Dr Tedros, WHO: Viruses are invisible enemy
6/14/202623 min
“There is more spending in defence and less spending in global health or in public health or health security, which makes us vulnerable...Because the invisible enemy could be more impactful. Imagine, have you ever seen a war in recent memory that killed 20 million people? Why can't we come to our senses?”
Justin Webb speaks to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, about the invisible threat of viruses and the rapid spread of a new strain of Ebola.
Tedros recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo where this latest outbreak started. It is particularly challenging because it involves a rare species of Ebola for which there is no vaccine, and the epicentre is in an area affected by conflict. There are also cases in neighbouring Uganda.
The WHO General-Director claims governments are focusing too much on defence spending, and he makes an impassioned plea for countries to allocate more money to global health, and to prevent future pandemics.
Thank you to the Today team for its help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with with President of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband, Former Sudanese leader Aisha Musa and writer Maggie O’Farrell. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Justin Webb Producer: Cordelia Hemming Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Credit: Reuters)
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First 90 secondsJustin Webb· Host0:00
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Speaker 20:03
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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus· Guest0:19
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Justin Webb· Host0:50
[gentle music] Hello, I'm BBC presenter Justin Webb, and this is The Interview from the BBC World Service. The best conversations coming out of the BBC, people shaping our world from all over the world.
Speaker 21:04
I want to get freedom. I like that freedom.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus· Guest1:09
A gender equal world would be a better world for men, too. We need this ceasefire. We need healing. We need trust.
Speaker 21:16
These companies don't really ... They don't care what governments do. This is a war. The first thing that we want is the war to end.
Justin Webb· Host1:23
For this interview, I spoke to the head of the World Health Organization,