Flu Pandemic Statistics

[Sinatra]

Your article was from September 4th, you twit. Since then there have been more deaths among children.

As to the school closings, I've no idea why this is important to you, but google is your friend.

schools closed flu - Google News

I noted some schools have closed more recently - but not due to confirmed cases of swine flu, but namely students and/or their parents staying home because of "flu-like" symptoms.
Such is a parent's choice, but the actual flu this year is really no different than any other year, with the exception of a very small percentage of the young population suffering from serious medical pre-conditions - which of course was the primary purpose of the article - to outline the underlying health conditions of those dying from H1N1 - a very very small segment of the population.

Yes - there have been more deaths - and more will come. The CDC reported over 56,000 flu-related deaths in 2006.

But for healthy people, be they young or old, this flu season is no different than any other - except for the hysteria...

 

[Luissa]

Your article was from September 4th, you twit. Since then there have been more deaths among children.

As to the school closings, I've no idea why this is important to you, but google is your friend.

schools closed flu - Google News

I noted some schools have closed more recently - but not due to confirmed cases of swine flu, but namely students and/or their parents staying home because of "flu-like" symptoms.
Such is a parent's choice, but the actual flu this year is really no different than any other year, with the exception of a very small percentage of the young population suffering from serious medical pre-conditions - which of course was the primary purpose of the article - to outline the underlying health conditions of those dying from H1N1 - a very very small segment of the population.

Yes - there have been more deaths - and more will come. The CDC reported over 56,000 flu-related deaths in 2006.

But for healthy people, be they young or old, this flu season is no different than any other - except for the hysteria...

except for the fact that it started early with a higher rate in october then last year. We are at levels that we usually do not see until feburuary.

 

[Ravi]

No...that is incorrect. You can make things up all you want, but that doesn't make you correct.

Typically, influenza takes the old and frail. But the latest data compiled by the CDC shows this year's H1N1 flu is anything but typical. With seasonal flu, 90 percent of those who die from the illness are over age 65. Yet with the new pandemic flu strain, the statistics have been upside down.

Swine flu killing more young than old, CDC says

 

[Luissa]

No...that is incorrect. You can make things up all you want, but that doesn't make you correct.

Typically, influenza takes the old and frail. But the latest data compiled by the CDC shows this year's H1N1 flu is anything but typical. With seasonal flu, 90 percent of those who die from the illness are over age 65. Yet with the new pandemic flu strain, the statistics have been upside down.

Swine flu killing more young than old, CDC says

on 60 minutes last night they said part of that has to do with this virus being similiar to flu virus that many caught in the 30's.

 

[Sinatra]

No...that is incorrect. You can make things up all you want, but that doesn't make you correct.

Typically, influenza takes the old and frail. But the latest data compiled by the CDC shows this year's H1N1 flu is anything but typical. With seasonal flu, 90 percent of those who die from the illness are over age 65. Yet with the new pandemic flu strain, the statistics have been upside down.

Swine flu killing more young than old, CDC says

No...it is no incorrect.

We are discussing overall mortality and illness here.

This flu in normal healthy adults is actually considered mild.

Only for a very small segment of the population does it pose a higher risk.

And yes, this flu season has started about a month earlier - but that is not unique, and could also result in an earlier conclusion than normal.


For children, death from the flu is waaaaaaaay down on the list of concerns - particularly for healthy children.

Did you know 300% more children are murdered than die from the flu?

And that almost 2000% more children die from accidents?

While it is easy to get caught up in the doom n gloom hype of the modern era, some perspective would be wise and of benefit to yourself and others.

On the upside, my stock portfolio has benefited greatly from the flu hype, so perhaps I doth protest too much!!

 

[Sinatra]

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- How much could Donald Rumsfeld make from this swine flu panic, anyway?

I put a call into his office, but the former Secretary of Defense doesn't want to comment. (His staff says Rummy is hard at work on his memoirs. Ominous news for the GOP: The book is penciled in to hit the bookstores next fall -- just around the time of the mid-term elections).

Rumsfeld is the highest profile figure associated with Gilead Sciences Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!gild/quotes/nls/gild (GILD 45.10, -1.02, -2.21%) , the California biopharma behind the Tamiflu vaccine. He is the company's former chairman, and at the last disclosure a few years back still held a stake in the company worth somewhere up to $25 million.


