In June 2009, the World Health Organization moved the H1N1 virus outbreak to a Level 6 Pandemic Alert, the highest level on its scale. The virus which had originated in April in Mexico had spread to over 208 countries within months. This caused world governments to panic and the media had a field day.
The H1N1 virus or "swine flu" as it had popularly become known as, targeted younger children and pregnant women. There was a huge demand for the vaccine which had been researched, developed and tested in record time.
So far, the H1N1 virus has resulted in fewer deaths than the seasonal flu, yet there was far more time and resource spent in combating the H1N1 flu, than there has ever been for the more fatal seasonal influenza. Governments spent millions of dollars employing its scarce resources and stockpiling doses of the vaccine from the large pharmaceutical companies. Millions of these doses of vaccines will have to be destroyed due to the lack of demand for them.
There is now talk of a 'False Pandemic' and a lot of criticism is being directed at the WHO and governments for their overreaction and the hysteria that they created. The WHO dismisses allegations that it was influenced by the multi billion dollar pharmaceutical industry to issue dire warnings about the H1N1 pandemic.
The fact that the Swine Flu pandemic has turned out to be milder has seen people avoiding the vaccine altogether. There is a lot of 'H1N1 fatigue" as people are tired of their governments constantly 'crying wolf.
Italy and many other European countries have reduced their order for the vaccine after discovering that only a small population opted to receive it. This means that the giant pharmaceuticals only realized a fraction of the huge windfall expected.
There has to be an investigation into why the WHO reacted in the way it did, and this has to start from the top. There is too much at stake here, especially as such a respectable world body as the WHO using its strong arm tactics to improperly influence world opinion.
