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| WHO chief issues bird flu warning | WHO chief issues bird flu warning |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The new chief of the World Health Organization has taken office, warning that bird flu remains a global threat. | The new chief of the World Health Organization has taken office, warning that bird flu remains a global threat. |
| Margaret Chan, a bird flu expert from Hong Kong, is the first Chinese citizen to become the head of a UN agency. | Margaret Chan, a bird flu expert from Hong Kong, is the first Chinese citizen to become the head of a UN agency. |
| She said reports of bird flu had started to surface in recent weeks after a lull and that the danger was particularly severe in poor countries. | She said reports of bird flu had started to surface in recent weeks after a lull and that the danger was particularly severe in poor countries. |
| Dr Chan also identified health care in Africa, particularly women's health, as a priority for her organisation. | Dr Chan also identified health care in Africa, particularly women's health, as a priority for her organisation. |
| Her predecessor as WHO chief, South Korea's Lee Jong-Wook, died suddenly in office last year. | Her predecessor as WHO chief, South Korea's Lee Jong-Wook, died suddenly in office last year. |
| Fears for Africa | Fears for Africa |
| Dr Chan said the number of bird flu cases had been increasing in recent weeks. | Dr Chan said the number of bird flu cases had been increasing in recent weeks. |
| The WHO is particularly concerned about an outbreak on a poultry farm in Vietnam, the first in that country in almost a year. | |
| Dr Chan pledged to take a hard line on countries that do not comply with requirements to carry out checks against bird flu or hinder global efforts to develop vaccines. | |
| Her Chinese origin, she said, would help her in any dealing with the authorities in China, the country where the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu first emerged. | Her Chinese origin, she said, would help her in any dealing with the authorities in China, the country where the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu first emerged. |
| "I think of all people I would be in a better position to work with the Chinese government," she told the BBC. | "I think of all people I would be in a better position to work with the Chinese government," she told the BBC. |
| Dr Chan also warned of the danger of a new flu pandemic, particularly if it took hold in countries with poor healthcare, where people were already affected by diseases such as HIV/Aids. | Dr Chan also warned of the danger of a new flu pandemic, particularly if it took hold in countries with poor healthcare, where people were already affected by diseases such as HIV/Aids. |
| "The next pandemic, if it occurs, will be very devastating... we are very concerned of the likelihood of a pandemic," she said. | "The next pandemic, if it occurs, will be very devastating... we are very concerned of the likelihood of a pandemic," she said. |
| "I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations: women and the people of Africa," Dr Chan said on Thursday. | "I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations: women and the people of Africa," Dr Chan said on Thursday. |
| Africa is struggling under the burden of Aids, conflict and poverty and a flu pandemic in such conditions would be catastrophic, the BBC's Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes says. | Africa is struggling under the burden of Aids, conflict and poverty and a flu pandemic in such conditions would be catastrophic, the BBC's Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes says. |