WTO chief says health comes above trade on bird flu

MADRID (Reuters) – Health takes priority over international
trade agreements and intellectual property as the world tries
to fight the threat of bird flu, the head of the World Trade
Organization said on Wednesday.

“To the question of whether a WTO member can put up
obstacles to trade as a consequence of a threat to public
health, the answer is yes,” WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy
told a business meeting in Madrid.

“Each member has room to move if there is a threat. It is
not unlimited (room) under the system, but health trumps trade
if necessary,” he said.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged people
to take action to prepare for a widespread outbreak of bird
flu, to develop vaccines, stockpile medicines and educate
people.

Lamy said that in terms of producing medicines and
antivirals, a public health emergency would trump intellectual
property rules set by the WTO.

He did not give details of what rules could be lifted. In
the past, the WTO has allowed members to waive patents on
medicines to battle specific health challenges.

The WHO said bird flu had infected 175 people and killed 96
of them since 2003.

Victims pick up the virus through close contact with
infected birds but scientists fear it is only a matter of time
before it mutates into a form that can be passed between
humans.