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Executive Director of WHO dies

24 January 2020 14:26 (UTC +04:00)

A prominent Australian doctor who led the World Health Organisation's Health Emergencies Programme has died, APA reports citing 9news.

Doctor Peter Salama was a medical epidemiologist who led research and published extensively on vaccine-preventable diseases, HIV and war related mortality and violence.

The 50-year-old also ran WHO's Health Emergencies Programme from 2016 to 2019 and worked tirelessly on refugee and emergency health and programming in fragile states.

Prior to his work with WHO, Dr Salama led UNICEF's global response to the Ebola crisis, worked with the US Centres for Disease Control, and worked with Doctors Without Borders in several regions including Asia and Africa.

He leaves behind a wife and three children.