WHO gets its first African chief

FOR THE first time in the WHO history, member states voted for a new leader and chose Ethiopia's former health and foreign affairs minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to be the new director general of the UN health agency. Tedros, who will take over from outgoing Director General Margaret Chan on July 1, becomes the first African and first non-physician to bag the position. Tedros is seen by many in the global health community as the health minister who transformed Ethiopia's healthcare system, reducing child mortality and opening health centres that cater to women's reproductive health needs. The election comes at a time when WHO's reputation has suffered, with critics alleging that the agency was too slow in responding to the Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks.