CDC Readies Vaccine in Case of Swine Flu Pandemic0

[steven johnson]

Source: Time Magazine

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged on Friday that "concern has grown" since the first reports of a novel swine flu infecting patients in Texas and California emerged late March.

Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the agency, said health officials are closely tracking the spread of the swine flu, after additional cases of flu and some deaths were reported in Mexico. Preliminary testing of flu viruses in patients in Mexico and the U.S. show that the strains are similar. Of the 14 samples of suspected swine flu from Mexico that the CDC has tested so far, half are positive for swine flu, a form of influenza that normally infects pigs and can be transmitted to people.

The CDC is working with the World Health Organization to keep track of any additional cases to determine whether and when a warning of a pandemic would be warranted. In preparation for such a scenario, the CDC has created a seed stock of a vaccine against the swine flu, which could be pushed into production should the number of cases jump significantly. The CDC did not specify what the threshold for vaccine production would be.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893942,00.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Glad to hear they're on top of it.

[Zynx]

2. I'm not sure what the production times are on that, but it strikes me it would

be prudent to get some large quantities ready before we start seeing thousands of cases.

[skooooo]

3. I thought government was the problem!!

:rofl:

Bet the republicans will be first in line for their flu shot.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. I am going to be very very interested in who gets the contract to make any vaccine.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Good, but some will have a cow over this vaccine.

One of the arguments of the antivax crowd was the last time there was a chance of a swine flu outbreak, lots of people had shots and the epidemic never materialized.

[bobshin]

8. Business as usual at the CDC

Let's see last time they did this, what was that, ah, 26 years ago, the head of the CDC owned the rights to the test. Since the public has forgotten that little tidbit, it's
time to start switching up the fear factor and sell more tests. People are tiring of that old virus. Witch hunt time...

[defendandprotect]

10. '76 Swine Flu vaccine killed 30 people plus 500 cases of severe paralyzing nerve disease . . .

THEN . . . the vaccination program was stopped!


The 1976 Swine Flu was responded to with a vaccine ... 30 died from it ... program stopped.....

President Gerald Ford immediately ordered a nationwide vaccination program.

More than 40 million people were vaccinated. However, the program was stopped short after over 500 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe paralyzing nerve disease, were reported. 30 people died as a direct result of the vaccinations.

Unanswered questions regarding the outbreak remain to this day. According to a CDC investigation, It is not known why the virus did not extend beyond basic trainees or beyond the military base. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration remain unknown.

PLEASE STOP trying to turn the internet into TV....!!!!

[carlyhippy]

6. I havent had the flu in about a year or so

I am pretty paranoid about germs and wash my hands anytime I come in my house from a public place. I have had the flu so many times, hopefully I have some immunity.

[McCamy Taylor]

9. The problem with an epidemic animal strain is only the pig farmers will have immunity.

The rest of us will be like infants getting our first case of influenza.

[Baby Snooks]

7. A vaccine against swine flu?

A vaccine that might protect half the population if the numbers hold up on the basis that half the population tested so far have tested positive for swine flu? This is not just swine flu.

A pill for everything. A vaccine for everything. The last vaccine for swine flu killed more people than it protected.

[Robb]

11. Killed 25 in 1976. 58 million innoculated. nt

[Ian David]

12. Have we mentioned that The Republicans have fought against funding for disease control?

GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5542464

See also:

http://tinyurl.com/SwineFluPandemic