New WHO Chief Warns Against Complacency over SARS

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, July 19, 2003

New WHO Chief Warns Against Complacency over SARS

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Dr. Jong Wook Lee, who will take office as the head of World Health Organization (WHO) on July 21, warned against the complacency over the possible recurrence of the deadly SARS virus Thursday in Geneva.

The incoming South Korean head told reporters that it was simply not known whether SARS was seasonal and would re-appear in the winter.

He said the WHO's global surveillance network had worked smoothly during the recent SARS outbreak, but that one of his immediate priorities will be to strengthen it.

Lee pointed out that it is very important to find an effective way to diagnose SARS from other winter respiratory disease in an earlier period, such as common cold and flu, which have some similar symptoms.

"This will be very important to tell what is what, otherwise if we check, stop anybody who coughs and with a fever there will be abig confusion and a problem," he said.

SARS is the first new disease threat of the 21st century which kills more than 800 people in the world. So far no effective treatment has been found for the disease.

Lee will replace Norwegian Gro Harlem Brundtland as the WHO Director-General next week. He has worked for WHO for 19 years in technical, managerial and policy positions, notably leading the fight against two of the greatest challenges to health and development: tuberculosis and vaccine preventable diseases of children.

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