UNITED NATIONS, April 14 -- The UN system and World Health Organization made much of swine flu, and pharmaceutical companies made much money selling vaccines. On April 14, Inner City Press asked WHO's Margaret Chan how she could accept as a major advisor a man who heads a group lobbying for vaccine makers. Video here, from Minute 32:58.
WHO's Doctor Chan said "I respect the media" but "we have to work together to get the right information out." Next to her, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon nodded. He was headlining a press conference about material mortality. While the UN says that the situation has not gotten better, The Lancet has reported a 35% decrease in the past 28 years.
The Lancet's editor has said he was pressure not to release this positive news while the UN is seeking to raise funds. Mr. Ban denied this, calling it "speculation and rumor." It was unclear if he meant that the Lancet's editor had been misquoted, or was simply wrong.
Earlier, the UN's flu coordinator David Nabarro had told Inner City Press that only Doctor Chan would answer for WHO. He disclosed, however, that the UN's humanitarian coordinator John Holmes is no longer on food security. One wondered where John Holmes is, as the UN falls under fire for renting luxury cruise ships for its staff members in Haiti.
These officials are part of the UN's Chief Executives Board which met in Vienna last week. Inner City Press was told, and Mr. Ban's spokesman confirmed, that former Deputy S-G Mark Malloch Brown was at the Vienna meeting, providing an "outside view." The spokesman committed to find out who invited Malloch Brown. Watch this site.
