Subject:  [Sunshine] Smallpox: WHO DG Questions Committee Recommendation

Date:  Fri, 6 May 2005 09:45:09 -0500

The Sunshine Project

News Release - 6 May 2005

http://www.sunshine-project.org

WHO Director-General Questions Smallpox Advisory Committee Recommendation

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World Health Assembly to Consider Dangerous Genetic

Engineering Recommendations Beginning May 16th

The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has

raised questions about the proposal by a WHO Advisory Committee to

dramatically increase risky research with live smallpox virus. In a

paper released in mid-April (WHA A 58/10), Director General Lee

Jong-wook concludes that the Committee's recommendation to permit

insertion of smallpox genes into related viruses, such as monkeypox

and cowpox, should be rejected. The Director General was silent,

however, on the Advisory Committee's other suggestions, including the

genetic engineering of variola (smallpox) virus itself and a far

wider distribution of smallpox DNA.

According to the Sunshine Project, the Director-General's position is

notable for its recognition that the Variola Advisory Committee's

proposals have received inadequate review. "We are pleased that the

Director-General has acted to block one of the Variola Advisory

Committee's recommendations, now we need to address the others." says

Sunshine Project Director Edward Hammond, "The set of recommendations

remains substantially unreviewed by experts in public health, safety

of genetically modified organisms, and preparedness for deliberate

outbreaks of disease."

According to non-governmental organizations, both the recommendations

and the committee that produced them are problematic. The

recommendations because they will dramatically increase the risk of

an accidental or deliberate release of smallpox virus and represent

WHO endorsement of genetic engineering experiments with extremely

dangerous viruses. NGOs have criticized the Advisory Committee as

using intransparent meeting methods and as being geographically and

scientifically imbalanced. The committee is weighted towards a small

number of countries and scientists with a personal and institutional

interest in prolonging retention of and research with the otherwise

eradicated virus. Major world regions have been underrepresented or

not represented at all at committee meetings.

Says Hammond, "Ambiguous language in the report to be considered by

the WHA would, if adopted, exacerbate the problems with this runaway

committee. Rather than strengthening the hand of a failing and

politicized 'technical' mechanism, the WHA should confine the

Advisory Committee to its original mandate to be a short-term review

mechanism in a fixed time interval before virus destruction. WHA

should also follow-on the Director-General's recommendation by

clarify that the committee cannot review its own proposals because

its membership and mandate fall far short of representing the range

of relevant expertise and perspectives to set WHO policy on live

virus research."

The Sunshine Project and Third World Network, backed by an

international group of a dozen non-profits, opposes the genetic

engineering of smallpox and wants WHO to put the virus stocks back on

a fast track for destruction. (The US and Russia balked at

destruction dates in 1999 and 2002.) They have established a website,

http://www.smallpoxbiosafety.org, where members of the public can

send a letter to WHO and find contacts for their national

representatives at the WHA. So far, well over a thousand people from

more than sixty countries have sent letters.

The World Health Assembly will meet in Geneva, Switzerland for a week

and a half, beginning on May 16th. The smallpox virus destruction

issue is early in its agenda, and discussion of it should begin

shortly after the meeting opens. Third World Network and the

Sunshine Project will hold a briefing for WHA delegates on May 17th

at the Palais des Nations.

The Sunshine Project strongly encourages members of the public,

scientists, and non-profits to send a letter to the WHO Director

General at www.smallpoxbiosafety.org and to contact their health

ministry to urge that national government oppose the relaxation of

restrictions on smallpox virus research.

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Guess who wants to genetically engineer smallpox?

Learn more and send a letter to WHO at:

http://www.smallpoxbiosafety.org

Designer smallpox is a Pandora's Box

Let's not open the lid!