# 4295
CIDRAP news tonight has in depth coverage of the Council of Europe hearing into the WHO’s (World Health Organization’s) handling of the H1N1 pandemic.
Lisa Schnirring, who was up way before I was this morning, monitored the proceedings.
Lisa not only brings us the details of that hearing, she draws on the considerable expertise of two of the best risk communication experts in the world for some analysis of how the WHO might have handled things differently.
Dr. Peter Sandman along with his wife and colleague Dr. Jody Lanard, M.D. are risk communications consultants who have produced a wealth of invaluable risk management advice on their website:
I’ve highlighted their work on numerous occasions, including:
Peter Sandman: Swine Flu For Grownups
Experts: `Mild’ Is A Misleading Term For This Pandemic
Peter Sandman On Pandemic Risk Communication
Lisa does her usual terrific job of reporting here, so follow the links to read the article in its entirety.
European hearing airs WHO pandemic response, critics' charges
Lisa Schnirring
Staff Writer
Jan 26, 2010 (CIDRAP News) – Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and a vaccine-maker trade group at a public hearing today defended themselves against allegations from some European politicians that they exaggerated the H1N1 pandemic threat to benefit drug companies.
The hearing was conducted by the Council of Europe's Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs on the second day of the group's parliamentary assembly. Yesterday the council rejected a request that the committee's former leader made to schedule a debate on the theme "False pandemics: a threat to health." Dr Wolfgang Wodarg, a German physician and epidemiologist, is no longer a council member, because he lost his race in Germany's September federal election. However, he has been serving as an advisor.
The theme of today's hearing was transparency issues that arise in a pandemic setting. The Council of Europe, a separate entity from the European Union, is known for working on broad issues such as civil rights, economics, and democracy. The group was established after World War II and is made up of elected officials from 47 nations.
