Russia invites WHO head to G8 summit in St. Petersburg

Russia has invited World Health Organization Director General Lee Jong-wook to attend the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in July 2006, Russia’s chief epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko said Thursday.

“This will be the WHO head’s debut participation in a G8 summit,” he said summing up his official visit to the WHO Geneva-based headquarters.

In Geneva, Onishchenko met with the WHO head, his deputies and leading WHO experts to discuss the issues Russia wants to raise at the G8 summit in detail.

“Arrangements for the summit are in full swing, and if infectious diseases once were a reserve issue, now they rank beside energy security,” he said.

According to Onishchenko, a draft document for the summit includes improving infections monitoring and the control of bird flu, poliomyelitis, HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and measles.