After months of testing, the United National public health agency today opened an emergency response centre to head off illnesses that verge on becoming pandemic - such as bird flu and SARS - anywhere in the world in 48 hours.

With 10 per cent of patients being infected or otherwise harmed during their hospital stay, the United Nations public health agency today launched a programme to set worldwide standards that would reduce the number of preventable new illnesses, injuries and deaths that now cost billions of dollars.

The United Nations health agency today announced plans to train as many as 10 young people each year dedicated to improving public health, including upgrading responses to epidemics and other widespread health emergencies, especially in developing countries.

Serious mental health disorders remain largely untreated around the world, with developing countries faring worst but even relatively affluent countries in North America and Western Europe unable to help up to half of their sufferers, according to the findings of a first in a series of studies by the United Nations health agency.