There is a flu epidemic in Colorado and it is a healthcare crisis...

[kentuck]

Fourteen children have now died from this epidemic. Radios and TVs suggest that parents get their children the flu vaccination. They also suggest that older folks and those with medical problems such as asthma get the vaccination. Only one problem: There is not enough to give to people that may need it. It is a crisis. What do we do if people start dying in huge numbers from this epidemic?

What more proof do we need that the healthcare system in our nation is in complete disarray? This is supposed to be the most free and most wealthy country in the world. Yet, we are at risk of dying from a flu epidemic because we don't have the vaccinations necessary. Many, like myself, have lost our jobs and do not have any health insurance. Many cannot afford the asthma medicines that cost up to $114 per prescription...and now they want to charge $18 for a flu shot which they cannot get even if they want to??? What is wrong with this picture?

Why cannot we have free vaccinations to prevent possible epidemics? We can spend $87 billion dollars in Iraq at a drop of a hat and totally disregard the health of the American people, who are risk of dying because of this epidemic. Is that too much to ask from our leaders of our country? But to do so means they would have to butt heads with those special drug interests that are filling their campaign war chests.

[Frances]

1. The Republicans say

that we have to pay higher prices than the Canadians do for drugs so that the drug companies can do research. Well, the U.S. drug companies ought to do something for that extra money they get--like produce more flu vaccine.

[creativelcro]

16. If the money went to the scientists I would agree..

But instead it goes to bureaucrats with inflated salaries...

[LeftCoast]

20. Ah, the evil and most mysterious "bureaucrat"...

The perpetrator of sloth and waste in so many, many government budgets. :eyes:

[Bush loves Jiang]

2. The Crime Cartel doesn't give a shit about health...

The Jiang Crime Family keeping Taiwan out of the WHO for political reasons (Anybody who believes that the Chicons are leftists is an idiot. Ask any Chinese worker how many rights they have.) and the Bush Crime Family spending money on foreign adventures while people are dying because they lack proper health care.

And don't even get me started on the fucking Saudi oligarchs.

[Skittles]

3. It is indeed a disgrace

there is no reason why this should happen.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. I know Colorado's education system isn't anything to brag about.

What is their social programs for the poor like in that state? In fact, what are their property rights like? I wish there was a study out there that could see if there is an inverse relationship between a strong property right's state and social programs.

[nostamj]

5. 14 children?

shocking. and you can bet the story is being downplayed to avoid panic.

where is the leadership?

protecting pharmaceutical profits, not children's lives.

whether they're gunned down in afghanistan or dying in Colorado, they don't make a blip on the bushco radar while there's another $2000 check to pick up...

now, if it was 14 rich white republicans...

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Christ! It is bad. Take a look at this:

Bad policies aid and abet a killer: flu

The death toll is eight and climbing. Schools have been closed. Hospital emergency rooms have been overwhelmed with children with high fevers, delirium, breathing problems, dehydration. When measured on a per-capita basis, the outbreak of flu in Colorado is widely believed to be the worst in the nation.

Dr. Steve Berman says it's not just bad luck. Kids are dying, he said, because of irresponsible, short-sighted, bad public policy.

"We have chronically underfunded our vaccine infrastructure, and now we're paying a terrible price for that neglect," said the Children's Hospital pediatrician and past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

More


http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E1814817,00.html

[Selwynn]

7. My friend in Colorado --

reports that it really is as bad as everyone says it is... his kid is like in quarentine in the house afraid to go out.

[madrchsod]

8. well...when you are forced

to work sick or you are forced to work instead of staying home with your child,or your child is forced to go to school sick ,one can expect the nation to have these problems. throw in the lack of preventive health care/insurance..what else should we expect?
there are only -2- companies that make vaccine for the flu...

[liberalhistorian]

10. AMEN!

I once worked for a company that gave awards for perfect attendance, regardless of the shape the employee was in while working, and that would give "absence warnings" to people who were out sick, regardless of the reason (some had cancer treatments, broken bones, kids with cancer or broken bones, etc.), and, since it was a cubicle farm, if anyone came in sick half of the workers around them would get sick as well.

[ninkasi]

11. Sounds like my old company...

I worked for Southwestern Bell for 25 years, they had the same kind of misguided attendance policy. Rather than have one or two people out sick with flu, they would end up with the whole office sick.

Healthcare in this country really sucks.

[liberalhistorian]

9. The vaccines MUST

be available to EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF COST!! I am so fucking sick of money and profit being the bottom line and the only thing the goddamn greedy, selfish, heartless doctors, hospitals, and drug companies care about!!!! I called my doctor to schedule shots for my son and I and one of the first things they asked was what insurance I had, and if I didn't have any, how I would pay for it!

I know hard-working poor people without insurance who are terrified to go to an emergency room because they know the hospital could put a lien on whatever little they own and/or garnish their wages, what little they earn, if they can't pay for it upfront, which is almost always the case. And they're tired of being harassed by the bloodsucking, ruthless medical debt collectrolls, too.

