Ab Osterhaus
Encyclopedia
Albertus Dominicus Marcellinus Erasmus Osterhaus, PhD
(born 2 June 1948), known as Ab Osterhaus, is a leading Dutch
virologist
and influenza
expert. A Professor of Virology at Erasmus University Rotterdam since 1993, Osterhaus is known throughout the world for his work on SARS and H5N1
, the pathogen that causes avian influenza. As the country's foremost virus expert, he frequently appears on Dutch television. He has been criticised for exaggerating the consequences of the 2009 flu pandemic
and pushing for extensive measures, even though the Mexican flu is now treated as if it were a common flu. In September 2009, a controversy arose when it became known Osterhaus has a 9.8 % share in ViroClinics B.V, a pharmaceutical company that supposedly benefits from the 34 million vaccines Health minister Ab Klink
bought based on his advice as government consultant. Osterhaus maintains he did nothing against the law and that he does not personally benefit from the order.
. From 1967 onwards he studied veterinary medicine
at Utrecht University
and graduated cum laude in 1974. He received his PhD
degree in 1978 at the same university for a dissertation entitled "Feline infectious peritonitis: identification, propagation and epidemiology".
He fulfilled several positions in his 16-year career at the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
(RIVM) in Bilthoven, the last of which was head of the laboratory for Immunobiology. During that period he was also a part-time Professor of Environmental Virology at the Institute for Virology in Utrecht, a position he still holds as of 2009. In 1993 he became Professor of Virology at the Medical Faculty of Erasmus University
and also head of the Department of Virology at Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam
.
Osterhaus played an important role in the identification of the SARS coronavirus
. In February 2004, his team found that Pegylated interferon alpha, a drug used for the treatment of patients with Hepatitis C
, helps combat the virus that causes SARS. The results were published in Nature
in March 2004. On 2 January 2008 an article appeared in PLoS ONE
describing a new vaccine for H5N1 virus, developed by Rotterdam pharmaceutical company ViroClinics B.V., a spin-out company of the Erasmus MC where Osterhaus works as scientific advisor.
Professor Osterhaus holds various editorial positions for scientific journals, holds several patents, has been supervisor of more than 35 PhD students and has identified more than a dozen “new” viral pathogens and he is author of more than 700 scientific papers, including more than fifty in world-class international journals like Nature
, Science
and The Lancet
.
Dr Osterhaus served as member and chairman of many international scientific committees, most notably four WHO reference centres, the Dutch Influenza Centre, the Dutch Health Council and the European Scientific Working group on Influenza (ESWI). He is also a member of Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
described him as "outstanding" and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Professor John Oxford called him "a superstar, absolutely the best". His PhD supervisor Marian Horzinek described his doctoral student as one of the world's most successful virologists with untameable and admirable enthusiasm.
Osterhaus received many awards in his life, including the prestigious "M.W. Beijerinck Virology Award", a prize awarded triennially by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1998. On 15 October 2003 Osterhaus was knighted Commander in the Order of the Dutch Lion. Other awards Osterhaus received include the "Dr. Saal van Zwanenberg Prijs" for pharmacotherapy, the "Reinier de Graaf Medaille" for clinical medicine and on 13 June 2007 he was awarded the "Grand Prix scientifique" of the Louis D. foundation in Paris. He shared the € 750.000 prize money with National Institute for Medical Research
Professor John J. Skehel from London.
Physician and microbiologist Miquel Ekkelenkamp called Osterhaus a 'scaremonger' in an opinion piece in nrc.next
and said: "'Expert' Osterhaus should be banned indefinitely from television. Everything he claimed turned out to be untrue: we're not all going to die like we did in 1918, not everyone needs a vaccination, we are not going to give Tamiflu to everyone and the virus has not mutated into something much more dangerous." Osterhaus claimed he has not exaggerated the risks. During debate 'De Kwestie live' he said "I have named a wide spectrum of possibilities and minister Ab Klink decided to go for the worst-case scenario
"
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(born 2 June 1948), known as Ab Osterhaus, is a leading Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
virologist
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
and influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
expert. A Professor of Virology at Erasmus University Rotterdam since 1993, Osterhaus is known throughout the world for his work on SARS and H5N1
H5N1
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as "bird flu", A or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species...
, the pathogen that causes avian influenza. As the country's foremost virus expert, he frequently appears on Dutch television. He has been criticised for exaggerating the consequences of the 2009 flu pandemic
2009 flu pandemic
The 2009 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus , albeit in a new version...
and pushing for extensive measures, even though the Mexican flu is now treated as if it were a common flu. In September 2009, a controversy arose when it became known Osterhaus has a 9.8 % share in ViroClinics B.V, a pharmaceutical company that supposedly benefits from the 34 million vaccines Health minister Ab Klink
Ab Klink
Abraham Klink is a former Dutch politician of Christian Democratic Appeal . He was Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet.-External links: , Parlement & Politiek...
bought based on his advice as government consultant. Osterhaus maintains he did nothing against the law and that he does not personally benefit from the order.
