WHO chief sees political unrest threatening world health

By Laura MacInnis

GENEVA (Reuters) - Post-election violence in Kenya and unrest in Gaza showed how political turmoil can threaten public health, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.

Margaret Chan, in an address to the United Nations agency's executive board, said she was concerned that upheaval in Kenya after a disputed election would cause setbacks in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases that required monitoring and action.

In Gaza, Israeli blockades and road closures were taking a heavy toll on sufferers of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and those needing emergency care in the occupied Palestinian territory, the WHO Director-General said.

"We are seeing right now some stark evidence of the threat arising from instability and civil unrest," Chan told the preparatory meeting for the WHO's World Health Assembly in May.

The 34-member board will this week consider advances in international efforts to combat pandemic influenza, eradicate polio and guinea worm disease, and prepare for health risks associated with climate change.

It will also assess campaigns aimed at combating female genital mutilation, improving global immunisation coverage, and reinforcing health care systems in poorer countries.

Though tuberculosis prevalence appears to have stabilised globally, the spread of drug-resistant strains in Eastern Europe, parts of Central Asia, and China was a serious concern, Chan said.

Extremely drug-resistant varieties of tuberculosis, which are virtually immune to all treatments, represented another serious threat, she said.