In posts on LinkedIn, Gisslén has, so far, published two videos stating that the Public Health Agency has serious problems.

Lack of in-depth medical expertise

Magnus Gisslén (Professor and Chief Physician at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg) says for example that the authority lacks scientific foundation and in-depth medical expertise. As State Epidemiologist his role was advisory and not a management position, he describes further. In one of the videos Gisslén states that there is today no one in the Swedish Public Health Agency’s management who has in-depth medical expertise and he emphasizes the danger with this, for example in the event of a new pandemic.

Magnus Gisslén also compares the agency to its Danish equivalent, Statens Serum Institute.

Magnus Gisslén also compares the agency to its Danish equivalent, Statens Serum Institute (SSI), where the management consists of leading medical experts and where important research is conducted.

He also points out that there are many talented employees at the Public Health Agency of Sweden and that the problems are the lack of leadership and medical expertise.

Recommendations were depublished

In his second video, Gisslén also gives a concrete example of the frustration he has felt at the agency. It concerns recommendations that he helped develop and which, among other things through more generous sampling, aimed to prevent the spread of group A streptococcus. In severe cases, group A streptococci can cause what are called invasive disease states, iGAS, such as sepsis and deep soft tissue infections with severe muscle pain. The latter is called necrotizing fasciitis, as it leads to the breakdown of muscle tissue. In recent years, the spread of variants of group A streptococci associated with an increased incidence of cases with iGAS has become more common in Europe and Sweden.

The recommendations from Gisslén and other experts were that healthcare providers should test for group A streptococci to a greater extent than before and also prescribe penicillin if the result is positive.

“We know that in those who have severe infections, there is often someone in their environment who may have strep throat. And we know that giving penicillin to these people significantly reduces the infectiousness. Our hope is that we will then have fewer cases of invasive streptococci,” said Magnus Gisslén to Sveriges Radio at the time.

The recommendations created tensions with the Medical Products Agency and the the Swedish strategic programme against antibiotic resistance (Strama) network, Gisslén says.

“Despite the fact that our recommendations were well-founded in science, the new management at the Public Health Agency chose to depublish/remove them this spring,” he says in the video.

The recommendations created tensions with the Medical Products Agency and the the Swedish strategic programme against antibiotic resistance (Strama) network, Gisslén says in the LinkedIn video.

The agency’s Director General Olivia Wigzell has rejected the criticism and said that competence is always present when decisions are made.

Different perceptions

The Public Health Agency of Sweden tells SVT in an email that Magnus Gisslén recently received notice that his assignment as State Epidemiologist would be terminated. This was due to different perceptions of what the role entailed and what was expected.

This was due to different perceptions of what the role entailed and what was expected.

“However, we wanted to keep him and his expertise within the authority and he was offered to stay in another role, but chose to resign,” stated Ellen Jones, head of unit at the Public Health Agency, to SVT.

Erik Sturegård is currently the deputy state epidemiologist. He will take over as acting state epidemiologist until a new permanent one has been appointed by the authority, it states.