While we certainly don't like to give alarmist, anti-globalization websites any publicity, here is one example. The article interviews a German physician who claims, "All that mattered and that led to the great campaign of panic which we have seen was that it was a golden opportunity for representatives from labs who knew they would hit the jackpot in the case of a pandemic being declared."
How could the World Health Organization allow such a thing to happen? That's easy, the doctor says. People in WHO are "associated very closely" with the pharmaceutical industry. (As if they shouldn't be.)
Most people take such conspiracies with a grain of salt. But that doesn't mean they're not insulting. The response of pharma and regulators to the swine flu scare in many ways has been remarkable. Effective vaccines were developed, manufactured, and disseminated with unprecedented speed. Sure, there have been hiccups, and there will be serious and lengthy discussions among manufacturers and global regulators (which will require parties such as drug companies and WHO to be "associated very closely") about how the industry has responded to this pandemic, so that we may all be better prepared for the future. But let's not question the motives of those who addressed the swine flu head on.
--Paul Thomas
