posted
BirdFlu has been found to infect cats in Germany and Austria. Health authorities there are sufficiently fearful of cross-infection into humans that they are recommending that pet cats be kept indoors; making such confinement mandatory in areas in which BirdFlu has been confirmed. Which explains why USHealth&HumanServices Secretary MikeLeavitt -- a Dubya appointee, ie intrinsicly uncaring about human health -- has recommended that people store canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds as well as lay up supplies of water. And, like other Dubya's other department heads facing crisis, has overlooked the obvious: cats can't use can openers, etc.
In other news, BirdFlu has been found to infect stone martens, a weasel-like mammal. Since that description also fits Republicans... Speaking of Republicans, BirdFlu researchers in the UK are being accused of holding back results -- such delay increasing the danger of a worldwide pandemic -- in hopes of cashing in on intellectual property rights.
quote:The H5N1 avian flu virus has exacted an alarmingly high death toll among adolescents and young adults... The age group with the highest fatality rate was 10-to-19-years olds; 73 per cent... Sixty-two per cent of 20-to-29-year olds and 61 per cent of 30-to-39-year olds... under age five, and five to nine years of age - the fatality rates were 43 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. By age 50 and older, the fatality rate dropped to 18 per cent...
The highest proportion of cases occurred in people aged 10 to 29 years.
Yet the recommended immunization regimen for BirdFlu is still immunization for those well over 50years oild first. Somehow saving people who have already had time for full lives at the expense of those who have not seems unfair. And saving grandparents and great-grandparents from a comparatively minor risk at the expense of young parents with minor children is downright obscene.
With the overwhelming majority of our self-important politicians being in that over50 group, I very much doubt that the rational option of immunizing those at the highest risk of dying, those with the highest responsibility for minors, is going to be selected as the BirdFlu immunization priority.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
You appear to be attributing to malice and selfishness what is adequately explained by inertia and bureaucracy. What, you expect people to change their procedures just because this variant of flu is a little different?
In any case, the fatality rate alone does not give sufficient information. It is possible that the elderly are at a greater risk of contracting the flu, and therefore a greater total number of lives would be saved by vaccinating them, even if their chance of dying once it is contracted is smaller. And if you are going to argue that the young lives are more valuable, then just how are oyu going to calculate the extra value? Expected years of lifespan? Perhaps you would multiply by number of dependents, or income, or IQ?
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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From the article, "Adolescents and young adults weren't just more likely to die from the virus; they were also more likely to become infected in the first place, the review confirmed. The highest proportion of cases occurred in people aged 10 to 29 years."
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
The U.S. has only enough tamiflu for 1% of the population. There isn't enough vaccine for even that many. (An effective vaccine will not come until several months after the pandemic strain becomes established, at the very earliest. What they have now is a general purpose H5N1 vaccine which will likely convey some immunity but not very good immunity. It may make people somewhat less susceptible to getting the pandemic strain that eventually emerges, though we won't know for sure until it happens.
There's no need to worry about which part of the population get the drugs and vaccines that we have, because it's so miniscule as to be negligable. I say they should go to police and ambulance workers, EMTs, doctors, etc. Those professions will take more than the higher amount of casualties, in the normal course of things, because of their greater exposure. We will need them pretty badly too. There's probably not enough tamiflu or vaccines to cover them all, though, regardless. 1% isn't many people.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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