Life
Osterhaus was born into a Roman Catholic family of seven and grew up in Slotermeer, AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. From 1967 onwards he studied veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
at Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
and graduated cum laude in 1974. He received his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in 1978 at the same university for a dissertation entitled "Feline infectious peritonitis: identification, propagation and epidemiology".
He fulfilled several positions in his 16-year career at the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment , is a Dutch research institute that is an independent agency of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport....
(RIVM) in Bilthoven, the last of which was head of the laboratory for Immunobiology. During that period he was also a part-time Professor of Environmental Virology at the Institute for Virology in Utrecht, a position he still holds as of 2009. In 1993 he became Professor of Virology at the Medical Faculty of Erasmus University
Erasmus University
Erasmus University Rotterdam is a university in the Netherlands, located in Rotterdam. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th century humanist and theologian...
and also head of the Department of Virology at Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam
Erasmus MC
The Erasmus MC is the academic hospital of the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It is affiliated with the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, and home to its faculty of medicine...
.
Osterhaus played an important role in the identification of the SARS coronavirus
SARS coronavirus
The SARS coronavirus, sometimes shortened to SARS-CoV, is the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome . On April 16, 2003, following the outbreak of SARS in Asia and secondary cases elsewhere in the world, the World Health Organization issued a press release stating that the...
. In February 2004, his team found that Pegylated interferon alpha, a drug used for the treatment of patients with Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
, helps combat the virus that causes SARS. The results were published in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
in March 2004. On 2 January 2008 an article appeared in PLoS ONE
PLoS ONE
PLoS ONE is an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science since 2006. It covers primary research from any discipline within science and medicine. All submissions go through an internal and external pre-publication peer review but are not excluded on the...
describing a new vaccine for H5N1 virus, developed by Rotterdam pharmaceutical company ViroClinics B.V., a spin-out company of the Erasmus MC where Osterhaus works as scientific advisor.
Professor Osterhaus holds various editorial positions for scientific journals, holds several patents, has been supervisor of more than 35 PhD students and has identified more than a dozen “new” viral pathogens and he is author of more than 700 scientific papers, including more than fifty in world-class international journals like Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
and The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
.
Dr Osterhaus served as member and chairman of many international scientific committees, most notably four WHO reference centres, the Dutch Influenza Centre, the Dutch Health Council and the European Scientific Working group on Influenza (ESWI). He is also a member of Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
Awards and recognition
Professor Osterhaus has been named one of the most important virologists in the world. New Zealand influenza expert Robert WebsterRobert Webster
Robert Gordon Webster , in Balclutha, New Zealand, leading avian influenza expert, is the virologist who in 1957 was the first to announce a link between human flu and bird flu...
described him as "outstanding" and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Professor John Oxford called him "a superstar, absolutely the best". His PhD supervisor Marian Horzinek described his doctoral student as one of the world's most successful virologists with untameable and admirable enthusiasm.
Osterhaus received many awards in his life, including the prestigious "M.W. Beijerinck Virology Award", a prize awarded triennially by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
in 1998. On 15 October 2003 Osterhaus was knighted Commander in the Order of the Dutch Lion. Other awards Osterhaus received include the "Dr. Saal van Zwanenberg Prijs" for pharmacotherapy, the "Reinier de Graaf Medaille" for clinical medicine and on 13 June 2007 he was awarded the "Grand Prix scientifique" of the Louis D. foundation in Paris. He shared the € 750.000 prize money with National Institute for Medical Research
National Institute for Medical Research
The National Institute for Medical Research, commonly abbreviated to NIMR, is a medical research facility situated in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of London, England. It is mainly funded by the Medical Research Council, or MRC, and is its largest establishment and the only one designated as an...
Professor John J. Skehel from London.
Criticism
Osterhaus has been criticised for what has been described as a 'fear campaign', calling for far-reaching measures to combat the Mexican flu.Physician and microbiologist Miquel Ekkelenkamp called Osterhaus a 'scaremonger' in an opinion piece in nrc.next
Nrc.next
nrc•next is a Dutch daily newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The first edition was released on March 14, 2006. nrc•next is a morning edition tabloid, and its primary target group are young higher educated people.-History:...
and said: "'Expert' Osterhaus should be banned indefinitely from television. Everything he claimed turned out to be untrue: we're not all going to die like we did in 1918, not everyone needs a vaccination, we are not going to give Tamiflu to everyone and the virus has not mutated into something much more dangerous." Osterhaus claimed he has not exaggerated the risks. During debate 'De Kwestie live' he said "I have named a wide spectrum of possibilities and minister Ab Klink decided to go for the worst-case scenario
Worst-case scenario
Worst-case scenario is a situation where everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong.It may also refer to:* Worst Case Scenario , by dEUS* "Worst Case Scenario" , by The Hoosiers* Worst Case Scenario...
"