Everyone and their aunt will probably be crowding into emergency rooms at the first sign of a runny nose this winter, demanding treatments, regardless of any effectiveness.

One thing we know for certain: Flu times are good times at Gilead. No stockholders anywhere stand to make as much from flu panic.

"The biggest beneficiary to the world's dilemma with the H1N1 virus is Gilead Sciences," says a report from research firm BWS Financial, Inc. Gilead will be in a sweet spot if swine flu turns into mass panic, it says. "We believe (Gilead) remains the true investment on the H1N1 theme."

Gilead licensed its Tamiflu vaccine to pharmaceutical giant Roche back in 1996, but gets lucrative royalties on sales. Gilead's revenue from Tamiflu came to about $400 million during the bird flu panic in 2006-2007, BWS estimates.

An analysis by Deutsche Bank predicts Gilead will get about $195 million revenue from Tamiflu just in the fourth quarter of this year, and another $137 million in the first quarter of next year. Deutsche argues that Wall Street has so far underestimated the likely gains. (Deutsche's analysis is based on results from Roche, which has just reported its third quarter figures. Gilead gets its cut from Roche's sales one quarter later.)

Tamiflu is only one part of the business. Gilead is a broad biotech company. But Wall Street loves a story, and if the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, causes a stampede this winter Gilead could get a lot of attention.

The irony about flu vaccines is that they may not even work. A very plausible takedown on the flu vaccine business was published recently in The Atlantic. Read here. But don't expect that to hurt demand. Everyone and their aunt will probably be crowding into emergency rooms at the first sign of a runny nose this winter, demanding treatments, regardless of any effectiveness.

In the so-called home of the brave, the easiest thing to sell is fear.

Gilead stock was only about $16 four years ago. But in 2005 it took off, after the Bush administration responded to the bird flu panic by ordering large quantities of Tamiflu. It has since tripled to about $46.

On the advice of government counsel at the time, Mr. Rumsfeld recused himself from all decisions about Tamiflu and pandemic preparedness. But the rules should really forbid him, or any Secretary of Defense, from owning shares directly at all.

Gilead's booming stock price has generated a lot of windfalls at the company. According to the most recent public filings, executives and staff are sitting on share and option awards that may be worth about $1.6 billion at current levels. That would be, remarkably, an average of $400,000 per person for the 4,000-employee firm, although of course the benefits are hardly distributed equally. Chairman and Chief Executive John Martin made $11 million a year in each of the last two years, and booked a personal profit of $28.5 million by exercising stock options just in 2008.

The Tamiflu connection is proving good news for left-wing conspiracy theorists. In his last financial disclosure as defense secretary, more than two years ago, Donald Rumsfeld revealed he still owned a stake in Gilead worth somewhere between $5 million and $25 million. Since then Gilead shares have risen by nearly a half. Of course, we don't know what -- if anything -- he holds now.

Is it too late to get in on the action? Maybe. Gilead shares, at around $46, look pretty reasonably priced at 17 times next year's forecast earnings. But call options offer a leveraged bet on further swine flu hysteria: For $3 a share you can buy a $50 call good at any point between now and next May.



Look who's profiting from the flu pandemic - MarketWatch

 

[eagleseven]

I am simply asking what schools were closed due to swine flu...

I know a few that closed with a small handful of confirmed cases and then kids getting pulled by parents from school out of fear - but not because of an overwhelming number of actual confirmed cases of swine flu.

Notice, the CDC data isn't in reported cases, it is in laboratory-confirmed HOSPITALIZATIONS. Hospitalization as in "So sick they were rushed to the ER."

And regarding school closings...

More than 100 U.S. schools closed because of swine flu - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- At least 74 schools have closed across the country because of confirmed or probable cases of swine flu and 30 more have closed as a precautionary measure, the Department of Education said Wednesday.

Swine flu is 'a disease of the young' -- latimes.com

New data on hospitalizations and deaths caused by the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus show that it is "a disease of the young," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

From Sept. 1 to Oct. 10, there were 4,958 hospitalizations from laboratory-confirmed swine flu in the 27 states reporting to the CDC, said Schuchat, who is director of the agency's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. More than half of those cases, 53%, involved people younger than 25; 39% were age 26 to 64 and only 7% were 65 and older. In contrast, with seasonal flu, 60% of hospitalizations involve patients 65 and older.

