14 Jan 2010

Swine flu response defended

7:06 am on 14 January 2010

The Government and health officials are defending New Zealand's response to swine flu, amid claims in Europe that it was a false pandemic, hyped up by pharmaceutical firms.

The Council of Europe is planning an investigation, to begin later this month, into whether drug companies influenced public health officials to spend money unnecessarily.

The health chief at the Council of Europe, Wolfgang Wodarg, says world health chiefs were influenced by vaccine makers.

But New Zealand virologist, Lance Jennings, says the World Health Organisation was right to declare a pandemic in June 2009 because of early indications of the ability of the virus to both spread and kill.

He says it's irresponsible to suggest pharmaceutical companies cashed in.

New Zealand's Ministry of Health is still expecting a second wave of swine flu, and will offer a vaccine to health workers and those most at risk from next month.

The United States and several European countries are scaling back their orders of vaccines.

The World Health Organisation plans to hold an independent review into its handling of the swine flu pandemic, once it is over.