September 27, 2006
Avian Flu and Bush Too
Revere at Effect Measure has an update on bird flu after 22 months, just in case you thought you had avoided that catastrope -- do not remove bird flu from your Damocles Collection.
Now it's almost two years later and the bird flu train has not arrived. But the tracks are vibrating more strongly, we can hear the engine noise more loudly and we know the train is in the vicinity, crashing through half the world's poultry flocks, flicking off various other mammalian host species and the occasional human (251 at last count). We know much more about the virus than we did two years ago, but some of what we have learned is that what we thought we knew was wrong. That's progress, but of a peculiar sort. Still no effective vaccine in production and no likelihood of significant quantities for several years, if then. Uncertain quantities of antivirals on hand and with uncertain efficacy. And public health systems still tottering on the edge, with social service systems weakened as well. These are gross failures of government, and those government failures are traceable to gross failures in leadership.
In typical Destroy-The-Agency-By-Appointing-An-Incompetent-Fascist-To-Take-It-Apart (then privatize, and give the contract to Halliburton) Mode, Dr Julie Gerberding has been busy leading the CDC down Rapture Road.. A functional Center for Disease Control might have come in handy sometime in the future. Oh well.
As if this wasn't quite enough, there was this disturbing comment from Pogie's Mom:
Just a comment on the ready availability of information on Bird Flu. Two bills to limit influenza pandemic (and other health) information available to the public on pandemics from government are going through both the U.S. House and the Senate. Under the blanket of "national security" much of the data now available would be classified and unavailable, publication could be a crime. It looks like they are going to pass. Seems like the health news suppression we have castigated China about is coming home here to the U.S. of A. The powers that be are not taking well to the idea of citizen participation (meddling?) via internet in the decisions of government. We are a Republic, after all. Posted by: Pogie's Mom | September 27, 2006 04:39 PM
On that hopeful note, All of us here at Dakota, wish you a cheery day. After all, there's still time to
Photo note: taken surrreptiously at a museum best left unnamed because rules were broken -- for a very good cause, of course. The artist's name is Brad Story just in case you feel inclined to purchase one of his works for your collection
Posted by Dakota at September 27, 2006 08:49 PM