CHINA'S DR FLU HEADS WHO...Margaret Chan
October 12, 2009
The new head of the UN's WHO (*World unHealth Organization) - who's symbol is a slithering snake - is a doctor from Communist China who's specialty is preparing the world for a flu pandemic. ~ Jackie Jura
China's Dr Flu to head WHO
(as it prepares to deal with a pandemic)
by Elaine Engeler, Scotsman, Nov 9, 2006
(as it prepares to deal with a pandemic)
by Elaine Engeler, Scotsman, Nov 9, 2006
The World Health Organisation yesterday nominated China's Dr Margaret Chan, its top official on bird flu, as its new chief as it gears up for a feared flu pandemic and battles global scourges such as AIDS. WHO's executive board chose Dr Chan over four other candidates in a tight race to fill the post vacated by the death last May of Dr Lee Jong-wook.
Anders Nordstrom, who has been acting director general, said Dr Chan was taking over the organisation at a time when "we've never had such strong interest and support for health globally and locally". Dr Richard Horton, the editor of the influential UK medical journal the Lancet, said: "Although Margaret Chan has strong abilities in some areas, like epidemic diseases, she is very much untested in other areas." And Dr Horton, who commented before the election that the United States played an inordinately large role in WHO decisions, said Dr Chan "is going to have to take a very strong independent line in her policy-making, listening to all member states not just a few". China welcomed the nomination. "We look forward to the approval and support of Dr Chan by the member states," a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said. China has recently been criticised for dragging its feet in reporting outbreaks of bird flu to WHO and supplying virus samples to the global health community for analysis. "You need to leave behind your nationality because you're serving the world," Dr Chan said last summer.
Top pharmaceutical companies, which have clashed with WHO over topics such as patent rights and low-cost drugs, welcomed Dr Chan's nomination. Her public health experience and personal qualities equip her to provide the organisation "with clear direction and appropriate priorities", said Harvey Bale, the head of the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations.
Hong Kong's leader, Donald Tsang, on a visit to Belgium, immediately phoned Dr Chan to congratulate her on winning the nomination. "We are really excited and happy. We are feeling very proud that Margaret Chan, our Hong Kong girl, has become the sole nomination," he said. Appointed Hong Kong's director of public health in 1994, she faced her biggest challenges when the city was hit by bird flu in 1997 - and SARS in 2003, killing several hundred. Dr Chan is credited with heading off a major human health crisis by ordering the slaughter of Hong Kong's entire poultry population - about 1.5 million birds in three days. She joined WHO in 2003, and took over as the agency's influenza pandemic chief in 2005.
As an assistant director general, she has led WHO's efforts to fight communicable diseases and most recently to prepare for a possible pandemic should the bird flu virus mutate into a strain easily transmitted among humans.
Deal on 90-million UK swine flu vaccines. BBC, May 15, 2009
GlaxoSmithKline taking pandemic vaccine orders. AP, May 15, 2009
London - Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline said Friday it has received orders from several countries to stockpile pandemic vaccine as soon as it gets the vaccine's key ingredient from the World Health Organization. As the swine flu continues to spread worldwide — WHO says 34 countries have reported more than 7,500 cases — health officials are deciding when to ask vaccine makers to start making a vaccine to fight the virus. "We expect this pattern of spread to continue," said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general on Friday, before the U.N. health agency's yearly meeting of its 193 member states. According to WHO's pandemic alert scale, the world is currently in phase 5 of a possible 6, meaning a global flu outbreak is imminent. About a dozen developed countries, including Canada, France and the United States, have struckadvance deals with vaccine producers like GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Sanofi Aventis to provide pandemic vaccine as soon as their factories start producing it. A pandemic vaccine based on the swine flu virus could be available in four to six months, once companies receive the "seed stock" from WHO. That is currently being developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is expected to be ready in the next few weeks. In a press statement, Glaxo said it had received "interest" from several governments keen to stock swine flu vaccine, including Britain, France, Belgium and Finland. On Thursday, WHO convened a group of vaccine manufacturers and other experts to discuss issues such as when swine flu vaccine production should begin, how many doses will be needed and who should get the vaccines. WHO flu chief Keiji Fukuda said there were no big decisions about swine flu vaccine and that more meetings would be needed before the agency made any recommendations to manufacturers. WHO will also ask vaccine producers to save a portion of their pandemic vaccines for poor nations. Next week, WHO's Chan and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet with vaccine makers to discuss swine flu issues.
London - Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline said Friday it has received orders from several countries to stockpile pandemic vaccine as soon as it gets the vaccine's key ingredient from the World Health Organization. As the swine flu continues to spread worldwide — WHO says 34 countries have reported more than 7,500 cases — health officials are deciding when to ask vaccine makers to start making a vaccine to fight the virus. "We expect this pattern of spread to continue," said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general on Friday, before the U.N. health agency's yearly meeting of its 193 member states. According to WHO's pandemic alert scale, the world is currently in phase 5 of a possible 6, meaning a global flu outbreak is imminent. About a dozen developed countries, including Canada, France and the United States, have struckadvance deals with vaccine producers like GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Sanofi Aventis to provide pandemic vaccine as soon as their factories start producing it. A pandemic vaccine based on the swine flu virus could be available in four to six months, once companies receive the "seed stock" from WHO. That is currently being developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is expected to be ready in the next few weeks. In a press statement, Glaxo said it had received "interest" from several governments keen to stock swine flu vaccine, including Britain, France, Belgium and Finland. On Thursday, WHO convened a group of vaccine manufacturers and other experts to discuss issues such as when swine flu vaccine production should begin, how many doses will be needed and who should get the vaccines. WHO flu chief Keiji Fukuda said there were no big decisions about swine flu vaccine and that more meetings would be needed before the agency made any recommendations to manufacturers. WHO will also ask vaccine producers to save a portion of their pandemic vaccines for poor nations. Next week, WHO's Chan and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet with vaccine makers to discuss swine flu issues.
*Lessons of 1976: swine flu fear, wasted millions (more people died from vaccination than flu) & Swine-flu 1976 scare tactic TV commercial (Get a shot of protection - the swine flu shot) & *Cashing in on swine flu fears (face masks/hand sanitizers/vaccines)
(a global industry; market is the planet) & "Stop calling it swine flu" say pig farmers (can't get flu from eating pork) & China's Dr Flu of WHO says pandemic imminent (tells pharmaceutical industry to ramp it up) & World moves to contain flu spread (WHO says could mutate into dangerous strain). Globe/MacLeans/Can/BBC, Apr 27-May 3, 2000
China WHO head will focus on flu (hard line on countries hindering or not complying on vaccines). BBC, Jan 5, 2007
Killer germ set to emerge in force ("old foe with new fangs") & 14-ft Burmese python grabs handler (tries to drag her into cage). Canada.com/News14 Jan 2, 2007
China's Dr Flu to head WHO (as it prepares to deal with a pandemic). Scotsman, Nov 9, 2006
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