Brazil criticizes WHO's 'lack of independence and transparency'

Brazil’s foreign minister criticized the World Health Organization’s “lack of independence, transparency and consistency” on Tuesday against the coronavirus. "We have to examine whether it is a question of political influence, a question of influence of non-governmental actors within WHO or a question of method and transparency," said Ernesto Araujo during a meeting. ministerial. He pointed in particular to a “lack of coherence” on the positions linked to “the origin of the virus, contamination, containment, the use of hydroxychloroquine, protective equipment and now, transmission by asymptomatic patients ” .

Friday, far-right president Jair Bolsonaro had threatened to withdraw Brazil from WHO - as the United States did in late May - accusing him of "ideological bias" .

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The Brazilian foreign minister said on Tuesday that WHO members adopted a resolution on May 19 providing for an "independent assessment" of the response to the pandemic. But he asked that this investigation take place as quickly as possible. "Some say that we must wait for the end of the pandemic (...) but I do not agree. The whereabouts of WHO undermine the efforts made by countries, " he said. "We are in the process of coordinating with Australia, the European Union and other countries the essential assessment of what is happening at WHO" , continued the minister, for whom the objective is to engage "A process of reform" of the UN agency.

At the same ministerial meeting, President Bolsonaro returned to the latest controversy, a statement by Maria Van Kerkhove, senior WHO official, who said on Monday that the transmission of the new coronavirus by asymptomatic people seemed "very rare ” . "If it is said that transmission by asymptomatic people is practically zero (...) , this may be a sign of faster reopening of trade," said Bolsonaro, who has always strongly criticized the containment measures taken by the governors of the different states of his country.

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But the WHO wanted to clarify Tuesday a "misunderstanding" . "I used the expression 'very rare' but it is a misunderstanding to say that asymptomatic transmissions are generally very rare, I was referring to a small group of studies," said Ms. Van Kerkhove.

Brazil is one of the main centers of the pandemic, with more than 37,000 deaths, the third heaviest death toll in the world, after the United States and the United Kingdom. On Monday, the WHO had asked for more "transparency" in Brazil in the dissemination of the figures of the pandemic, made public in the greatest confusion in recent days.