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Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on August 4, 2010
Journal of Public Health 2010 32(3):296-297; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdq059
Editorials
The swine flu scam?
Meirion R. Evans
Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Regional Epidemiologist, Public Health Wales
There is a conspiracy theory about nearly everything. So claims that swine flu was a scam come as no surprise. ?This was a pandemic that never really was? according to Paul Flynn, MP who prepared a recent report on the flu pandemic for the Council of Europe.1 The report expresses alarm about the way the pandemic was handled. It criticizes the proportionality of the response and argues that over reaction led to waste of public money, distortion of public health priorities and unjustified fears about health risks. It identifies ?grave shortcomings? in the transparency of decision-making processes and concerns about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. The World Health Organization (WHO) comes in for particular criticism for failing to publish the declarations of interest of members of its Emergency Committee, the group advising director general Dr Margaret Chan on the pandemic response.
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Journal of Public Health 2010 32(3):296-297; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdq059
Editorials
The swine flu scam?
Meirion R. Evans
Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Regional Epidemiologist, Public Health Wales
There is a conspiracy theory about nearly everything. So claims that swine flu was a scam come as no surprise. ?This was a pandemic that never really was? according to Paul Flynn, MP who prepared a recent report on the flu pandemic for the Council of Europe.1 The report expresses alarm about the way the pandemic was handled. It criticizes the proportionality of the response and argues that over reaction led to waste of public money, distortion of public health priorities and unjustified fears about health risks. It identifies ?grave shortcomings? in the transparency of decision-making processes and concerns about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. The World Health Organization (WHO) comes in for particular criticism for failing to publish the declarations of interest of members of its Emergency Committee, the group advising director general Dr Margaret Chan on the pandemic response.
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