OK, my friends, watch me stir up the puddin' with this one. Note carefully that in the following paragraph I am not going to express an opinion. I'm merely going to set the stage for a crisis and ask a question. By the the end of this week leftist websites and newspapers are going to be writing that "Right-wing talk show host said so-and-so-and-so."
Here's the scenario. The avian flu virus finally mutates into a form that can be transmitted from human to human. The mutation fist appears in Asia, and we learn that tens of thousands of people are dieing very quickly from the disease. Immediately the American drug companies that are still operating start the research for an effective vaccine. Ten days later we read that the death toll in Asia is in the hundreds of thousands, and some cases are showing up in Europe. The work on the vaccine continues. The flu is spreading - now in South America. Over a million have died. A drug company announces that it has developed a vaccine and is starting production. The bird flu is reported in Canada. Finally the drug company has enough vaccine to start delivering to the public for inoculations. The first bird flu case is reported in the United States. Given the fact that supplies of the vaccine are limited, it is a certainty that over one million Americans will die.
Now, the question. Who gets the vaccine? Do we let the free market prevail? Is the vaccine made available to those who can afford the shot? Or does the federal government intervene and ration the vaccine? Edmund Contoski wrote a book in 1997 titled "Makers and Takers." The book was called a "classic case against government interventionism." You can guess who the "Makers" are, and you can probably identify the "Takers" in your community. So, when the vaccines have been administered, and the avian flu has run its course, just who do you want to be around to pick up the pieces and begin the work to prevent another such disaster? Who do you want to survive to help our economy to get back on its feet and to get the American free enterprise machine running again? Do you think the "Takers" would be up to the task? What if the government intervenes and mandates that the "Takers" get the vaccine first? What will be the impact on our economy when a few million of our older "Makers" are no longer there to run their businesses and pay their taxes?
Ugly question, isn't it? Nobody dares to speak the correct answer.
----------------------------
I know we already have a bird-flu thread, but this is different. Can we dicuss this w/o the Bush-bashing or mentioning: Palestine, Iraq, 9/11, Scooby Libby, or what Clinton failed to do?
This is question we, as a society, might just have to decide.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
my pessimism runs deep: i think humanity needs a global disaster with massive fatalities in order to finally figure out that we are all humans and should not waste time arguing/fighting/warring over pedological/religious/whatever differences we may think we have.
_________________ cirlces they grow and they swallow people whole half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul and so it goes
my pessimism runs deep: i think humanity needs a global disaster with massive fatalities in order to finally figure out that we are all humans and should not waste time arguing/fighting/warring over pedological/religious/whatever differences we may think we have.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Not like this "case study" where there is only 1 million total doses.
The CDC will recommend something extremely similar (if not that exact thing) for any situation where demand exceeds supply. You might see health care providers jump over tier 1A in a situation where flu is killing healthy people, because if doctors and nuses start getting to sick to report to work, we're all fucked.
The problem is rarely laying out these recs. The CDC always does this really fast. The problem is getting local and state governments and/or doctors to implement this stuff. The CDC had similar recs out at the end of the day last year when the shortage started, but I was getting calls (on the national immunization hotline) for months from people saying doctors weren't following the recommendations. So, if you really want to deal with a pandemic, find a way to get word to the thousands of doctors with the vaccine that they need to change how they prioritize people and make them follow that recommendation despite the fact that "they know more than the CDC and they want to do it how they think it should be done."
Man, THAT is a run-on sentence.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
I'm one of 12 regional consultants in NC. With 1200-1500 providers in NC, we could each contact 100-125 providers. We could make those calls in a day, but visits would take weeks, and w/o visits, doctors won't do shit.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:46 pm Posts: 9617 Location: Medford, Oregon Gender: Male
broken_iris wrote:
Makes sense. But how do doctors allocated their supply? First come first serve? Treat the young before the old?
1. The families of their country club friends.
2. Rich people in general.
3. People with good insurance.
4. Attractive people with crummy insurance.
5. Ugly people with crummy insurance.
6. The family parakeet.
7. The Latino hired help.
8. People who can pay with objects.
9. People who can pay with sex.
10. Anyone that's left.
_________________ Deep below the dunes I roved Past the rows, past the rows Beside the acacias freshly in bloom I sent men to their doom
Makes sense. But how do doctors allocated their supply? First come first serve? Treat the young before the old?
1. Latinos working for big business 2. The families of their country club friends. 3. Rich people in general. 4. People with good insurance. 5. Attractive people with crummy insurance. 6. Ugly people with crummy insurance. 7. The family parakeet. 8. The Latino hired help. 9. People who can pay with objects. 10. People who can pay with sex. 11. Anyone that's left. 12. Misc. Family Pets 13. Blacks
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:47 pm Posts: 13660 Location: Long Island Gender: Male
kiddo wrote:
i'm rooting for the flu...
my pessimism runs deep: i think humanity needs a global disaster with massive fatalities in order to finally figure out that we are all humans and should not waste time arguing/fighting/warring over pedological/religious/whatever differences we may think we have.
kiddo has vaulted to the top ten of my favorite posters. It's a prestigious list
Makes sense. But how do doctors allocated their supply? First come first serve? Treat the young before the old?
1. Latinos working for big business 2. The families of their country club friends. 3. Rich people in general. 4. People with good insurance. 5. Attractive people with crummy insurance. 6. Ugly people with crummy insurance. 7. The family parakeet. 8. The Latino hired help. 9. People who can pay with objects. 10. People who can pay with sex. 11. Anyone that's left. 12. Misc. Family Pets 13. Blacks 14. gays
_________________ Ringo: Wretched slugs, don't any of you have the guts to play for blood?
Doc: I'm your huckleberry.
I think we're pretty fucked if it does mutate/spread in the near future. We're already having disaster drills at our hospital regarding this.
As far as the vaccine goes: I think that the medical community will be high on the list of recipients, which I'm partially thankful for, being a nurse, but also partially wary of. I don't particularly like being vaccinated in the first place, and my concern of long-term side effects from a vaccine increases when it is one that they are struggling to get out on the market fast enough.
_________________ Ringo: Wretched slugs, don't any of you have the guts to play for blood?
Doc: I'm your huckleberry.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:03 am Posts: 24177 Location: Australia
kiddo wrote:
i'm rooting for the flu...
my pessimism runs deep: i think humanity needs a global disaster with massive fatalities in order to finally figure out that we are all humans and should not waste time arguing/fighting/warring over pedological/religious/whatever differences we may think we have.
did we stop those kinds of arguments after the black death? the spanish flu? any other war/pestilence/event in the existence of mankind?
_________________ Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
I'm one of 12 regional consultants in NC. With 1200-1500 providers in NC, we could each contact 100-125 providers. We could make those calls in a day, but visits would take weeks, and w/o visits, doctors won't do shit.
