Health

W.H.O. Dismisses Covid Origins Investigator for Sexual Misconduct

The World Health Organization has fired its lead investigator into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic “following the discovery of sexual misconduct,” according to a World Health Organization spokeswoman.

Food safety and animal-borne disease expert Peter K. Ben Embarek was laid off last year.the dismissal was reported by financial times on wednesday.

The findings are derived from events that occurred in 2015 and 2017, WHO spokeswoman Marcia Poole said in an email. The agency’s investigative team first learned about the allegations in 2018.

Authorities did not provide details on the nature of the complaint, but other complaints against Dr. Ben Embarek “couldn’t be fully investigated” because of the victim or the victim’s unwillingness to participate in the process. I pointed out that there was a complaint.

Dr. Ben Embarek was not available for comment.but he told Reuters The 2017 incident has been resolved. “I am not aware of any other complaints, nor have any other complaints come to my attention,” he said, according to Reuters. , I have high hopes for defending my rights.”

In 2021, Dr. Ben Embarek led a WHO mission to Wuhan, China to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. International experts selected by the WHO worked with Chinese experts to conduct a joint investigation, which China repeatedly postponed.

At a press conference in Wuhan, Dr Ben Embarek said it was “very unlikely” that the virus escaped from a Wuhan lab, pointing to the lab’s safety measures. “All the work that has been done on the virus and trying to identify its origin continues to point to natural reservoirs,” he said at a press conference.

The WHO team was criticized for advancing narratives pushed by Chinese officials, including that the virus may have originated outside of China and spread through frozen food shipments. Visiting scientists praised the Chinese experts.

However, some members of the mission later said China withheld the requested data. and, Interview with ScienceDr. Ben Embarek admitted the team worked in a tricky political environment.

“Politics is always in the room and we are on opposite sides of the table,” he told Science. I was not a public health official.”

As the team prepared to release its findings, U.S. officials expressed concern that the Chinese government had too much control over the content of the final report.

The report concludes that “laboratory accidental entry” is “extremely unlikely” and that entry via the food chain is “possible.” However, they concluded that spillovers from animals were the most likely source of the virus.

Laboratory leak theory is still controversial. It has gained support in recent months, with U.S. intelligence agencies reaching different conclusions about the pandemic’s possible origin. increase. But for any theory, conclusive evidence remains elusive.

Dr. Ben Embarek also headed WHO One Health Initiativeis dedicated to the relationship between human, animal and environmental health.

In recent years, the WHO has been criticized for not doing enough to combat sexual misconduct. In 2021, investigators found that those working for the agency sexually abused or exploited women and girls during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Over the past 18 to 20 months, WHO has initiated a comprehensive program to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct by driving systemic change across the organization,” Poole said in an email. said. Authorities have cleared the backlog and are aiming to complete an upcoming investigation within 120 days, she said.

a New Sexual Misconduct Policy It came into force in March. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement at the time that the new policy “is an important part of making ‘zero tolerance’ more than just a slogan.”

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