Farewell to the pandemic influenza 16/08/2010

EDITORIALFarewell to the pandemicBy declaring the end of the flu, the WHO recognizes communication errors and classification
16/08/2010
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The flu, caused by the H1N1 virus has officially ceased to be news from a few days ago the World Health Organization declared an end to the global pandemic. The epidemic had ceased to operate in Europe and in Spain in January, but the WHO has wanted to wait until the effective disappearance around the world quits. Although the actual figures will not be known within a year, 18,449 cases are registered deaths in 214 countries (271 in Spain), figures below the lethal effects of seasonal flu each year are declared.

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The WHO chief Margaret Chan, has drawn its lessons from the 16 months of global warming. And more importantly, WHO has demonstrated its management, in the words of his own general manager, that have not worked effectively enough or communication or the classification system of the pandemic, which takes into account the spread of the disease, but not its severity.
Will not be easy to WHO to respond to criticism that his alarmism associated with the interests of pharmaceutical companies that manufacture of the vaccine and have obtained substantial contracts, especially when, as already known, there were six of the 16 advisors on Flu declared conflicts of interest by being recruited. Spain was to commission 37 million doses, but ultimately reduced the request to nine million, of which only used three. But they made it the world organization and the health authorities of different countries to consider the worst case scenario, the speed of contagion and the initial questions about possible mutations of the virus.
After the pandemic, it is time to analyze the strategy. The criticisms that may arise from the WHO are not fast acting and rigor in its preventive action, but just the opposite. In the future should be more transparent and clearly demarcate their decisions to the interests of the pharmaceutical. And it urges a more refined classification of epidemics. This is the second global health scare last 10 years, after avian influenza was declared at the beginning of the decade. Mistakes and the interference of economic interests in the decisions are also aware of the difficult management of global health security, a new course for governments and the WHO.