You know I am center-right, so trust me, this is not left-wing propaganda. This is a serious pandemic we all must take seriously, and we all must aid in mitigation efforts.

 

[Valerie]

but the actual flu this year is really no different than any other year

But for healthy people, be they young or old, this flu season is no different than any other - except for the hysteria...

except for the fact that it started early with a higher rate in october then last year. We are at levels that we usually do not see until february.

Sure Sinatra...it's no different -- Except it IS different.

Situation Update

Map of flu activity in the U.S. for week ending October 10, 2009. Click to view the full Situation Update.During the week of October 4-10, 2009, influenza activity continued to increase in the United States as reported in FluView. Flu activity is now widespread in 41 states. Nationwide, visits to doctors for influenza-like-illness continued to increase and are now about equal to or higher than what is seen at the peak of many regular flu seasons. In addition, flu-related hospitalizations and deaths are continuing to go up and are above what is expected for this time of year.
See More On Key Flu Indicators >>

Taking your head out of the sand is not "hysteria" -- It's reality.


CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu

In The News

What percentage of hospitalizations for 2009 H1N1 flu occur in different age groups in the United States?

The percentage of hospitalizations for 2009 H1N1 flu in the United States varies by age group. From August 30, 2009 through October 10, 2009, states reported 4,958 laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 hospitalizations to CDC. The percentage of 2009 H1N1 related hospitalizations that occurred among those 0 to 4 years old was 19%; among those 5 years to 18 years was 25%; among people 19 years to 24 years was 9%; among those 25 years to 49 years was 24%; among people 50 to 64 years was 15%; and among people 65 years and older was 7%.

 

[Emma]

You know I am center-right, so trust me, this is not left-wing propaganda. This is a serious pandemic we all must take seriously, and we all must aid in mitigation efforts.

Thank you.

That people are arguing this is some sort of 'liberal' hype is fucking ridiculous.

 

[eagleseven]

I usually don't status-drop, but I work in Microbiology for a living, and have a graduate-level background in Virology. H1N1 kills through (hypothetically) inducing an auto-immune response that rapidly liquefies the victim's lungs, very much like the Spanish Flu. Why this is still an untested theory, doctors have directly observed the destruction of patients' lungs by H1N1, particularly in young adults.

This theory explains why it mostly kills young people; the stronger your immune system, the more likely you are to have a fatal auto-immune response.

Thankfully, this only occurs in approximately 1% of the infected, and those people can be saved if put into a ventilator in time (thus all the hospitalizations). The problem is, 1% of the US population is 3 million people, and we don't have 3 million ventilators.

Seasonal flu does NOT have the ability to liquefy the lungs, which is why this H1N1 is a more serious threat.

Don't be fooled: swine flu still poses a deadly threat - health - 08 September 2009 - New Scientist

Swine flu has still not grown more severe, as many feared it would but as the pandemic's second, autumn wave begins in the northern hemisphere, the virus is posing a different threat. While H1N1 mostly causes mild disease, some people – estimates suggest fewer than 1 per cent – become deathly ill, very fast.

At a meeting last week in Winnipeg, Canada, experts warned that these cases could overwhelm hospitals. "These were the sickest people I've ever seen," says Anand Kumar, an intensive care expert at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

 

[Sinatra]

I am simply asking what schools were closed due to swine flu...

I know a few that closed with a small handful of confirmed cases and then kids getting pulled by parents from school out of fear - but not because of an overwhelming number of actual confirmed cases of swine flu.

Notice, the CDC data isn't in reported cases, it is in laboratory-confirmed HOSPITALIZATIONS. Hospitalization as in "So sick they were rushed to the ER."[/B]
____


LOL - Our neighbor's daughter had "swine flu". Her mom took her to the doctor after she had a fever of 102 for a couple days. The doc swabbed up her nose and she tested positive - hardly a case of "rushed to the ER". And you know what she was given to treat this horrible disease? Nothing but the advice to get a bit more rest and return to normal activity in another couple of days. The fever had already broken by the time she visited her doctor, and he told Mom it was no biggie and that she was fine because she was a healthy 10 year old. Both her mom, brother, and dad were also tested. The dad came up positive for H1N1, even though he reported only feeling a little less than normal. He never actually came down with a case of the flu - same for the rest of the family. He will be counted in the overall swine flu statistics though...

