Singapore, April 2 -The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a coordinating centre Monday to improve international health security amid heightened threats from emerging diseases and the danger posed by bio-terrorism.

Margaret Chan, WHO’s executive director, marked World Health Day by meeting with Singapore’s top leaders prior to a wide-ranging debate aimed at challenging participants to confront the public health, business and diplomatic obstacles to improved cross-border cooperation.

“The uncertainty and destructive potential of disease outbreaks and acute public health emergencies give them a high public and political profile,” said Chan.

Threats to collective health security also include environmental change, sudden and intense humanitarian emergencies caused by natural disasters, chemical spills or radioactive accidents, and the impacts of AIDS, WHO said.

A WHO document noted that 134.6 million people were affected by international crises and humanitarian emergencies in 2006 and 21,342 were killed by natural disasters.

Turning to economic impacts, it noted that the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak cost Asian countries $60 billion in gross expenditures and business losses in the second quarter of 2003 alone.

People are dying, upwards of 60,000 in recent years in climate related disasters, mainly in developing countries, it added. (DPA / IANS)