WHO Chief Says World Faces Three Growing Threats

WHO Chief Says World Faces Three Growing Threats
Chan, at World Health Assembly in Geneva, warns of dangers of food security, climate change and pandemic influenza. Transcript of radio broadcast:
20 May 2008

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A yearly meeting of all the member countries in the World Health Organization is this week in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates from the one hundred ninety-three countries discuss progress and set policy for the coming year. The W.H.O., a United Nations agency, is sixty years old this year.

But Director-General Margaret Chan, as she opened the World Health Assembly, noted that the delegates are meeting at a time of tragedy. She expressed sympathy to the millions of people affected by the recent cyclone in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and the earthquake in China.

Doctor Chan said three crises lie ahead that are international security threats and will all affect human health. One is food security, another is climate change and the third is the threat of a worldwide outbreak of influenza.

She said the world produces enough food to feed everyone -- in fact, she added, far too many people are overfed. Yet now, food prices have risen sharply. She noted that the crisis hits the poor the hardest, and that the more a family spends on food, the less it has for health care.

The W.H.O. chief said climate change will also hit the poor the hardest but, to a greater or lesser extent, will affect all countries. She said more droughts, floods and storms mean greater demands for humanitarian aid. And she warned it will mean a growing number of environmental refugees.

And, thirdly, Doctor Chan warned of a continued threat of pandemic influenza. She said it would be very unwise for governments not to prepare. She urged delegates to support a W.H.O. resolution on the sharing of influenza viruses for research and to make vaccines widely available.

The W.H.O. this week also released its World Health Statistics report for two thousand eight. Agency officials say fewer people are dying of infectious diseases. In more and more countries, they say, the chief causes of death are conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

By two thousand thirty, non-communicable conditions are expected to cause more than three-fourths of all deaths. Almost one-third of all deaths will result from cancer, heart disease and traffic accidents.

The number one cause of preventable deaths is tobacco. More than eight million tobacco-related deaths are predicted in two thousand thirty -- eighty percent of them in developing countries.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Archives of our reports, with transcripts and MP3s, are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

----------------------------Google Translate

谁行政说，世界面临的三大威胁日增
陈，在世界卫生大会在日内瓦，警告的危险，粮食安全，气候变化和大流行性流感。全文电台广播：
2008年5月20日

这是美国之音特别英语卫生报告。

每年会议的所有会员国在世界生组织是在本星期在瑞士日内瓦。与会代表来自193个国家讨论进展情况和制订政策为来年。该谁，一个联合国机构，是六十年岁这年。

但总干事陈冯富珍，因为她开的世界卫生大会上指出，与会代表举行会议，在时间的悲剧。她表示同情，向数百万人受影响，最近气旋在缅甸，也称为缅甸，和地震在中国。

陈医生说， 3危机面前的是国际安全的威胁和将所有影响人类健康。一个是粮食安全，另一个原因是气候变化和第三个是威胁全球爆发流感。

她说，世界生产的粮食足以养活每一个人-事实上，在她补充说，到目前为止，太多的人正在o verfed。但现在，食品的价格也大幅上扬。她指出，危机安打穷人最难的，而且更是家庭花费在食物，少，它已为医护人员。

该w.h.o.行政说，气候变化也将打击穷人最难的，但一个或大或小的程度上，会影响到所有国家。她说，更多的干旱，洪水和暴风雨意味着更大的需求，提供人道主义援助。和她警告，这将意味着越来越多的环境难民。

以及第三，陈医生警告说，有一个持续的威胁，流感大流行。她说，这将是非常不智的政府没有作好准备。她呼吁与会代表支持w.h.o.决议对共享流感病毒的研究和生产疫苗广泛使用。

该w.h.o.本星期还发布了其世界卫生统计报告2000 8 。机构官员说，很少人是死于传染病。在越来越多的国家，他们说，行政的死亡原因是条件，如心脏病和中风。

由2000 30 ，非传播的条件，预计事业多于四分之三的所有死亡。几乎三分之一的所有死亡会导致癌症，心脏病和交通意外。

人数的原因之一可预防的死亡是烟草。以上的800.0万与烟草相关的死亡预言，在2000 30 -8 0％的人在发展中国家。

这是该美国之音特别英语卫生报告，书面，由caty维夫。档案我们的报告，与誊本，并于1977年，正处于voaspecialenglish.com 。我史蒂夫ember 。