World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...sations-tardy-reporting-mers-cases-criticised


World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised
PUBLISHED : Friday, 02 May, 2014, 3:39am
UPDATED : Friday, 02 May, 2014, 3:39am
Lo Wei wei.lo@scmp.com


An accurate picture of a fatal respiratory viral epidemic is being frustrated by the World Health Organisation's failure to keep pace with new cases in its global announcements, a specialist in infections says.

The WHO's last statement on cases and deaths due to Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) was dated April 26, lagging behind Saudi Arabia's latest report, released just yesterday.

Catching up with the latest data was a basic and simple task that the WHO should be able to manage, Dr Ho Pak-leung, president of the University of Hong Kong's centre for infection, said.

"The problem with the figures is serious," Ho said...

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

I am saying this thing for a month... ops, many many months...!

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

Saudi Arabia was not giving the information to WHO. '

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

Saudi Arabia was not giving the information to WHO. '

As per IHR(2005) WHO could use 'epidemic intelligence' to gather critical information about a public health event of concern.

No official reports needed!

A part that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE that WHO would have not info about epidemiological situation since the embassy and consulates attach?es prepare regularly 'cables' about a lot of sensitive issues for their respective governments.

It is equally impossible that US govt would not have MERS-CoV info for KSA since they are close allies and the flow of information is continue from various channel (military, intelligence, diplomatic, etc.)

The lack of transparency is clearly wanted to make the image murky and confused for purposes other than protection of public health.

So, renowned researchers have all the right to voice their concern, especially when it is clear that govts & agencies are biased or under influence of political establishment.

To note, finally, that it is not healthy for any kind of institution to have the same individuals in charge for almost a decade. Since the U.N. agencies aren't democratically controlled by Member States citizens, we could ask at least for a rotation of careers.

Since we may be very dissatisfied by the functionality of some U.N. agencies - paid by most of us through taxes - a rotation seems long overdue (some D-Gs are in charge from a time similar to the Queen Elizabeth or a Pope...) gm

 

[Nika]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

Its a bit rich that the Chinese are complaining about WHO being sluggish with numbers.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

Yes! Very ironic and dishonest.

It is hard to know how much anyone outside Saudi Arabia actually knew about the spread of coronavirus. In China, for instance, many times the local officials delay reporting negative news because they are afraid of the consequences.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

The US government is not publishing any travel warnings due to coronavirus in Saudi Arabia:

CDC travel alerts - nothing there:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices


Department of State - nothing there:

https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReports.aspx?cid=6


--------------------------------------

There should be some notice/alert/warning issued.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

FluTrackers.com ‏@FluTrackers now
Why does the @CDCgov have travel health notices for polio and ebola but not for #coronavirus #MERS? http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

Yes! Very ironic and dishonest.

It is hard to know how much anyone outside Saudi Arabia actually knew about the spread of coronavirus. In China, for instance, many times the local officials delay reporting negative news because they are afraid of the consequences.

It is known enough about KSA & neighboring regions to compile a daily list for 'targeted killings' with drones.

But I do not want to draw attention to other issue than MERS.

I asked many times to clarify situation of refugees camps, Syria, migrants etc. Nobody wants to answer.

There are a number (many millions) of people expendable, their future immaterial to major powers (now focused on civil war in Ukraine).

I cannot accept this point of view.

For this reason it would be a good idea to replace in-toto the governance of international UN agencies, especially when positions are becoming centre of interests for geostrategic stakeholders or multi-national companies.

I cannot simply accept that an emerging respiratory pathogen (MERS or another one, like H5 / H7) is part of this play.gm

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

FluTrackers.com ‏@FluTrackers now
Why does the @CDCgov have travel health notices for polio and ebola but not for #coronavirus #MERS? http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

Thank you for the response:

CDC Travel Health ‏@CDCtravel 10m
@FluTrackers CDC MERS-CoV travel notice is at the bottom of the linked page. Available at: http://go.usa.gov/bbWJ

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: World Health Organisation's tardy reporting of Mers cases criticised

Originally Posted by sharon sanders
Saudi Arabia was not giving the information to WHO. '

As per IHR(2005) WHO could use 'epidemic intelligence' to gather critical information about a public health event of concern.

No official reports needed!

. . .

I agree with Giuseppe. The WHO has the same online access to the media reports that all of the rest of have. However crude or imperfect, the online data allow us to develop a composite picture of the outbreak for discussion and speculation. In fact, the Disease Outbreak News for September 19, 2013 indicates that online media reports by the Saudi Arabia MOH were being used.

19 September 2013 - WHO has been informed of an additional 18 new laboratory-confirmed cases including three deaths with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Saudi Arabia.
The patients are reported from Hafar Al-Batin, Medina and Riyadh. Their ages ranging from three to 75 years old. These cases were announced by the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia on 1, 5, 8, 10 and 11 September 2013. . . .

Link:http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_09_19/en/

Link to English Language translation for MOH health reports on 1, 5, 8, 10 and 11 September 2013: http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/CoronaNew/PressReleases/Pages/default.aspx?PageIndex=4

I suspect that when the the MOH officially provided the case information to WHO for these dates, it did not match up. WHO seems now to only announce what is actually reported to them directly by Saudi Arabia MOH.