an animal disease.
They have agreed to donate another 2 million courses, that is 20 million doses, for use by affected countries who reported human cases to reduce morbidity and mortality and to delay the spread of the infection.
A human influenza pandemic will be a big problem. But by working together we can respond effectively.
Avian and pandemic influenza are posing a greater challenge to the world than any previous emerging infectious diseases.
I think U.N. organizations are important organizations. They exist for good reasons. And we also admit that there is room for us to improve the way we do business. The WHO will be a very positive and proactive partner in the overall U.N. reform, which is also important.
It is meant as a fire blanket to contain damage if we receive signals and evidence from the ground that we are moving into the beginning of a pandemic.
There is a high degree of support for voluntary compliance with the International Health Regulations. It will help countries to build capacity.
Clearly, countries expressed the wish to have more. But at least we have something to rely upon for the time being.
The International Health Partnership Plus is addressing the need to harmonize development assistance and reduce the current waste, duplication, and high transaction costs.
In view of the situation in Iraq, I was on the phone talking to the company and they are willing to provide in the order of 7-10,000 treatment courses and we are trying to ship them as soon as possible to the ground.
I must stress that it is still a suspected case at this stage and the experts are still investigating,
Buying time will allow us to fast-track pandemic vaccine production. It will allow governments to put in place a host of emergency public health measures that will reduce mortality and morbidity, and social and economic disruption.
For the first time in human history, we have a chance to prepare ourselves for a pandemic before it arrives, ... It is incumbent upon the global community to act now.
I think U.N. organizations are important organizations. They exist for good reasons. And we also admit that there is room for us to improve the way we do business. The WHO will be a very positive and proactive partner in the overall U.N. reform, which is also important.