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  • An epidemic of panics?

    I'm still waiting to be struck by the bird-flu and SARS epidemics. Looks like Swine-flu will have to join the queue....

    Swine flu vaccine to be sold off
    Emma Wilkinson
    Health reporter, BBC News

    The government is making plans to offload millions of doses of swine flu vaccine amid predictions a "third wave" of the pandemic is unlikely to happen.

    Officials are in discussion with manufacturer GSK over contracts for remaining doses purchased by the UK.

    Options include selling surplus vaccine and donating it to poorer countries but a stockpile will remain in place.

    Cases of swine flu have now dropped dramatically to well below what is usually seen in winter flu outbreaks.

    Last week France announced it was selling millions of doses of swine flu vaccine after finding they had more than enough to cope with the outbreak.

    “ We have to keep a stockpile for ourselves anyway because we don't know what's going to happen in 2010 ”
    Professor David Salisbury, head of immunisation

    The UK bought 60m doses of swine flu vaccine from GSK and 30m from Baxter but the smaller contract had a break clause should the doses not be needed.

    To date 23.9m doses of GSK vaccine have been delivered for immunisation of priority groups in the UK as well as 5m Baxter vaccines.

    An official figure for the cost of the vaccine to the UK has never been given but it is likely to run into hundreds of millions.

    Discussions

    In addition to selling or donating vaccine, another option under consideration is to keep supplies of the vaccine adjuvant, the booster chemical which is produced separately from the vaccine, to use in future pandemics.

    It has a shelf life of five years.

    Government immunisation lead Professor David Salisbury said: "We are in discussion with GSK about future supplies of the vaccine.

    "We have to keep a stockpile for ourselves anyway because we don't know what's going to happen in 2010.

    "If there was a resurgence we would look very foolish if we had disposed of a valuable stockpile."

    He added that it remains important for high-risk groups, such as those with underlying illness and the under fives to be immunised as they are more likely to have severe complications.

    Michael Summers, vice chair of the Patient's Association, said it would have been a "dereliction of duty" if the government had not ordered enough vaccine to cover everyone.

    But he added there were "lessons to be learnt" about negotiating contracts of this size.

    Hospital admissions

    Although the number of cases of swine flu has fallen to a low of below 5,000 in England in the past week, the number of people in hospital after being infected has not dropped to the same extent.

    There has also been a striking increase in critical care admissions in the over 65s who make up a quarter of the 103 patients currently taking up intensive care beds.

    VACCINE UPTAKE
    # Around a third of those in initial priority groups - including those with underlying health problems - have had the swine flu vaccine
    # Roughly one in five pregnant women have been immunised
    # Among healthcare workers, 37% have had the vaccine
    # So far 86,000 under fives have been vaccinated

    This could partly be due to the cold weather but the reason is not yet entirely clear.

    Since swine flu was first reported in April 2009 there have been 360 deaths across the UK - 251 in England, 28 in Wales, 64 in Scotland and 17 in Northern Ireland - mostly in people with underlying health conditions.

    Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said they would be calculating the economic costs of the pandemic at a later date.

    "We're in the 21st century and people do not need to die from vaccine preventable illnesses.

    "We want to prevent deaths, people going to hospital and that's generally been the approach we have taken."

    Ian Dalton, national director of NHS flu resilience, said NHS staff were making huge efforts to keep services going amid pressures caused by the current cold weather.

    "All the work done with flu preparedness will help us in the adverse conditions," he said.

    Story from BBC NEWS:
    BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service


  • #2
    When it comes time for people to realize that the last panic never should have been a panic, they're too engrossed in the current panic to notice.

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    • #3
      We're too busy panicking about the weather over here to remember that we're still supposed to be panicking about swine-flu, economic collapse, terrorism and alcohol abuse.

      Comment


      • #4
        Weather, what weather? It's fine here in Cardiff.
        Is it me, or is MOBIUS a horrible person?

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        • #5
          Why not just vaccinate people? The more people vaccinated means the less likely another wave. Plus it might also increase resistance to similar strains (which is why older folks exposed to the 50's/60's pandemics proved more resistant.)
          The genesis of the "evil Finn" concept- Evil, evil Finland

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          • #6
            liability.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Bugs ****ing Bunny View Post
              Why not just vaccinate people? The more people vaccinated means the less likely another wave. Plus it might also increase resistance to similar strains (which is why older folks exposed to the 50's/60's pandemics proved more resistant.)

              Wouldn't most of us who do not live in bubbles have been exposed to it by now?
              (\__/)
              (='.'=)
              (")_(") This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your signature to help him gain world domination.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by MOBIUS View Post
                Weather, what weather? It's fine here in Cardiff.
                Well, hell is said to be hot
                With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.

                Steven Weinberg

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by notyoueither View Post
                  Wouldn't most of us who do not live in bubbles have been exposed to it by now?
                  Exposure does not mean you will be infected.

                  I was exposed to literally hundreds of swine flu patients before the vaccine was finally available. Someone else may have gotten infected after being exposed once. Just dumb luck. Better to be vaccinated, in case one comes up snake eyes.
                  "My nation is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine
                  "The subject of onanism is inexhaustable." --Sigmund Freud

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                  • #10
                    Do you need to develop the flu to gain resistance or just be exposed?
                    (\__/)
                    (='.'=)
                    (")_(") This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your signature to help him gain world domination.

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                    • #11
                      You need the antigen; either infection, or immunization. Being around someone with the flu, without getting sick or vaccinated yourself, won't make you immune.
                      "My nation is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine
                      "The subject of onanism is inexhaustable." --Sigmund Freud

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                      • #12
                        Why should I care if I get infected? Is there any reason to think swine flu is more dangerous than any of the less-hyped flu strains out there?
                        KH FOR OWNER!
                        ASHER FOR CEO!!
                        GUYNEMER FOR OT MOD!!!

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                        • #13
                          It is more dangerous for healthy young people, ie, you and me. Your odds of getting truly, truly ill are still quite low, but they are higher than with most seasonal flu strains.
                          "My nation is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine
                          "The subject of onanism is inexhaustable." --Sigmund Freud

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                          • #14
                            Your odds of getting truly, truly ill are still quite low, but they are higher than with most seasonal flu strains.


                            Are they higher than dying in a car accident? If not, wouldn't worrying about this make me a *****?
                            KH FOR OWNER!
                            ASHER FOR CEO!!
                            GUYNEMER FOR OT MOD!!!

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                            • #15
                              Decidedly not.
                              "My nation is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine
                              "The subject of onanism is inexhaustable." --Sigmund Freud

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