WHO Chief Urges Attention to Children's Health

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan on Thursday underlined the importance of children's health after WHO won Spain's Prince of Asturias Prize for international cooperation.

Chan said she "would like to take this opportunity to pay special tribute to all the countries that have given special attention to the health and well being of the children."

Chan made the remarks one day before receiving the Prince of Asturias Prize for the WHO's fight for equality and universal access to health.

Providing children with good education, food and access to good health services is to invest in the future of the countries, she said.

"I would like to congratulate once more all the countries that have given special attention to the children's health and this is a very important goal of development," Chan said.

The WHO won the Prince of Asturias Prize for its outstanding work to eradicate variola and for reducing more than 99 percent the number of poliomyelitis cases in the world.

The WHO has also contributed to preventing and controlling diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, while working to strengthen the public health systems, according to the Prince of Asturias Prize foundation.

The Prince of Asturias Awards is a series of annual prizes given in Spain by the Prince of Asturias foundation to individuals, entities, and/or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, or public affairs.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2009)