Pandemic Risk vs Pandemic Apathy

October 16, 2007 14:24 PM Bird Flu Takes Another Life In Indonesia, Toll Now 88 (source:http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=290179)JAKARTA, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- A 12-year-old boy at Ceger village in Tangerang district in Banten province near here died of the H5N1 virus over the weekend, bringing to 88 the death toll in bird flu cases in Indonesia, a health official reported. The boy was brought to a local midwife on Oct 3 after suffering from fever for three days, said head of the communicable disease control and prevention section at the Tangerang district health office, Dr Yuliah Iskandar.

Among the critical issues facing this planet is H5N1 and the threat of a worldwide pandemic. While the other major issues such as terrorism, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, increasing tensions over nuclear technology and weapons proliferation, whether a dirty bomb in a suitcase or a trend of more nations joining 'the club', matters involving critical health issues seem to take a back seat. There was the mad rush for duct tape and rolls of plastic sheet for personal household protection with the advent of fears over biological weapons like anthrax. Perhaps the addition of sarin gas to the publicly known 21st century arsenal assisted the waning of these simplistic countermeasures. The flow of information regarding potential catastrophes in the form of warning the public is weighed against the risk of panic. That judgment typically resides with those who have access in 'leadership' roles in government and the military. Is the relative quiet and limited media coverage about the avian flu the result of typical public apathy, a concerted effort by those in charge to let a sleeping dog lie or editorial decisions based on what sells? A combination of all three may be the low risk bet on a high risk topic. The information is out there, you just have to look for it. The story about the Indonesian boy who died from H5N1 this week should cause everyone to take another look. In case you are interested a few handy references are provided. A world map from July 2006 displaying countries with confirmed cases in animals and humans. A WHO list of cases reported to them as recent as this month. The US government site devoted to H5N1 and some NIH information. The narrative about vaccine trials in helpful. Except the part where they describe several cases within months in Viet Nam where patients survived the avian flu. There is no discussion illuminating how they survived. Was it without intervention or did they get assistance? It would be nice if those involved in finding solutions have been successful. But the prudent reaction to the quiet front on this health issue suggests otherwise. With the flu season of the common variety approaching with its habit of killing thousands each year in the US alone, the scenario for its deadlier cousin is likely similar. As the scary cousin develops, the likelihood of avoiding a pandemic may be within reach but a similar trend compared to the common forms of flu may become an annual event also only with many more deaths in the future and a relatively apathetic view from the world's humans. Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR) http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/en/ Nations With Confirmed Cases: H5N1 Avian Influenza (MAP: July 7, 2006) http://www.pandemicflu.gov/map.html Pandemic Flu Dot Gov http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ Human Antibodies Protect Mice from Avian Flu http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2007/niaid-28.htm An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus. February 2007 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS on Avian Influenza Trials http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/QA/H5N1QandA.htm January 2007 NIAID DNA Vaccine for H5N1 Avian Influenza Enters Human Trial http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2007/FluDNAVax.htm By Stanford Matthews Blog @ MoreWhat.com