The Bird Flu: Our Plan of Defense for the H5N1 virus
You can’t escape this story; it’s all over the papers and news channels: The Bird Flu...The Pandemic waiting to happen...the virus we are not ready for...the Worst thing we’ve seen since since the Spanish Flu of 1918...Call me a paranoid worry-wart (yeah, yeah, I’ll admit, I do tend to be one sometimes), but it’s pretty scary stuff to me...The latest I have read has the Roche company (makers of Tamiflu, seen as the best defense against a possible bird flu outbreak) temporarily suspending shipments to our country because U.S. companies and organizations have been hoarding the drug...does that significantly affect any progress towards fighting this thing? I’m not sure; still sounds worrisome, though.
It’s been reported that we would now have enough flu vaccines if this “version” of the flu would come our way...but what about the possible mutated form? Nope...no way we can be ready for that. And what about a national plan in case a pandemic takes place? Nope, we don’t have that, either
It’s been said Canada has one of the best Pandemic plans out there--having a contract with a private pharmaceutical company to create enough vaccines for all its people if the pandemic would ever hit. It leaves me wonder: what about US...what about U.S.? Yes, there’s been talk of doing this and doing that...but nothing official, nothing set in stone....and THAT, as a concerned citizen, I want to see done soon.
I’m no expert on this issue, of course...so if you hear anything different..feel free to share.