One flu over the cuckoo’s nest

As someone who has no wish to drop dead from a flu pandemic, I view this article with considerable interest:-

“WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If vaccines and drugs are available too late to stop bird flu, then what can be done to battle H5N1 avian influenza if it spreads to people? Not a lot, experts say …  If a pandemic emerges in the coming year, there will not be enough supplies of drugs or vaccines to stop it and basic medical equipment that could slow its spread is also lacking ... World leaders have been stepping up their efforts to battle avian influenza in recent weeks, holding meetings, making international visits and ordering vaccines and drugs.”

The key phrase there – “recent weeks.”  Now, let’s look at the following:-

But many experts agree that little real progress has been made in stopping the spread of H5N1 bird flu …  “To believe that you can contain this locally is to believe in fairy tales,” said Mike Osterholm, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota who has advised the U.S. government on avian flu and warned of the danger of a flu pandemic for years.”

So, Osterholm and other experts have been warning about this for YEARS, but only until recently have “world leaders” listened.  I guess it took his brilliance, the immortal Dubya, to read a book (or more likely have it read to him) about the 1918 flu pandemic to have anyone get off their rear ends and do anything.

Now, it may be too late.  Back when guys like Osterholm were first warning us about it, there was time.  Now there isn’t.  Don’t you feel all nice and cosy knowing the level of intelligence and foresight of our “democratically elected” leaders?

This guy Osterholm is just too naïve.  All he had to do was tell Bush - and convince the Neocons - that a flu pandemic was a threat to Israel, and by now we would have had doctors with flu vaccine syringes chasing us down the street, eager to give us multiple injections.  A case full of Tamiflu for every American!  But alas, the threat was most probably put in the more pedestrian terms of being a health threat to the “American people.”  And since most “American citizens” (hello, Steve Sailer!) are white gentiles, who really cares about them anyway?

And, by the way, Osterholm, if we didn’t have constant international travel, and a borderless, globalist agenda, we might stand more of a chance of containing such an outbreak locally, particularly if a surveillance infrastructure was well developed.

“World Health Organization officials say many countries still seem to be reluctant to share information and to ask for help if the pandemic begins within their borders.”

And which countries are these?  The same one(s) that tried to hide the SARS outbreak?

“That was a time when we were really working together as an international community of academics, politicians, public health experts. Everybody really was so focused,” the newspaper quoted Chan as saying …  “Everybody was trying to do his or her best to contain the spread of this disease.  The thing with avian flu is we are not yet in a pandemic.”

Thus, the “cognitive elitist” mindset.  First wait until it is a pandemic, then deal with it.

“Even in advanced nations like the United States, little has been done to help provide even basic care for pandemic flu patients, the American College of Emergency Physicians said.”

That’s because Dubya didn’t read his book until recently.

“Many hospital emergency departments in this country are operating at, or over current capacity,” said ACEP president Dr. Rick Blum.”

After all, we have so many illegal aliens who need medical care.

“Animal experts say good hygiene could help contain H5N1 before it spreads to people ... Measures would include penning in ducks and chickens, who often wander freely on Asian farms, allowing the spread of virus from animal to animal and perhaps allowing it to spread in droppings.”

Good luck getting the “cognitive elitists” to maintain western-level standards of hygiene.  Who cares what those dumb “round-eyes” say anyway, right?

“There is much talk about humans but not about birds,” Thiermann said, echoing complaints from other U.S. experts.”

I see.  Blame it on the birds.  Maybe Dubya will insist on a missile defense system to shoot down any stray ducks flying over from Asia.  That’ll solve the problem.

Posted by JW Holliday on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at 05:09 PM in Health
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