Swine flu 'could kill millions unless rich nations give £900m'

[babsbunny]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/20/swine-flu-costs-un-report

UN report says pandemic may result in anarchy unless western world pays for antiviral drugs and vaccines

Rajeev Syal

The swine flu pandemic could kill millions and cause anarchy in the world's poorest nations unless £900m can be raised from rich countries to pay for vaccines and antiviral medicines, says a UN report leaked to the Observer.

The disclosure will provoke concerns that health officials will not be able to stem the growth of the worldwide H1N1 pandemic in developing countries. If the virus takes hold in the poorest nations, millions could die and the economies of fragile countries could be destroyed.

Health ministers around the globe were sent the warning on Thursday in a report on the costs of averting a humanitarian disaster in the next few months. It comes as officials inside the World Health Organisation, the UN's public health body, said they feared they would not be able to raise half that amount because of the global downturn.

[Chemisse]

1. Sounds like a scam to me

So far this flu is not overly deadly. We barely need the vaccines/antivirals ourselves, why should we be funding them for the rest of the world?

[notesdev]

5. Agreed

The severity of H1N1 has turned out to be quite low. Someone is pimping for dollars here.

Anyway, if they want "rich nations" to fund this, they should be asking in Chinese. We're flat broke.

[MichiganVote]

2. Well that leaves the US out...we gotta a whole lotta nuttin'

[BlooInBloo]

3. Was that email from a Nigerian Prince?

[Recovered Repug]

4. Do you mean that the uncle I never knew I had

didn't die and leave me $10 million?

[postulater]

6. Held hostage by a swine! n/t

[obliviously]

7. We could just fire up a couple more printers

and send a few truckloads of money to the UN. Aren't we making a fortune with GM an Chrysler?