H1N1 (Swine) Flu – the WHO comes under criticism at the Council of Europe

[27 January 2010 - 11h52]

“The credibility of the WHO is in question” , “greater transparency is needed”, “there are doubts about certain decisions taken by the World Health Organisation (WHO)”… The morning of 26 January proved to be a tough one for representatives from the WHO and vaccine manufacturers.

They were called to give evidence before the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Health, who wanted to know more about the way in which the flu pandemic had been handled. Parliamentarians were not convinced by the explanations they had been given about issues such as potential conflicts of interest, the severity of the pandemic, etc.

They went so far as to level strong criticism at the WHO’s special “flu” advisor, Dr Keiji Fukuda, who of course countered by repeating that the UN agency “had not been unduly influenced by the laboratories”. When asked whether “an expert who receives money from a laboratory can be independent”, Dr Fukuda answered yes without hesitation. In fact, he stressed that “this did not prevent experts from giving prudent advice. But situations need to be analysed on a case by case basis. And the WHO has well-established procedures for doing this”.

Several weeks ago, German parliamentarian Wolfgang Wodarg (SPD), accused the WHO of feeding fears of a “false pandemic”. His draft motion before the European Parliament has indeed received firm support. Dr Fukuda turned in his defence to international standards. In fact, he recalled that “we are in the presence of a pandemic once a new virus appears and spreads across the entire world”– implying that this was the case with the H1NI virus last spring. “At the start, we could not know how serious it would be. Our role is to inform countries in advance so that they can take (their own) decisions”.

Following on from the conspiracy theory emanating from obscure organisations, the WHO has since been brushing off increasingly virulent criticisms. These come mainly from Wolfgang Wodarg, the German member of parliament already mentioned, who is not a man to tread lightly. A plain speaker, he stated that the WHO “does not deserve our confidence. But he is not alone in this. Fellow German Ulrich Keil (Director of the WHO Collaborative Centre for Epidemics at the University of Münster) has been quick to point out that we have gone too far with this pandemic. We have other diseases that we need to focus on”. Meanwhile, parliament continues with its work. Another hearing is planned for March.

Source : Council of Europe, 26 January 2010

>> Cet article est aussi disponible en français

© 1996-2012 Destination Santé SAS - All Rights Reserved. No information contained on this server can be reproduced or retransmitted without prior written consent of Destination Santé. Offenders will be prosecuted in consideration of articles L 122-4 and L 335-3 of the Code of Intellectual Property, allowing up to two years' imprisonment and a 150,000 euros fine.