GENEVA / H1N1

Responding to criticism about WHO's handling of the H1N1 pandemic and claiming that the outbreak was a false alarm, WHO health expert Dr.Keijii Fukuda says this was not a fake pandemic and that the allegation that it is fake is both, "scientifically wrong, historically inaccurate and just irresponsible." WHO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:09
• Production Date: 14 January 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - WHO
• Subject Topical: HEALTH; DISEASE PREVENTION; DISEASE CONTROL
• MAMS Id: U100114i

Description

STORY: GENEVA / H1N1
TRT: 1.09
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 14 JANUARY 2010, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior WHO HQ
2. Cutaway, Fukuda walking inside WHO HQ
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Keiji Fukuda, Special Adviser to the WHO Director-General on Pandemic Influenza:
"This is not a fake pandemic. We are dealing with a real pandemic and the allegation that it is fake is both scientifically wrong, historically inaccurate and just irresponsible. We are dealing with a situation in which a new influenza virus appeared in 2009. It spread around much of the world within a matter of weeks. And at the most conservative estimate it has killed almost 13 000 people. This is definitely a real influenza pandemic.”
4. Cutaway, Fukuda walking inside WHO HQ
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Keiji Fukuda, Special Adviser to the WHO Director-General on Pandemic Influenza:
“As an institution that deals with major global health problems WHO always welcomes constructive criticism because it really helps improve how we do work. Now, recently the Council of Europe has invited WHO to participate in a hearing and we look forward to taking part in the proceedings will help to address the facts about the pandemic and clarify some of the misconceptions."
6. Wide shot, WHO HQ

Storyline

In response to criticism on World Health Organization's (WHO) handling of the H1N1 pandemic and claims that the outbreak was a false alarm, the organization's health expert Dr. Keijii Fukuda said that any allegations calling the pandemic fake is, “scientifically wrong, historically inaccurate and just irresponsible.”

Fukuda said today in Geneva that the H1N1 influenza virus, which appeared in 2009, had spread around the world within a matter of weeks killing almost 13.000 people. Given this situation, he added that “this is definitely a real influenza pandemic.”

Fukuda said that WHO always welcomed constructive criticism which helps the organization improve its work. He added that the Council of Europe had recently invited WHO to participate in a hearing that it believes would will help address the facts about the pandemic “and clarify some of the misconceptions."