What is He Thinking?!
WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush asks Congress for $1.2 billion for enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans against current strain of bird flu.
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Hot off the wires:
WASHINGTON (AP) The Federal Reserve, concerned about potential inflation pressures, has increased a key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in more than four years.
There was a Dr on with Shep Smith today who said first of all there is no vaccine for bird flu, no American manufacturer will produce any kind of vaccine because they don't want to be sued. That's why we rely on foreign manufacturers for our flu shots each year.
Secondly, Tamiflu [made by Roche, another foreign manufacturer who has the patent on this drug] one of only two drugs that can treat flu has shown to be ineffective in some strains of the bird flu which is why the death rate is so high. And most importantly the flu virus mutates. The flu is in birds so making vaccine in chicken eggs as they do now will be difficult if not impossible. It will be easier and more can be produced using some sort of DNA method to produce a new flu vaccine, but we need to know what the strain is at the time. Much like with ordinary flu, each year they produce vaccine for the strain they think will hit us.
I just wonder why the President felt it necessary to get into this discussion about 3 weeks ago and now today with the big dollars. I just wish they would also work on the local level to figure out how to make sure everyone will get the shot or treatment in the first 24-48 hours which is mandatory once you contract the flu. Considering their inability to get water to people after a hurricane I am skeptical things will go smoothly. If it's another FEMA mess then there will be a lot more dead people than in New Orleans.