E-DRUG: Open letter to WHO from Civil Society in India
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2nd September 2008
Open Letter from DAF-K to DG WHO
From
Drug Action Forum Karnataka*,
57, Tejaswinagar, Dharwad 580002, Karnataka, India.
Fax & telephone +91 (0)836 2461722, Mobile +91 (0)9448862270
Email; - drugactionforumkarnataka@gmail.com, Web; -
www.daf-k.cjb.net
To
Director-General
World Health Organization
Avenue Appia 20
1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland,
Fax number +41 22 7913131
Dear Madame,
Drug Action Forum Karnataka (DAF-K), from India would like to
bring to your notice facts which are really alarming and indicate the
strong influence that profit-making vaccine companies have on the
esteemed WHO. These unhealthy nexus between WHO and the vaccine industry,
we fear will have far reaching negative influence on the lives of millions
of children all over the world. With these major concerns we lay down
before you facts which are as follows:
It has come to the notice of DAF-K members that the WHO Bulletin1
dated 1st September 2008 brings out some startling facts. According
to the authors, the pneumococcal vaccine that is being promoted by
WHO globally2 and in India3 as well does not reduce clinical
pneumonia. It reduces a rare type of pneumonia - so rare that 1,000
children need to be vaccinated to prevent four cases of the
pneumonia! Still more alarming is the revelation that for every four
children in whom pneumonia is prevented, two children develop
asthma because of the vaccine. Pneumonia is a mild infection
treated with antibacterial agent (Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim) at
less than $1 per child, according to the WHO protocol. Asthma on
the other hand is often permanent and needs repeated inhaled
treatment with bronchodilators and steroids. Asthma is a condition
much worse than the one-off pneumonia which is easily treated and
cured.
We anticipate that with this revelation, parents of children, from all
over the globe, are going to ask embarrassing questions. So we
expect the vaccine will be voluntarily withdrawn from the market
immediately because of this unacceptable risk.
But DAF-K has more fundamental questions which you as
Director-General of WHO need to answer. The vaccines ineffectiveness,
as a public health tool, has been shown by earlier studies as well.
The fact that the vaccine doubles the risk of asthma was known as early
in the year 20034.
Our basic question is; how and on what basis did WHO take the
decision to promote this vaccine? The world expects the WHO to be
an honest broker between the needs of public health and vaccine
manufacturers. Unfortunately this trust has now been betrayed by the
WHO promoting a harmful drug.
We demand:
1. WHO will identify all those who were responsible for giving this
wrong advice and that they would be exposed and purged from the
organisation in a transparent manner.
2. Constitute an expert committee, whose members express openly,
that they have no conflicts of interest and links with drug and vaccine
manufactures. This committee should set the guidelines and monitor
the proper and rational use of vaccines as a public health tool. This is
essential to prevent a repetition of this mistake.
We are compelled to publish this as an open letter because DAF-K's
previous letters, regarding rational use of hepatitis-B vaccine have
not been aptly addressed and replied by the DG.
Yours truly
Dr Gopal Dabade
President, DAF-K
Cell +9 (0)9448862270
Mr. Khan A B
Secretary, DAF-K
Cell +91(0)9448378593
Dr S L Pawar
Joint Secretary, DAF-K
Cell +91(0)9449354415
*Drug Action Forum Karnataka is part of Janarogya Andolan
Karnataka (a state unit of People's Health Movement India,
http://phm-india.org/), member of AIDAN (All India Drug Action
Network http://aidanindia.org/) and HAIAP (Health Action
International Asia Pacific www.haiap.org). Drug Action Forum -
Karnataka is a registered, not for profit and independent organisation
campaigning for Rational use Drugs and Vaccines.
References:
1. Sona Choudhary & Jacob Puliyel, Incidence of Pneumonia is not
reduced by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Bulletin of WHO, 1st
September 2008, Article DOI: 10.2471/BLT.08.054692, WHO bulletin
with links accessed on 2nd September 2008 at:
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/08-054692.pdf
http://www.who.int/bulletin/publish_ahead_of_print/en/index.html
2. WHO position Pneumococcal Vaccines', link accessed on 31st
August 2008at
http://www.who.int/vaccines/en/pneumococcus.shtml#position
3. Delhi, Bengaltop charts in pneumonia deaths', Times of India,
26th April 2008, link accessed on 29th August 2008 at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Delhi_Bengal_top_in_pneum
onia_deaths/articleshow/2986886.cms.
4. Keith P. Klugman and others, A Trial of a 9-Valent
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Children with and those without
HIV Infection', New England Journal of Medicine, Volume
349:1341-1348 October 2, 2003, Number 14, link
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/349/14/1341