WHO releases names of experts and advisor to the Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

WHO has released the ‘List of Members of, and Advisor to, the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009‘ at the following site: http://www.who.int/ihr/emerg_comm_members_2009/en/. Of the 15 members and one advisor, 6 had declaration of interests. On this matter, WHO had the following statement:

The interests summarized above do not give rise to a conflict of interest such that the experts concerned should be partially or totally excluded from participation in the Emergency Committee. However, following WHO’s policy, they were disclosed within the Committee so that other members were aware of them. All other Members of the Emergency Committee declared no relevant interests.

Here are the following declarations of interest taken directly from the WHO website.

Declaration of Interests

Dr Nancy Cox

Her public health and surveillance research unit at the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) receives financial support from IFPMA for activities of CDC as a WHO Collaborating Centre in the field of influenza vaccine research and virus isolation work.

Professor Arnold Monto

He has declared current and past consultancies in the field of pandemic and/or seasonal influenza for GSK, Novartis, Roche, Baxter and Sanofi. The remuneration for each of these consultancies is below US$10 000. In addition, his research unit at the University of Michigan has received a grant from Sanofi Pasteur for a clinical trial conducted in 2007-2008 on the comparative efficacy of inactivated and live attenuated influenza vaccines.

Dr Claude Thibeault

Since 2004, he is the Consultant Medical Advisor to International Air Transport Association.

Dr John Wood

His research unit at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), a centre of the UK Health Protection Agency, has performed contract research for Sanofi Pasteur, CSL, IFPMA, Novartis and Powdermed in the field of influenza vaccine research and development.

Professor Maria Zambon

The UK Health Protection Agency Centre for Infection receives funding from vaccine manufacturers, including Sanofi, Novartis, CSL, Baxter and GSK, for contract work in Dr Zambon’s laboratory.

Professor Neil Morris Ferguson (Advisor)

He has acted as a consultant for Roche and GSK Biologicals (ceasing in 2007), with total remuneration from all such work being under US$7 000 in 2007.

Here below is the comprehensive list of experts and advisor to the Committee (Source: http://www.who.int/ihr/emerg_comm_members_2009/en/).

List of Members of, and Advisor to, the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

Members

Dr Lawson Ahadzie

Former Head of Surveillance Department, Ghana Health Service/Ministry of Health, Accra, Ghana (Dr Ahadzie’s membership was suspended after the fifth Emergency Committee Meeting on becoming a WHO staff member)

Mr André Basse

Counsellor, Embassy of Senegal, Paris, France

Dr Muhammad Akbar Chaudhry

Principal, Professor of Medicine, Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan (Dr Chaudry’s membership commenced with the sixth Emergency Committee Meeting)

Dr Supamit Chunssuttiwat

Senior Expert in Disease Control, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand

Dr Nancy Cox

Director, Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA

Dr Anthony Evans

Chief, Aviation Medicine Section, International Civil Aviation Organization, Montreal, Canada

Professor John Mackenzie

Professor of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

Professor Arnold Monto

Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

Dr Fernando Otaiza

Coordinator, National Infection Control Program, Ministry of Health, Santiago, Chile

Dr Rogelio Pérez Padilla

Director General, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico

Dr Wing Hong Seto

Chief of Service, Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Dr Masato Tashiro

Director, Department of Viral Diseases and Vaccine Control, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan

Dr Claude Thibeault

Consultant in Aviation Medicine and Occupational Health, Montreal, Canada

Dr John Wood

Principal Scientist, Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Herts, United Kingdom

Professor Maria Zambon

Head of Respiratory Virus Unit, Virus Reference Department, Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infection, London, United Kingdom

Advisor to the Emergency Committee

Professor Neil Morris Ferguson

Chair in Mathematical Biology, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom

Declaration of Interests

Dr Nancy Cox

Her public health and surveillance research unit at the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) receives financial support from IFPMA for activities of CDC as a WHO Collaborating Centre in the field of influenza vaccine research and virus isolation work.

Professor Arnold Monto

He has declared current and past consultancies in the field of pandemic and/or seasonal influenza for GSK, Novartis, Roche, Baxter and Sanofi. The remuneration for each of these consultancies is below US$10 000. In addition, his research unit at the University of Michigan has received a grant from Sanofi Pasteur for a clinical trial conducted in 2007-2008 on the comparative efficacy of inactivated and live attenuated influenza vaccines.

Dr Claude Thibeault

Since 2004, he is the Consultant Medical Advisor to International Air Transport Association.

Dr John Wood

His research unit at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), a centre of the UK Health Protection Agency, has performed contract research for Sanofi Pasteur, CSL, IFPMA, Novartis and Powdermed in the field of influenza vaccine research and development.

Professor Maria Zambon

The UK Health Protection Agency Centre for Infection receives funding from vaccine manufacturers, including Sanofi, Novartis, CSL, Baxter and GSK, for contract work in Dr Zambon’s laboratory.

Professor Neil Morris Ferguson (Advisor)

He has acted as a consultant for Roche and GSK Biologicals (ceasing in 2007), with total remuneration from all such work being under US$7 000 in 2007.


The interests summarized above do not give rise to a conflict of interest such that the experts concerned should be partially or totally excluded from participation in the Emergency Committee. However, following WHO’s policy, they were disclosed within the Committee so that other members were aware of them. All other Members of the Emergency Committee declared no relevant interests.

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