My wife asked our own doctor about our daughter who is friends with this neighbor and was concerned because our girl gets excercise-induced asthma. Our doc said no worries, that the swine flu fears was mostly hype except for a very select segment of the population. Sure enough, our girl came down last week with what looked like the flu. She ran a slight fever for a couple days, had a cough, but by the third day she was up and running again. We did not take her to the doc - the wife called once and was told unless the fever ran a lot hotter, or the cough got a lot worse, to not worry about it - and he was right.

Two different family docs saying that this thing is no big deal. People will get sick and get better, just like the typical flu season. There is a very small segment of the underage population that is at increased risk, but that is not how it is being reported.

One must wonder why...


And by the way - this hype has nothing to do with liberal or conservative.

It does have to do with lots of $$$$$ though...

 

[Sinatra]

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- How much could Donald Rumsfeld make from this swine flu panic, anyway?

I put a call into his office, but the former Secretary of Defense doesn't want to comment. (His staff says Rummy is hard at work on his memoirs. Ominous news for the GOP: The book is penciled in to hit the bookstores next fall -- just around the time of the mid-term elections).

Rumsfeld is the highest profile figure associated with Gilead Sciences Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!gild/quotes/nls/gild (GILD 45.10, -1.02, -2.21%) , the California biopharma behind the Tamiflu vaccine. He is the company's former chairman, and at the last disclosure a few years back still held a stake in the company worth somewhere up to $25 million.


Everyone and their aunt will probably be crowding into emergency rooms at the first sign of a runny nose this winter, demanding treatments, regardless of any effectiveness.

One thing we know for certain: Flu times are good times at Gilead. No stockholders anywhere stand to make as much from flu panic.

"The biggest beneficiary to the world's dilemma with the H1N1 virus is Gilead Sciences," says a report from research firm BWS Financial, Inc. Gilead will be in a sweet spot if swine flu turns into mass panic, it says. "We believe (Gilead) remains the true investment on the H1N1 theme."

Gilead licensed its Tamiflu vaccine to pharmaceutical giant Roche back in 1996, but gets lucrative royalties on sales. Gilead's revenue from Tamiflu came to about $400 million during the bird flu panic in 2006-2007, BWS estimates.

An analysis by Deutsche Bank predicts Gilead will get about $195 million revenue from Tamiflu just in the fourth quarter of this year, and another $137 million in the first quarter of next year. Deutsche argues that Wall Street has so far underestimated the likely gains. (Deutsche's analysis is based on results from Roche, which has just reported its third quarter figures. Gilead gets its cut from Roche's sales one quarter later.)

Tamiflu is only one part of the business. Gilead is a broad biotech company. But Wall Street loves a story, and if the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, causes a stampede this winter Gilead could get a lot of attention.

The irony about flu vaccines is that they may not even work. A very plausible takedown on the flu vaccine business was published recently in The Atlantic. Read here. But don't expect that to hurt demand. Everyone and their aunt will probably be crowding into emergency rooms at the first sign of a runny nose this winter, demanding treatments, regardless of any effectiveness.

In the so-called home of the brave, the easiest thing to sell is fear.

Gilead stock was only about $16 four years ago. But in 2005 it took off, after the Bush administration responded to the bird flu panic by ordering large quantities of Tamiflu. It has since tripled to about $46.

On the advice of government counsel at the time, Mr. Rumsfeld recused himself from all decisions about Tamiflu and pandemic preparedness. But the rules should really forbid him, or any Secretary of Defense, from owning shares directly at all.

Gilead's booming stock price has generated a lot of windfalls at the company. According to the most recent public filings, executives and staff are sitting on share and option awards that may be worth about $1.6 billion at current levels. That would be, remarkably, an average of $400,000 per person for the 4,000-employee firm, although of course the benefits are hardly distributed equally. Chairman and Chief Executive John Martin made $11 million a year in each of the last two years, and booked a personal profit of $28.5 million by exercising stock options just in 2008.

