Swine flu episodes were inflated

Transparency International raises serious allegations against the pharmaceutical industry: Swine flu has been "blown up in catastrophe"

Critics have long pointed out that due to a variety of facts about swine flu in the media that swarming swine flu is exaggerated and overrated. Now, the anti-corruption organization "Transparency International" has its say and strongly criticizes the pharmaceutical industry. The swine flu was "exasperated catastrophic" and have turned out to be a "paper tiger", said board member Anke Martiny of the "Transparency International" to the news agency "DAPD".

Martiny suspects that the pharmaceutical industry has boasted the topic in order to sell the vaccine better. "With the swine flu, I have a clear suspicion that it has essentially benefited the vaccine providers," said Martiny. This misused people's trust. Above all, the connections of the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) with the pharmaceutical industry are critical. "In this particular case, the STIKO should have provided proof that conflicts of interest did not play a role," says Martiny. "From the beginning, external experts had doubts about the reasonableness of this decision, but an open scientific discussion did not take place."

The Standing Vaccination Commission has recommended a vaccine against the flu virus A / H1N1. Was this recommendation given out to generate more profit for the pharmaceutical industry? The STIKO still recommends a nationwide vaccination. So it says altuell: "The vaccine against the new influenza („swine flu“) is still important, because even after exceeding the apex of a wave still many cases occur. Earlier influenza pandemics have also often occurred in several waves. "The 16-member Standing Vaccination Committee (STIKO) meets twice a year to address the health policy issues of vaccines and infectious diseases in research and practice and to issue guidelines STIKO serve the federal states as a model for their public vaccination recommendations.

Since April 2009, 9596 people worldwide have died of influenza virus A / H1N1. In Germany, 119 deaths have been recorded so far that have died in connection with the consequences of the swine flu. In comparison with the patients of the annual seasonal influenza shows that the expected high death rates from the swine flu virus have not occurred. Every year, around 11,000 people die of the "normal flu". (27.12.2009, SB)