WHO Endorses Compulsory Licensing of Anti-Flu Patents

FT.com reported on January 25, 2005 that "The World Health Organisation yesterday agreed a compromise resolution designed to allow countries to override patents in efforts to tackle a future flu pandemic while limiting the risk to intellectual property rights." This news follows from an earlier report from the SFGate.com that "A session of the 32-nation WHO executive board was bogged down on the issue of whether countries hit by an epidemic could override patents on anti-flu drugs, and the meeting was halted to let delegates call their governments for guidance."

On January 21, 2005, the WHO reported that "laboratory results have confirmed avian influenza infection (H5 virus subtype) in two brothers in the northern part of Viet Nam." There have been nine reported deaths from avian flu in Vietnam during the last three weeks. Scientists monitoring the disease have also reported the first case of avian flu passing from person to person.

Proper cooking destroys the H5N1 virus. In general, the WHO recommends that poultry should be cooked until all parts reach an internal temperature of 70oC. No cases of H5N1 infection have been linked to the consumption of thoroughly cooked poultry and egg products. Click here for "Basic Information About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)" from the U.S. Center for Disease Control.