Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSWHO rejects 'fake' swine flu claims
Suggestions that swine flu was a fake pandemic created for the benefit of drug companies have been rubbished by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The UN agency released a statement condemning the allegations ahead of a meeting in Strasbourg of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which is calling for an EU probe into the UN agency’s actions.
WHO said last year’s outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza in North America had all the scientific characteristics of a pandemic, and insisted it was never improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, which benefited financially from huge orders for vaccines and anti-viral drugs.
WHO figures from January 17 show more than 209 countries and territories reported confirmed cases of swine flu and there were more than 14,000 deaths - fewer than would be expected to die each year from seasonal flu. But the agency said this figure is likely to exclude many unreported cases.
In a strongly worded statement, WHO said: “The world is going through a real pandemic. The description of it as a fake is wrong and irresponsible.”
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Readers' comments (3)
Anonymous | 26-Jan-2010 2:09 pm
There is a big difference between the 14,000 worldwide announced and the 36,000 predicted for Britain!! I am really worried about what we may be setting ourselves up for with giving the vaccine to all 6mths - 5 years. children. I did not understand how it was not ethical to test the vaccine on pregnant women but it is ok to give them this vaccine afterwards with no testing!! We do not know the long term effects of this vaccine, does anyone know of any research (independant not government led) concerning short and long term effects. I, and my children will still not be having this vaccine. Once again it feels like "Big Brother" telling us what we have to do, this is not informed choice, this is emotional blackmail!
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Anonymous | 27-Jan-2010 0:29 am
WHO is wrong and irresponsible.Anyone not influenced by the greedy pharmaceutical industry - ideologically and/or financially - can understand this inconvenient truth.WHO removed the factor of high mortality from its definition of pandemic so as to call the swine flu a pandemic.I hope the Council of Europe will unveil the conspiracy and send the plotters to the International Court.
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Anonymous | 27-Jan-2010 9:30 am
The WHO needs to give a proper explanation of why it got things so wrong, and how it will ensure that it does not repeat the same mistakes again.
Merely being defensive explains absolutely nothing - we need to hear a proper explanation and to know that lessons have been learned.
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