The WHO is the lead agency in health in the United Nations system, and clearly we have very important functions to play.
Margaret ChanWhen you're dealing with new and emerging diseases, you have no idea and you can't predict in advance what would happen.
Margaret ChanNew diseases like SARS and bird flu cause anxiety in the community. People get worried, some to the extent that it even affects their health. You feel very sad, and yet you must carry on and maintain your cool in very trying and difficult moments. You have to tough it out.
Margaret ChanSome experts say we are moving back to the pre-antibiotic era. No. This will be a post-antibiotic era. In terms of new replacement antibiotics, the pipeline is virtually dry. A post-antibiotic era means, in effect, an end to modern medicine as we know it. Things as common as strep throat or a child's scratched knee could once again kill.
Margaret Chan