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Bush bird flu plan includes windfall for pharmaceuticals giants
President George W. Bush’s announcement Tuesday of a $7.1 billion plan to combat the threat of an avian influenza pandemic has drawn criticism from scientific experts and the state and local authorities mandated to implement much of the program.
It is also being exposed as a thinly disguised gift to US pharmaceutical companies that stand to profit handsomely from the production of vaccines and treatments for the bird flu under the administration’s plan, while avoiding liability for damages resulting from their operations.
Bush unveiled the “National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza” in a speech Tuesday to doctors, scientists and members of Congress at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Utilizing the phraseology common since the 9/11 terror attacks, Bush described the threat of the bird flu as “a danger to our homeland,” and urged Congress to fund his proposal.
The threat of a worldwide outbreak of avian flu is genuine. The H5N1 strain of the virus has already infected 122 people and killed 62 in four countries—Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia—and has contaminated poultry flocks across wide stretches of Asia and into Europe.
While up to now most human victims appear to have been infected directly from birds, the danger is that the deadly virus could mutate into a form easily transmittable between humans. A recent Science magazine article stated that according to expert opinion the odds of an eventual global outbreak are “100 percent,” posing a danger to millions of lives.
Critics have decried Bush’s “crash program” as too little, too late. Dr. Allan Rosenfield, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York, told Reuters, “It should have happened five years ago.” To put the $7.1 billion figure into perspective, it is close to the amount spent by the US in a month on the war in Iraq. It is also less than the $8-billion flu preparedness plan passed recently by the Senate.
It is also a fraction of the $70 billion in additional tax cuts for the wealthy that Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress are preparing to enact.
The Bush administration’s “National Strategy” to fight an avian flu pandemic is not only woefully inadequate, but promises windfall profits to the giant pharmaceutical interests while leaving cash-strapped state and local authorities financially responsible for implementing large portions of the plan.
Read More
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/bflu-n03.shtml
Bush unveiled the “National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza” in a speech Tuesday to doctors, scientists and members of Congress at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Utilizing the phraseology common since the 9/11 terror attacks, Bush described the threat of the bird flu as “a danger to our homeland,” and urged Congress to fund his proposal.
The threat of a worldwide outbreak of avian flu is genuine. The H5N1 strain of the virus has already infected 122 people and killed 62 in four countries—Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia—and has contaminated poultry flocks across wide stretches of Asia and into Europe.
While up to now most human victims appear to have been infected directly from birds, the danger is that the deadly virus could mutate into a form easily transmittable between humans. A recent Science magazine article stated that according to expert opinion the odds of an eventual global outbreak are “100 percent,” posing a danger to millions of lives.
Critics have decried Bush’s “crash program” as too little, too late. Dr. Allan Rosenfield, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York, told Reuters, “It should have happened five years ago.” To put the $7.1 billion figure into perspective, it is close to the amount spent by the US in a month on the war in Iraq. It is also less than the $8-billion flu preparedness plan passed recently by the Senate.
It is also a fraction of the $70 billion in additional tax cuts for the wealthy that Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress are preparing to enact.
The Bush administration’s “National Strategy” to fight an avian flu pandemic is not only woefully inadequate, but promises windfall profits to the giant pharmaceutical interests while leaving cash-strapped state and local authorities financially responsible for implementing large portions of the plan.
Read More
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/bflu-n03.shtml
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Maybe we could try a little prevention this time? The obvious cause of the avian flu pandemic is factory farming. By overdosing crowded chickens with antibiotics and antivirals on a daily basis, both the chicken's immune system weakens and the bacteria/virus evolve resistence. Technically viruses aren't alive, but somehow they alter their structure to adapt to the environment similar to bacteria. That is one reason that anti-biotics and anti-virals don't work for more than a few years time after which they lose their effectiveness, the bacteria/viruses have genetically "moved on" and new antibiotics/antivirals are needed to supress illness. An eaiser way to deal with naturally occurring bacteria/viruses is to have healthy chickens in smaller numbers not crowded together in cages, and healthy humans not dependent on pharmaceuticals and antibiotics themselves..
Don't worry, Bush, Rumsfeld and other people invested in the pharmaceutical corporations won't hesitate to rob us blind by selling us ineffective pharmaceutical products like Tamiflu before we eventually die anyway after depending on their ineffective products to stay alive. That way our children's inheritence for college ends up in the pockets of Bush (Eli-lily), Rumsfeld (Serle) and other pharmaceutical interests instead..
