WHO believes in swine flu?

by Barry de Silva

Dr Wolfgang Wodarg, former head of health at the Council of Europe, led the inquiry. He has openly accused drug companies of pressurising the WHO into declaring that swine flu was a disease worthy of being called a pandemic.

Wodarg told Russia Today exclusively: “We now know that it was just normal flu.” He added: “[The WHO] changed the definition of a pandemic, which was a very dangerous thing before.” The UK government reacted and 30 million doses of the vaccine were ordered from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Baxter at a cost of £190 million to the UK tax payer.

GSK is just one of the companies that has profited from the pandemic. The British-based corporation is reported to have made an estimated £1.1 billion from global sales of the H1N1 vaccine in the final three months of 2009. Wodarg believes that the WHO “in co-operation with some big pharmaceutical companies and their scientists re-defined pandemics” so that governments would begin to order vaccines.

He added: “Governments have sealed contracts with vaccine producers where they secure orders in advance.“In this way the producers of vaccines are sure of enormous gains. They just wait until WHO says pandemic, and they activate the contracts.”

The German doctor further claims that to increase their sovereignty, big pharmaceutical firms placed their members close to the WHO. He says their influence may have helped to appease powerful members i nside the global organisation towards modifying the classification of a pandemic.

Responding to Wodarg’s findings, a GSK spokesperson said: “These allegations of undue influence are misguided and unfounded. The WHO declared that H1N1 swine flu met the criteria for a pandemic.” When asked about the links between the company and the WHO, GSK added: “Legal regulations and numerous safeguards are in place to manage possible conflicts of interest in these situations.”

To date there have been 360 deaths in the UK due to swine flu. This is dramatically less than 65,000 deaths that Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson had predicted.

The WHO’s emergency committee of experts advised in February that the swine flu pandemic had not reached its peak. It also reported that outbreaks of the disease had been discovered outside the normal influenza seasons around the world.

Only recently a committee advised the WHO that the swine flu pandemic hadn’t reached its peak, with outbreaks of the disease being discovered outside the normal influenza seasons around the world. Despite Wodarg’s findings, pregnant women and young people continue to be at the highest risk of infection of the H1N1 virus.

If you wish to find out more about swine flu (H1N1) please visit: www.direct.gov.uk/en/Swineflu