May 22nd, 2009
The Chan flu crisis
The H1N1 crisis is turning into the crucible of leadership for Dr.
Margaret Chan.
Dr. Chan, Hong Kong
Chinese by birth, has been
director-general of the World Health Organization since 2006. She
made her reputation combatting the 1997 avian flu outbreak and the 2003 SARS
outbreak.
She’s the right woman in the right place at the right time.
She closed the World Health Assembly in Geneva today with a typically
understated speech, calling the meeting “an exceptionally intense session.”
She has a way of making diplomatic language sound like straight talk.
She then took on the H1N1 threat directly. She called it “a very contagious
virus” and “a subtle, sneaky virus.” She then refused to call a pandemic,
but indicated she might later if the science calls for it.
Pure numbers indicate panic is rising worldwide. Despite intense efforts
there is not yet a reliable vaccine. The virus spreads to new countries
seemingly every day. There are not enough anti-virals in poor countries to
contain a true pandemic.
Because of the nature of the flu crisis, Dr. Chan becomes the first truly
global leader with real power. Hers is a test case of whether such global
leadership is possible.
In that the signs are hopeful. Dr. Chan’s record in Hong Kong was to calm
public panic and then take decisive action, slaughtering 1.5 million
chickens against political opposition, and withstanding withering criticism
in the case of SARS, on which she was cleared by an expert committee.
In the case of H1N1 she seems to be quieting the panic, listening to the
science, and keeping her priorities in the right place, fighting the virus
where it might do the most damage, namely the developing world, where it
might then mutate to kill millions more.
It is ironic that our first global health officer is a Chinese. But so far I
can’t think of anyone, anywhere, who could be doing a better job. If that
makes me a Chan fan so be it.
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