Bruce Aylward is a Canadian physician and
epidemiologist
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and risk factor, determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decision ...
. Since September 2017, Aylward has been Senior Advisor to the Director-General of the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
. He is part of the implementation of the WHO's
COVAX Facility. He has past experience in the areas of
polio eradication
Polio eradication, the permanent global cessation of circulation by the poliovirus and hence elimination of the poliomyelitis (polio) it causes, is the aim of a multinational public health effort begun in 1988, led by the World Health Organiz ...
,
Zika virus
''Zika virus'' (ZIKV; pronounced or ) is a member of the virus family ''Flaviviridae''. It is spread by daytime-active ''Aedes'' mosquitoes, such as '' A. aegypti'' and '' A. albopictus''. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, whe ...
, and
Ebola
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
.
Early life and education
Aylward is from
St. Johns, Newfoundland
St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland.
...
, Canada.
Aylward received an
M.D.
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...
from
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...
. He has a certificate in tropical medicine from the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine.
The inst ...
. Aylward received a
MPH FROM the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. As the second independent, degree-granting institution for research in epi ...
Career
In 1992, Aylward joined the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
and worked for eight years in
immunization
Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen).
When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non-sel ...
,
communicable disease
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...
control and
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
eradication in the Middle East, Western Pacific, Europe, North Africa and Central and South East Asia.
Aylward led the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is an initiative created in 1988, just after the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate the disease poliomyelitis. Led by the World Health Organization, it is the largest international public health ...
partnership from 1998 to 2004, where he oversaw the deployment of more than 6000 field personnel, developed new tools and vaccines and reduced the number of polio endemic countries to two.
Aylward rose to prominence as the Assistant Director General of the WHO Polio and Emergencies Cluster.
Aylward was appointed "Special Representative of the Director-General for the
Ebola Response".
He has spoken extensively on the subject, for example at
TEDx
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
, where one of his speeches had garnered over 1,000,000 views as of 2020.
Aylward led the World Health Organization's team during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
in China. He opined that the key to reduction of transmission of the disease is "isolation, contact tracing and testing". He was appointed co-lead of the WHO-China Joint Mission on
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
,
Aylward served as one of the Assistant Directors-General of the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO).
COVID-19 interview controversy
On March 28, 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Aylward was interviewed in ''
The Pulse'', a current affairs programme from
Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econom ...
(RTHK). Journalist Yvonne Tong asked about the
status of Taiwan in the WHO and whether the WHO would reconsider Taiwan's membership after Taiwan accused China of denying it entry. Aylward appeared to dodge the question, then when asked if he was still on the line, claimed that he did not hear the question, blaming internet connection issues.
Tong offered to repeat the question, but was interrupted by Aylward, who suggested she move on. Tong repeated the question, at which point Aylward terminated the call.
When called back, Aylward was asked to "comment a bit on how Taiwan has done so far," to which he answered, "We have already talked about China".
He then formally ended the interview.
WHO response
Aylward's English biography was removed from the WHO's leadership webpage in the days after the interview.
However, a spokesman for the WHO explained that it was removed after a request from Aylward's staff on 27 March to archive it, because he was being misidentified by media. "The timing was unfortunate as the video interview went viral shortly after this," the spokesman said.
Taiwan's foreign minister
Joseph Wu
Joseph Wu Jaushieh (; born October 31, 1954) is a Taiwanese politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China under current President Tsai Ing-wen since February 26, 2018. He was formerly the Secretary-Gen ...
commented about the interview in a tweet, saying that the WHO "should set politics aside in dealing with a pandemic" and pointed to the positive coverage about Taiwan's response to the pandemic in global media, saying that the reports "do not mistake us as part of China."
A WHO spokesperson later told CNN that "some people are confusing WHO's technical global public health mandate, with the mandate of countries to determine WHO's membership", adding that they have had "regular interactions" with Taiwan during the pandemic and are "taking lessons learned from all areas, including Taiwanese health authorities."
Hong Kong Government and RTHK response
Following the interview, on 2 April, Hong Kong's
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development heads the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. The Secretary is responsible for promoting commerce and the economic development of Hong Kong. The position was c ...
Edward Yau
Edward Yau Tang-wah, GBS, JP (; born 28 April 1960, Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong politician. He was the Secretary for the Environment from 2007 to 2012, and from 2012 to 2017, he was the Director of the Chief Executive's Office of Hong Kong. He ...
criticized RTHK for what he called "
breach ofthe
One-China Principle
The term One China may refer to one of the following:
* The One China principle is the position held by the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the PRC serving as the sol ...
and the purposes and mission of RTHK as a public service broadcaster, as specified in the
THKCharter."
The RTHK responded by reviewing the program and found no violation of its charter. An RTHK advisory panel member labeled the accusations as "nonsense", adding that she does not "understand why when a reporter is asking something relating to health, she or he has to remember there is '
One Country, Two Systems
"One country, two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
The constitutional principle was formulated in the early ...
' … in line with the government or China".
Allegations of Chinese government influence
American writer
Gordon G. Chang
Gordon Guthrie Chang (born July 5, 1951) is a columnist, author, and lawyer. He is the author of ''The Coming Collapse of China'' in which he attempted to predict the collapse of China and claimed that it would collapse by 2011. In December 201 ...
has described Aylward's interview as emblematic of China's influence over international organizations.
On 2 April, ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' mentioned Aylward's interview as an example of the WHO's senior leadership's "striking deference" towards China, noting that the Chinese financial contribution to the WHO was minuscule relative to that of the United States. In February 2020, Aylward, accused of being under China's influence, led a WHO delegation to Wuhan over the coronavirus crisis.
2020 summons by Parliamentary Committee
In April 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the health committee of the
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
voted unanimously to issue a summons for Aylward's attendance at Ottawa. The summons followed two declined invitations to teleconference; Director-General
Tedros Adhanom
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ( ti, ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ti, ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ, label=none; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, and ...
engaged a lawyer to represent the WHO in declining, who offered that Aylward would answer only written questions at that time. Conservative health critic
Matt Jeneroux
Matthew James Arthur Jeneroux is a Canadian politician who has been elected to the House of Commons of Canada since the 2015 federal election. He is the Founder of Hi Dad Foundation, a mental health foundation focused on raising awareness about ...
stated that "the Canadian government has repeatedly invoked the WHO as a source of guidance that informed the decisions it made to protect Canada and it makes sense that a Canadian working in a key WHO post should explain what informed the organization's thinking"; NDP health critic
Don Davies
Don Davies (born January 16, 1963) is a Canadian federal member of Parliament (MP) for the New Democratic Party, representing the riding of Vancouver Kingsway since his election in the 2008 federal election. After the 2019 election, Davies ...
called for "accountability and transparency" from the WHO.
Selected works and publications
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See also
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References
External links
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Dr Bruce Aylwarat
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aylward, Bruce
Living people
Alumni of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
United Nations experts
World Health Organization officials
Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni
20th-century Canadian physicians
21st-century Canadian physicians
Canadian epidemiologists
2020 controversies
People from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Physicians from Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian expatriates in the United States
Canadian expatriates in England
COVID-19 researchers
Year of birth missing (living people)