In order to prevent the avian flue pandemic we need to cease and desist with the whole factory farming business. People may want to consider decreasing their consumption of poultry for a while, or at least know your source. If your friend don't the street has a few chickens in their yard, pay them a visit and check out the conditions for yourself. Most likely backyard poultry is much safer and healthier than any factory farms, no matter how much they invest in propoganda to tell u the opposite. Try visiting a factory farm to check out their conditions and you'll get the police called on you sooner than u can say (osama bin loggin'). That's because they don't want you to witness the conditions of filth and cruelty these chickens endure everyday, most people would be grossed out. We also could continue to support the strike at Foster Farms because here the workers themselves are exposed to countless resistant bacteria and viruses in the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of Foster's Factory Farms. Personally since animal rights activists are advocating closing factory farms like Fosters permanently, the workers may want to consider working elsewhere, some places like Foster Farms are beyond reform. Only my opinion here..
Other options to domesticated poultry are learning to hunt for migratory waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) though with the continued destruction and loss of wetlands habitat there may not be enough ducks to go around. Hunters need to take a more active role in campaigning for wetlands restoration, thereby increasing the numbers of migratory waterfowl..
Either way, we all need to consume less animal products. Eating meat is a special occasion amongst many indigenous cultures, and no more was taken than was needed. Animals were free their entire lives and were killed with dignity, respect and a prayer of thanks to their spirit for sacrificing themselves so we may eat. Not a bad idea to consider the spirits of the animals you consume..
We probably shouldn't be eating meat as often, especially with our mostly sedentary lifestyle. Being vegetarian or vegan is a great option, protein and essential B vitamins can be obtained from a combination of nutritional yeast, seaweed and other nuts, seeds and legumes..
Garlic has shown to boost the human immune system. The fresher the better. Garlic can be easily grown indoors and is available from most farmers markets for only a few bucks. Or you can spend hundreds of dollars on Tamiflu instead to the financial delight of the Bush regime. Choice is yours..
Personally i recommend everyone stocking up on garlic this fall for the upcoming flu season..
luna moth
Don't worry, Bush, Rumsfeld and other people invested in the pharmaceutical corporations won't hesitate to rob us blind by selling us ineffective pharmaceutical products like Tamiflu before we eventually die anyway after depending on their ineffective products to stay alive. That way our children's inheritence for college ends up in the pockets of Bush (Eli-lily), Rumsfeld (Serle) and other pharmaceutical interests instead..
In order to prevent the avian flue pandemic we need to cease and desist with the whole factory farming business. People may want to consider decreasing their consumption of poultry for a while, or at least know your source. If your friend don't the street has a few chickens in their yard, pay them a visit and check out the conditions for yourself. Most likely backyard poultry is much safer and healthier than any factory farms, no matter how much they invest in propoganda to tell u the opposite. Try visiting a factory farm to check out their conditions and you'll get the police called on you sooner than u can say (osama bin loggin'). That's because they don't want you to witness the conditions of filth and cruelty these chickens endure everyday, most people would be grossed out. We also could continue to support the strike at Foster Farms because here the workers themselves are exposed to countless resistant bacteria and viruses in the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of Foster's Factory Farms. Personally since animal rights activists are advocating closing factory farms like Fosters permanently, the workers may want to consider working elsewhere, some places like Foster Farms are beyond reform. Only my opinion here..
Other options to domesticated poultry are learning to hunt for migratory waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) though with the continued destruction and loss of wetlands habitat there may not be enough ducks to go around. Hunters need to take a more active role in campaigning for wetlands restoration, thereby increasing the numbers of migratory waterfowl..
Either way, we all need to consume less animal products. Eating meat is a special occasion amongst many indigenous cultures, and no more was taken than was needed. Animals were free their entire lives and were killed with dignity, respect and a prayer of thanks to their spirit for sacrificing themselves so we may eat. Not a bad idea to consider the spirits of the animals you consume..
We probably shouldn't be eating meat as often, especially with our mostly sedentary lifestyle. Being vegetarian or vegan is a great option, protein and essential B vitamins can be obtained from a combination of nutritional yeast, seaweed and other nuts, seeds and legumes..
Garlic has shown to boost the human immune system. The fresher the better. Garlic can be easily grown indoors and is available from most farmers markets for only a few bucks. Or you can spend hundreds of dollars on Tamiflu instead to the financial delight of the Bush regime. Choice is yours..
Personally i recommend everyone stocking up on garlic this fall for the upcoming flu season..
luna moth
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