WHO restructuring announced

The World Health Organization's Director General, Margaret Chan, has announced a series of structural reforms to the Geneva, Switzerland-headquartered agency. In a message to staff, Dr Chan said the changes would "bring a closer alignment around our work on health security and the environment, endemic communicable diseases, research and [United Nations] reform." The changes are effective from November 1.

The Communicable Diseases cluster is renamed Health Security and Environment and will include the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response with the addition of the Cholera team and that on Disease Control in Humanitarian Emergencies, the Department of Protection of the Human Environment and the Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases. These changes reflect the expanded scope of the International Health Regulations of 2005, which include emergencies caused by chemicals and other environmental hazards, and outbreaks of foodborne disease. David Heymann will continue to lead this cluster and to serve as Representative of the Director General for Polio Eradication, Dr Chan said.

The HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria cluster is renamed HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases and will include the Department for Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. Hiroki Nakatani will continue to lead this cluster.