The Tamiflu connection is proving good news for left-wing conspiracy theorists. In his last financial disclosure as defense secretary, more than two years ago, Donald Rumsfeld revealed he still owned a stake in Gilead worth somewhere between $5 million and $25 million. Since then Gilead shares have risen by nearly a half. Of course, we don't know what -- if anything -- he holds now.

Is it too late to get in on the action? Maybe. Gilead shares, at around $46, look pretty reasonably priced at 17 times next year's forecast earnings. But call options offer a leveraged bet on further swine flu hysteria: For $3 a share you can buy a $50 call good at any point between now and next May.



Look who's profiting from the flu pandemic - MarketWatch

Donald Rumsfeld and others appreciate your support!

 

[Luissa]

I am simply asking what schools were closed due to swine flu...

I know a few that closed with a small handful of confirmed cases and then kids getting pulled by parents from school out of fear - but not because of an overwhelming number of actual confirmed cases of swine flu.

Notice, the CDC data isn't in reported cases, it is in laboratory-confirmed HOSPITALIZATIONS. Hospitalization as in "So sick they were rushed to the ER."

And regarding school closings...

More than 100 U.S. schools closed because of swine flu - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- At least 74 schools have closed across the country because of confirmed or probable cases of swine flu and 30 more have closed as a precautionary measure, the Department of Education said Wednesday.

Swine flu is 'a disease of the young' -- latimes.com

New data on hospitalizations and deaths caused by the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus show that it is "a disease of the young," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

From Sept. 1 to Oct. 10, there were 4,958 hospitalizations from laboratory-confirmed swine flu in the 27 states reporting to the CDC, said Schuchat, who is director of the agency's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. More than half of those cases, 53%, involved people younger than 25; 39% were age 26 to 64 and only 7% were 65 and older. In contrast, with seasonal flu, 60% of hospitalizations involve patients 65 and older.

You know I am center-right, so trust me, this is not left-wing propaganda. This is a serious pandemic we all must take seriously, and we all must aid in mitigation efforts.

I am with you, I even talked crap about the hype last year when it first came out and I hated all the hype the bird flu got. Now that my son has became very sick with it, even having to go the ER the other night when he has 104.4 temp and seeing all the people at the ER it it starting to sink in. I have been to this ER many times over the years and I have never seen it like the way it was the other night.

 

[eagleseven]

The vast majority of people who contracted the 1918 Spanish Flu lived.

It was still one of the most devastating pandemics of all time.

 

[eagleseven]

I am simply asking what schools were closed due to swine flu...

I know a few that closed with a small handful of confirmed cases and then kids getting pulled by parents from school out of fear - but not because of an overwhelming number of actual confirmed cases of swine flu.

Notice, the CDC data isn't in reported cases, it is in laboratory-confirmed HOSPITALIZATIONS. Hospitalization as in "So sick they were rushed to the ER."

And regarding school closings...

Swine flu is 'a disease of the young' -- latimes.com

New data on hospitalizations and deaths caused by the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus show that it is "a disease of the young," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

From Sept. 1 to Oct. 10, there were 4,958 hospitalizations from laboratory-confirmed swine flu in the 27 states reporting to the CDC, said Schuchat, who is director of the agency's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. More than half of those cases, 53%, involved people younger than 25; 39% were age 26 to 64 and only 7% were 65 and older. In contrast, with seasonal flu, 60% of hospitalizations involve patients 65 and older.

You know I am center-right, so trust me, this is not left-wing propaganda. This is a serious pandemic we all must take seriously, and we all must aid in mitigation efforts.

I am with you, I even talked crap about the hype last year when it first came out and I hated all the hype the bird flu got. Now that my son has became very sick with it, even having to go the ER the other night when he has 104.4 temp and seeing all the people at the ER it it starting to sink in. I have been to this ER many times over the years and I have never seen it like the way it was the other night.

I understand. People like Sinatra, I fear, won't realize it until someone they know is hospitalized, and by then, they've already spread it to their friends and family.

 

[Harry Dresden]

When so many kids die from the flu it is pretty freaky.

RAVI......where did you get that picture of me in my Chippendale's garb?......that picture was the calendars Mr. February......hey i had to make a living.....it was tough during the Reagan years.....

