WHO Rejects Claims it Hyped-Up H1N1 Flu

This story was filed by CBS News producer Mimi Spillane in London.

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(CBS)

Questions are being raised about the H1N1 pandemic and how it has been handled by the United Nation's World Health Organization (WHO) — which has been spearheading the response since reports of the virus surfaced last April.

In a strongly worded defense today, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, Special Adviser to the WHO Director-General on Pandemic Influenza, responded directly to the four major allegations:

• Whether this is really a pandemic
• Whether the WHO changed the definition of pandemic, i.e., dialed down the criteria to accommodate this outbreak
• Whether the WHO has overplayed the disease's effects
• Did any of these things happen because the WHO was unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry to allow big pharma to ratchet up production of a vaccine for business reasons

Dr. Fukuda gave a firm "no" to all of these charges Thursday.

The WHO, he says, had always predicted this would be a mild pandemic, but that since the definition of pandemic is the worldwide spread of a disease, this definitely fits the criteria.

As to charges that the organization was influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, Fukuda acknowledges that the WHO reaches out to experts in situations like this, but has safeguards in place to guard against conflicts of interest.

The news conference became necessary after reports that the Council of Europe - a Europe-wide group that coordinates responses to situations affecting individuals - is calling for an investigation into the possible influence of the drug industry on how the WHO handled the H1N1 outbreak.

It all comes as many countries are trying to cut their contracts with suppliers of the H1N1 vaccine because only a small percentage of the ordered doses have been used.

Only one country is known to have rejected the vaccines - Poland. There, 145 deaths have been blamed on H1N1, but many Poles reportedly support the government's decision as a gesture against big pharmaceuticals.

[patrons99]

Kudos to Mike Adams. His Natural News article on January 17, 2010, titled _Thousands of Americans died from H1N1 even after receiving vaccine shots_ raises some very important questions that bear serious consideration and discussion. See the link below for the article.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z027956_H1N1_vaccine_CDC.html

[13muluc]

Hasn't anyone noticed that the WHO mouthpiece never refuted the second accusation? That's because it is true.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/16/swine-flu-world-health-organization-pandemic-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html

This is the reason he could say that this non-event met the WHO guidelines for a pandemic. The condition of high mortality was dropped. Any flu can now be called a pandemic.

[anti-global3]

grovesd,

actually you must be the moron, or else have an interest in big pharm. This was just another bailout designed to hide the fact that it was a bailout. The latest numbers in are showing a 50 billlion dollar profit for big pharm as a direct result of the vaccine prodution.
What should have been done was have the vaccine available to people through their doctors if they wanted it. If it were done that way the profit would have been much smaller or they may have actually taken a loss.
Instead the pharms stalled on starting production until the gov't promised to buy all of their supply. Once again the tax payers were fleeced and the gov't is sitting on a huge stockpile of vaccine that will soon be expired. This should show the govt' has no place running healthcare, all they know how to do is spend money.
Also I worked for Astra Zenica so I know how much money is in this industry. We didn't need to bail them out. If a few companies went under who cares? There is so much potential profit you would have other companies falling over each other to take the place of the busted company.

[Freedomforever88]

Normaly gov't and international burecratic institutions tell the truth. This one surprises me.

[lileoj]

YES they overhyped it. We had more deaths this year to the COMMON flu than H1N1. Pandemic my puerto rican booty!!!

[grovesd]

Anyone who claims this H1N1 response was a "scam to enrich pharmaceutical companies" is a moron. I would like it very much if those same morons would promise never to stand in line for their vaccine ever again. For the rest of us, I'm damn glad that there a smart people and highly capable corporations that can produce, test, and deliver vaccines when they are needed. Someday the virus we face will have much bigger teeth and those are the same companies our lives will all depend on.

[hologram5]

you realize that only 1/4 of the population got the vaccine and still survived? Don't worry, you can keep the gov fool-aide all for yourself. We don't need it.

[pdxdave]

Pharmaceutical companies have saved more lives than all the socialists combined.

In fact,the left is known for mass murder. Stalin. Mao. Pol Pot. Hussein. Ho Chi Mihn.

They have slaughtered hundreds of millions of people. Yet the left demonizes drug companies who SAVE millions of lives.

[pdxdave]

Leftist do-gooder organizations think that the ends justify the means.

Just like the global warming hysterics, they think that lying and creating a panic in the cause of greater good is noble.

Line them all up against the wall.....

[jtdev1]

"Leftist do-gooder organizations ..."


Love it!

So they were also behind the SARS, Bird Flu, etc????

You know, the flu that never was? but our government spent Millions/Billions on vaccines for it? GWB & friends authorized it - remember???

"Leftists..." LOL

[hologram5]

by jtdev1 January 14, 2010 2:44 PM EST
"Leftist do-gooder organizations ..."


Love it!

So they were also behind the SARS, Bird Flu, etc????

You know, the flu that never was? but our government spent Millions/Billions on vaccines for it? GWB & friends authorized it - remember???

"Leftists..." LOL
=======================================
Yeah, they were. Every one of these things was released from a lab. They use this garbage to "create" vaccines against bio warfare and it ends up like this every time.

[jgg000101]

I'd say Dr. Fukuda's name says it all.

[jgg000101]

what's amazing is you can't type the freaken guy's real name without being censored and he's the head of World Health for the UN. How's that for an omen?

[TheStolenGiraffe]

Health care reform along with this H1N1 "pandemic" is nothing more than a boost for the largest sector of our GDP, the health care svc industry. If you get more people going to the doctor, you will see a significant change in the real GDP. Simple economics...look it up. Health care accounts for nearly 20% of our GDP while others within the service industry barely account for a fraction of a percentage.

[apuan777]

I agree with you. And Tamiflu does nothing. Look up how many in Congress own stock of Roche? This seems to happen every two years. Was it west nile virus, then bird flu, and then swine flu? Something like that. It isn't that Flu shouldn't be taken serious, it is the international panic they create when they freak out.

[chemistrule]

Maybe the H1N1 was controlled due to the public notices about it (wash your hands, closing of schools when an outbreak appeared....). The fact that the H1N1 did not lead to major deaths is a good thing and not a bad thing. I can see the comments should the WHO not done anything to prepare and the H1N1 was wide spread and deadly. This situation just shows you can?t please everyone, even if it is because not enough people died to please them.
Everyone hates big pharma until they (or someone they love) need a life saving medicine. Think about this: Doctors mainly treat all illnesses with medicine. What would you all do if there was no medicine??????? I know the comments I am going to get, so I just ask you to remember your comments when you or your love one is in the hospital receiving treatment. At that time you will have the option to say no to the medicine (lets see if you do).

Disclaimer: I am a pharmaceutical chemist so I may have a bias on this topic.