Masato Tashiro

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Masato Tashiro ( Japanese田 代 眞 人Tashiro Masato ; * 1948 ) is a Japanese virus researcher ( infectiologist ) at the National Institute for Infection Research in Tokyo . There he heads the WHO Collaborating Center on Influenza . His laboratory coordinated research on H5N1 avian flu across Asia on behalf of the UN and WHO .

Scientific CV

  • 1969–1975: Studies at Tohoku University School of Medicine
  • 1975: Training in internal medicine at Iwaki City General Hospital, acquisition of a professional doctorate (MD)
  • 1977: Assistant at the bacteriological institute of the Yamagata University School of Medicine
  • 1983: Acquisition of doctoral degree (Ph.D.)
  • 1984: Visiting student at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in the virological institute of the University of Giessen
  • 1988: Associate Professor at the Jichi Medical School Virology Institute
  • 1994–1997: Director of the Department of Virology 1 (National Health Institute)
  • since 1997: Director of the Department of Viral Disease and Vaccine Control National Institute of Infectious Diseases
  • since 2002: Director of the WHO Measles Special Laboratory and the Regional Reference Center for Measles
  • since 2003: Director of the WHO SARS Reference Laboratory
  • since 2004: Director of the WHO H5N1 Avian Influenza Research Network Laboratory

Announcement of a secret report on H5N1 bird flu

At the farewell performance of Hans-Dieter Klenk , probably the most famous epidemiologist in Germany and head of the virological high-security laboratory in Marburg, he carried information leaked to him about the true extent of the H5N1 bird flu on November 19, 2005 at the Marburg University Hospital during a research trip through the Chinese province of Hunan in China.

According to this unauthorized report, several dozen influenza A / H5N1 outbreaks had occurred in China by then. According to Tashiro, there are "at least three hundred proven deaths in China", more than three thousand people have been placed in quarantine stations and seven of the sick people are considered to be "likely to be transmitted from human to human". Officially, there was only talk of a handful of infected people until then. In this connection, he raised serious allegations against what he saw as China's repressive policy. He reported the arrest of at least five medical workers who wanted to bring the figures he had submitted to the public. The Chinese government would intimidate researchers who wanted to publish the figures. Eight journalists have been arrested in this matter. He says: “We are systematically lied to”, but warns against excessive alarmism because the figures he presented do not represent a disaster.

consequences

After a few days, the WHO distanced itself from Tashiro's statements on the grounds that the researcher had been misled by information on a website. However, this conflicts with the statements made by the epidemiologist in Marburg. Tashiro himself did not comment on this incident later and is not released from his duties.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tashiro, Masato
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 田 代 眞 人 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese virus researcher
DATE OF BIRTH 1948