 

[Valerie]

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- How much could Donald Rumsfeld make from this swine flu panic, anyway?

I put a call into his office, but the former Secretary of Defense doesn't want to comment. (His staff says Rummy is hard at work on his memoirs. Ominous news for the GOP: The book is penciled in to hit the bookstores next fall -- just around the time of the mid-term elections).

Rumsfeld is the highest profile figure associated with Gilead Sciences Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!gild/quotes/nls/gild (GILD 45.10, -1.02, -2.21%) , the California biopharma behind the Tamiflu vaccine. He is the company's former chairman, and at the last disclosure a few years back still held a stake in the company worth somewhere up to $25 million.


Everyone and their aunt will probably be crowding into emergency rooms at the first sign of a runny nose this winter, demanding treatments, regardless of any effectiveness.

One thing we know for certain: Flu times are good times at Gilead. No stockholders anywhere stand to make as much from flu panic.

"The biggest beneficiary to the world's dilemma with the H1N1 virus is Gilead Sciences," says a report from research firm BWS Financial, Inc. Gilead will be in a sweet spot if swine flu turns into mass panic, it says. "We believe (Gilead) remains the true investment on the H1N1 theme."

Gilead licensed its Tamiflu vaccine to pharmaceutical giant Roche back in 1996, but gets lucrative royalties on sales. Gilead's revenue from Tamiflu came to about $400 million during the bird flu panic in 2006-2007, BWS estimates.

An analysis by Deutsche Bank predicts Gilead will get about $195 million revenue from Tamiflu just in the fourth quarter of this year, and another $137 million in the first quarter of next year. Deutsche argues that Wall Street has so far underestimated the likely gains. (Deutsche's analysis is based on results from Roche, which has just reported its third quarter figures. Gilead gets its cut from Roche's sales one quarter later.)

Tamiflu is only one part of the business. Gilead is a broad biotech company. But Wall Street loves a story, and if the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, causes a stampede this winter Gilead could get a lot of attention.

The irony about flu vaccines is that they may not even work. A very plausible takedown on the flu vaccine business was published recently in The Atlantic. Read here. But don't expect that to hurt demand. Everyone and their aunt will probably be crowding into emergency rooms at the first sign of a runny nose this winter, demanding treatments, regardless of any effectiveness.

In the so-called home of the brave, the easiest thing to sell is fear.

Gilead stock was only about $16 four years ago. But in 2005 it took off, after the Bush administration responded to the bird flu panic by ordering large quantities of Tamiflu. It has since tripled to about $46.

On the advice of government counsel at the time, Mr. Rumsfeld recused himself from all decisions about Tamiflu and pandemic preparedness. But the rules should really forbid him, or any Secretary of Defense, from owning shares directly at all.

Gilead's booming stock price has generated a lot of windfalls at the company. According to the most recent public filings, executives and staff are sitting on share and option awards that may be worth about $1.6 billion at current levels. That would be, remarkably, an average of $400,000 per person for the 4,000-employee firm, although of course the benefits are hardly distributed equally. Chairman and Chief Executive John Martin made $11 million a year in each of the last two years, and booked a personal profit of $28.5 million by exercising stock options just in 2008.

The Tamiflu connection is proving good news for left-wing conspiracy theorists. In his last financial disclosure as defense secretary, more than two years ago, Donald Rumsfeld revealed he still owned a stake in Gilead worth somewhere between $5 million and $25 million. Since then Gilead shares have risen by nearly a half. Of course, we don't know what -- if anything -- he holds now.

Is it too late to get in on the action? Maybe. Gilead shares, at around $46, look pretty reasonably priced at 17 times next year's forecast earnings. But call options offer a leveraged bet on further swine flu hysteria: For $3 a share you can buy a $50 call good at any point between now and next May.



Look who's profiting from the flu pandemic - MarketWatch

Donald Rumsfeld and others appreciate your support!

Tamiflu is not a vaccine it's anti viral medication.



That means some ignoramus wrote that article!

http://www.tamiflu.com/treat.aspx

 

[eagleseven]

Tamiflu is not a vaccine it's anti viral medication.



That means some ignoramus wrote that article!

