BMJ  2006;332:1234 (27 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7552.1234

News

WHO's director general dies

Michael Day

London

Tessa Richards

Geneva

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

This week's annual assembly of the World Health Organization has been shaken by the death of its director general, Lee Jong-wook.

Dr Lee, 61, died in Geneva's Cantonal Hospital on Monday, two days after emergency surgery to treat a blood clot on his brain. Born in South Korea, Dr Lee had worked at WHO for 23 years before becoming its head in 2003.

News of his death came as the 192 nation body convened its annual assembly. "I am sorry to tell you that Dr Lee Jong-wook, director general of the WHO, died this morning," Spain's health minister, Elena Salgado, told the opening session of the assembly.

Ms Salgado, who is chairing the assembly, said that Dr Lee "was an exceptional person and an exceptional director general." The assembly observed a one minute silence and was then suspended for 30 minutes.

WHO issued the following statement on its website: "All . . . [Full text of this article]

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