This is beyond sickening, despicable, deplorable, disgraceful, disgusting, unbelievable, ruthless, heartless, and elitist. It's downright fucking inhuman and inhumane, and any doctor and/or hospital that doesn't find a way to give shots to whoever needs them REGARDLESS OF THE FUCKING GODDAMN COST ought to have their licenses revoked! Or at least revoke their country club memberships, that might finally get their attention.:grr:

[amazona]

13. there isn't enough vaccine

I fully agree with your position. The health care system stinks.

As a timid defense of the doctors in question, I will only point out that it was very, very recently that it was understood that children benefit from getting the flu vaccine. It was developed for people over 50, and most of the demand for flu vaccine was in that age group.

There is never enough vaccine produced for
everyone in the U.S. because most people in years past didn't demand it.

I put at least some of the blame for flu hysteria on MSNBC.com which has been running constant hysteria stories about this year's flu. A great many middle-aged people who would not normally get the shot have run out and gotten it. I'm talking people who have never gotten a flu shot before in their lives. Now all the vaccine is distributed and it turns out there isn't enough for the children. I honestly believe the media has to take some blame for this.

Some of the hysteria is now being turned toward trying to get middle-aged people to get the FluMist -- a new product line. And I'm wondering why. Seems to me the only reason is profit. If you are in your 40s, likely you already went through the powerful and related strain of flu of 1998-99 ... the FluMist is going to give imperfect protection but, wait, you already have imperfect protection. I don't think they should be promoting this new product, which is not recommended for people who "really" need protection from the flu, for the general public. It just smells like a product promotion to me.

[put out]

14. About FluMist?

I need to bone up on my research. The main advantage is what? No needle? No arm aches for a day or two after?

If I am remembering correctly, FluMist is made with an attenuated or partly killed virus. Therefore, the chances of getting a mild case of influenza are very possible, unlike with the vaccination, which is made with a dead virus and cannot give you influenza. In addition, using FluMist can mean it is possible for you to transmit influenza to those around you until your immune system produces the needed antibodies. This, as with the vaccination, takes 2 weeks or so.

I am not asking anyone to do my work for me. I wish I had something a little more definative to post. Thanks, arizona, for bringing this up.

Did I call you arizona? Oh, I'm sorry. Now I can't remember, but I think it's amazona. I think the whole world needs nametags. I shall wear mine upside down so that I can read it.

[hlthe2b]

12. Gee, a health crisis? Time for more tax cuts......!

Yeah, that's the ticket! :mad:

[kentuck]

15. I have a correction to make in this report...

The actual number of children that have died of the suspected flu virus is eight, not fourteen. I apologize for that error.

[liberalhistorian]

21. Doesn't matter what the

number is, even one is too many in this day and age when it's completely, totally, absolutely preventable.

[Robb]

17. Coming to you live from Colorado

...plus, I've had the flu for a week and counting now...past the ugly fever part, now on the "too much effort to do anything" part.

Anyhow.

To answer the bit about the mist product; it has two purposes, first to provide an alternative to injection (which decreases the risk of infection, surprisingly enough every time you stick a needle in someone's arm you run a risk that someone upstream didn't do their job properly). And second, it's a non-egg-based product, which addresses the 4% of Americans who are allergic to eggs. Baxter is developing an injection product that is also egg-free, but it won't be available until 2007 if all goes well.

As to the matter of the amount of the vaccine, it's first important to recognize there is a supply stream issue here; when the drug companies announced they were "out of vaccine", it really only meant that it had all left their physical warehouses. Granted, it did so a few months earlier than usual, but I expect we'll see at the end that regardless of when the peak happens, it will not be significantly higher than, say, 1999, the last big flu season. In other words, I don't think we will actually "run dry" of vaccine.

Again, as was said upthread, 83 million doses of vaccine were produced this year. That's nealy 9 million more doses than have ever been used. I don't think we can fault CDC on that one.

Remember, from a national perspective, the goal is not to vaccinate everyone in the country; the goal is to vaccinate enough people to stem the spread of the disease. Statistically, this only means hitting about 1 in 6 people, which they can do.

Getting sick, I should point out, really, really sucks. Two or three days of drenched-in-sweat chills and fever, followed by an awful lot of weakness. And no, I once again eschewed the vaccine this year, to my dismay this time. I think the bigger crisis really is how many people have suddenly decided they know better than CDC or their doctor, and aren't taking the vaccine when they are in high risk groups.

But this post is way, way long enough. Thoughts?

[Lars39]

18. What's the report on the elderly? They are usually hit hard with the flu.

How many elderly have died?

[karlschneider]

19. It's bad here in Okla too. 5 have died (I think all children) but I know

lots of local people who have it. I tried to get a flu shot but there isn't any in the county that I can find..so I am avoiding going into stores or any public places until (or if) it tapers off. The freezer is full & I can do without eggs & produce for a while...:-(

[spooky3]

22. I tried several weeks ago to get the shot from my doctor

but they were out of vaccine then and will not be getting more.

They said that over 3 times the number of people have gotten the shots this year versus last year.

I guess the rest of us will have to cross our fingers. And remember to vote next November.