Not only that, but Tamiflu is rapidly losing effectiveness against H1N1. Viral evolution's a bitch...

 

[Valerie]

Tamiflu is not a vaccine it's anti viral medication.



That means some ignoramus wrote that article!

Not only that, but Tamiflu is losing effectiveness against H1N1. Viral evolution's a bitch...

Yes, it mutates and finds a way to survive.

CDC recommends a three-step approach to fighting the flu: vaccination, everyday preventive actions including frequent hand washing and staying home when sick, and the correct use of antiviral drugs if prescribed by a doctor.

CDC has issued recommendations for clinicians on the use of antiviral medications in the treatment and prevention of influenza for the 2009-2010 season. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®) are the two recommended influenza antiviral drugs at this time. The priority use for these drugs this season is to treat people who are very sick (hospitalized) or people who are sick with flu symptoms and who are at increased risk of serious flu complications, such as pregnant women, young children, people 65 and older and people with chronic health conditions.

The current situation will likely impact the nation’s pharmacies as a greater number of people than usual seek to fill prescriptions for influenza antiviral drugs or antibiotics to treat secondary infections, in addition to seeking advice on over-the-counter flu medications. This may impact supplies and availability of antiviral medications and other materials that may be needed to fill such prescriptions.

CDC H1N1 Flu | 2009-2010 Influenza Season: Information for Pharmacists

Update on Antiviral Availability

At this time, CDC discussions with the antiviral supply chain (manufacturers, distributors and retailers) indicate that supplies of adult formulation (75 mg) oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®) are meeting current demand for this product. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Roche (maker of Tamiflu®) have acknowledged that commercial and stockpiled supplies of Tamiflu® oral suspension are limited.

Pharmacies should be aware of the importance of providing patients with these influenza medications as quickly as possible when they are prescribed. Both Tamiflu® and Relenza® work best when administered within 48 hours of onset of symptoms. Having product at the pharmacy store level, including doses of oseltamivir and zanamivir and supplies to compound Tamiflu® if necessary, will be critical to ensuring that patients needing treatment receive it as quickly as possible.

Alternatives to Tamiflu® Oral Suspension for Pediatric Patients

FDA has a statement on their website (Influenza (Flu) Antiviral Drugs and Related Information) reminding health care providers and pharmacists of the FDA-approved instructions for the emergency compounding of an oral suspension from Tamiflu® 75mg capsules as described in the FDA approved manufacturer package insert for oseltamivir (Tamiflu ®). Compounding an oral suspension from Tamiflu® 75mg capsules provides an alternative when commercially manufactured oral suspension formulation is not readily available. Tamiflu® capsules 75 mg may be compounded using either of two vehicles: Cherry Syrup (Humco®) or Ora-Sweet® SF (sugar-free) (Paddock Laboratories). Other supplies needed to compound include mortar and pestle and amber glass or amber polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) bottle.

In addition, for children who may not be able to swallow capsules, Tamiflu® capsules may be opened and mixed with sweetened liquids, such as regular or sugar-free chocolate syrup, if oral suspension is not available.
Note on Tamiflu Oral Suspension Syringe

Pharmacists with access to Tamiflu® oral suspension should be aware that an oral dosing dispenser with 30 mg, 45 mg, and 60 mg graduations is provided in the packaging for the manufacturer’s product rather than graduations in milliliters (mL) or teaspoons (tsp). There have been cases where the units of measure on the prescription dosing instructions (mL, tsp) do not match the units on the dosing device (mg), which can lead to patient or caregiver confusion and dosing errors. When dispensing commercially manufactured Tamiflu® oral suspension, pharmacists should ensure the units of measure on the dosing instructions match the dosing device provided. If dosing instructions specify administration using mL or tsp the device included in the Tamiflu® product package should be removed and replaced with an appropriate measuring device. When dispensing Tamiflu® oral suspension for children younger than 1 year of age, the oral dosing dispenser that is included in the product package should always be removed and replaced with an appropriate measuring device. (The Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the use of Tamiflu in pediatric patients younger than 1 year of age.)

CDC will provide additional information and updates as needed.

 

[Sinatra]

Hey - you all go ahead and take whatever precautions are needed.

We'll see if we are all still alive and well after the flu season concludes...