The Whoville Mayor
The World Health Organization (aka WHO) is getting really annoyed at all of the people questioning them. It seems this H1N1 “flu pandemic” fizzled out so much faster than all the hype around it that some folks are starting to ask questions … namely why all the hype?
An answer being suggessted, to the WHO’s obvious annoyance, sounds a lot like money and smells a lot like cash. According to an AP News story released today :
The World Health Organization on Monday slammed as “irresponsible” critics who claim swine flu is a fake pandemic created for the benefit of drug companies.
I don’t think they were talking about me personally but as one who as been critical both here and on the radio show (and claimed that this latest pandemic silliness and pushing people to take a vaccine that while profitable, is not necessarily safe, seemed quite forced and not based on reason) I kind of took it personally all the same.
So I think folks like them are being dishonest and scaremongering and they think folks like me are irresponsible.
OKAY ….let’s look at the facts and see what we can figure out ……. 
“A pandemic has nothing to do with severity or number of deaths,” he told The Associated Press. “A pandemic literally is a global spread of a disease.”
Mr. Hartl is correct that a certain number of deaths are not required to qualify as a pandemic ……. but only because they removed that part of the definition last year. Before their “change”, the definition actually read :
An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in several, simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness. With the increase in global transport and communications, as well as urbanization and overcrowded conditions, epidemics due the new influenza virus are likely to quickly take hold around the world.
Who says that was the old definition of pandemic ? Exactly, the WHO said it was (sorry, I couldn’t help it) … this snippet is from their own website .
But don’t just take my word for it ….. here’s a list of stories detailing the change of definition:
- How U.N. redefined ‘pandemic’ to heighten alarm over H1N1
- The WHO pandemic definition had been changed, with two conditions dropped – high morbidity and high mortality.
- The Pandemic Is Political – Forbes.com
- Interview with Epidemiologist Tom Jefferson: ‘A Whole Industry Is Waiting For A Pandemic’ – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International
- Swine Flu Spurs Experts to Rethink Definition of Pandemic – washingtonpost.com
- WHO definition of pandemic must be revised to avoid risk of false alarms: expert – Yahoo! Canada News
Fact #1 – Settled – It is a pandemic. They should know they changed the definition of pandemic so it qualified.
So, was a lot of money made because of it?
Of course not! We can all answer in unison because we’ve been told many times in the news that Big Pharma doesn’t make money on vaccines. Right?
- Drug Makers, Doctors Rake In BILLIONS Battling H1N1 Flu – ABC News
- GlaxoSmithKline leads pharmaceutical shares higher on swine flu outbreak – Telegraph
- Swine flu vaccine sales lift Glaxo, AstraZeneca and Sanofi – DailyFinance
- Firms Look to Prevent Swine Flu Pandemic, Turn a Profit – ABC News
Ooops, evidently these vaccines ARE money makers ……
Drug companies have sold $1.5 billion worth of swine flu shots, in addition to the $1 billion for seasonal flu they booked earlier this year. These inoculations are part of a much wider and rapidly growing $20 billion global vaccine market.
“The vaccine market is booming,” says Bruce Carlson, spokesperson at market research firm Kalorama, which publishes an annual survey of the vaccine industry. “It’s an enormous growth area for pharmaceuticals at a time when other areas are not doing so well,” he says, noting that the pipeline for more traditional blockbuster drugs such as Lipitor and Nexium has thinned.
As always with pandemic flus, taxpayers are footing the $1.5 billion check for the 250 million swine flu vaccines that the government has ordered so far and will be distributing free to doctors, pharmacies and schools. In addition, Congress has set aside more than $10 billion this year to research flu viruses, monitor H1N1’s progress and educate the public about prevention.
Drugmakers pocket most of the revenues from flu sales, with Sanofi-Pasteur, Glaxo Smith Klineand Novartis cornering most of the market.
Fact #2 – Settled – Billions of additional dollars were made by a small number of pharmaceutical companies thanks to the newly declared PANDEMIC which caused citizens, doctors and governments alike to shell out for vaccines that were hurriedly rushed to the market.
No wonder the WHO is getting so touchy. It’s doesn’t take a genius to look at the facts and at least WONDER a bit.
But STILL it’s not like the WHO would be thinking about that when they’re making their decisions, right?
“The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness.” – excerpt from statement given by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the WHO
This excerpt is literally the third sentence down from when she announces …
The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic.
Well, forget about that argument concerning not thinking about $$$ when making the decision I guess.
Fact #3 – Settled – The WHO knew and was happy/relieved/thinking about the fact that many interests would know be able to reap the benefits from the newly defined PANDEMIC.
Oddly enough, it’s now these people who are running around calling OTHER people “irresponsible”
The fact is that this pandemic was a hoax that made certain people and their special interests BILLIONS of dollars paid largely by tax payers. This isn’t an empty accusation it’s a material FACT which is easily proven when you look at the facts.
As Americans, we’re used to being fleeced by politicians and their special interests and while that is a very real and dangerous problem that’s not my central fear in this instance.
My larger concern is that like the boy who cries “Wolf” in the classic tale, the powers that be will one day face a REAL health PANDEMIC which needs to be taken seriously.
Then, when they come rushing down the hill screaming for our attention to a real crisis it will fall on ears made deaf by years of self-indulgent, self-serving, dishonest, manufactured “false alarms.”
That is what is truly reprehensible and ………. irresponsible.
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