Homeland Secretary Napolitano predicts severe flu epidemic for fall

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano asserted Tuesday that pandemic flu is likely to flare up soon after schools open in the fall, well before any vaccine is available.

Napolitano also acknowledged that there would not be enough pandemic flu vaccine for everyone, at least in the early stages of the flu season. "There will be prioritization of vaccinations," she told members of the USA TODAY editorial board.

The flu strain causing the pandemic, a new strain of H1N1 flu that is also known as swine flu, is especially dangerous because it is genetically different from virtually every other known flu virus. As a result, most people are defenseless against it — making vaccine the keystone of any effort to prevent illness and save lives.

Napolitano said the flu epidemic is likely to be severe, but not as severe as the 1918 pandemic, the world's worst. In 1918, flu killed at least 675,000 people in the USA and up to 50 million worldwide. She said it's more likely that the pandemic would mirror 1957, when flu killed about 70,000 people in the USA and more than one million people worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.





Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-04-swinefluoutbreak-pandemic_N.htm

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Guess we aren't panicking enough yet.

[MercutioATC]

2. I believe she's confused. It WILL be widespread, but should not be "severe".

(at least not in terms of case fatality ratio)

A nasty mutation or two and all bets are off, but this is currently an especially contagious flu with a low case fatality ratio.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. QUIT LOOKING BEHIND THE CURTAIN

There's nothing to see there.

[MercutioATC]

7. Don't get me wrong, I believe it IS a serious issue.

...but imprecise words such as this help nobody.

They reinforce the naysayers' claims that's all a load of bull, they feed the panic of the worriers, and they give no useful information to the rest of us.

Stay informed, stay calm, stay prepared.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. Oh I agree.

Or at least the potential to become a serious issue.

All the FUD is going to cause problems if it DOES become a huge problem.

[stray cat]

4. Given the laughs of DUers I hope no one laughing complains about the flu

or requires any medical assistance of any type. Avoid the vaccine - it means the rest of us might be able to get vaccinated.

[Unvanguard]

15. Don't say that. The more people get vaccinated, the better for everyone. n/t

[midnight]

16. The seriousness of illness is not laughable, but what is, is the

prevention of medical treatment and the use of inoculations that need greater testing before letting loose on the uninsured.

[dipsydoodle]

5. I predict

leaves on the ground.

[Iowa]

6. It says a lot about how far this country has fallen...

...when we're hearing details about a potential flu pandemic from the Department of Homeland Security. We're living in a country where even a disease is being quasi-militarized and viewed through the lense of "security". The police state mentality continues to thrive even after the passing of the Bush administration.

The only thing I want to hear from Janet Napolitano is how she plans to dismantle the U.S. version of the Gestapo. If I want information about the flu, I'll turn to the CDC or Health & Human Services.

[Faryn Balyncd]

10. Amen.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. Bah!

[madrchsod]

11. the only thing people can do is cope with it the best they can

people will get sick,will have go to work,and they will infect others. people will not seek medical treatment because they can not afford it. children will have to be sick without a parent home because no one in this country has enough sick time to cover an epidemic in their family. the health-care industry will be overwhelmed with people seeking treatment.....

thanks for the warning janet but in this country it really does`t matter....

[Coventina]

12. I wonder if there was a severe pandemic if it would affect

the debate over the healthcare system?

If a privatized system is so great, it should be able to take this in stride, right?

[demigoddess]

13. what I have read about the 1918 epidemic is that it was made worse by

things of the time. WWI with lots of people crossing the ocean for weeks all stuffed into troop ships. A lot of those troops were fresh off the farm with less natural immunity to flu than we have now. All the winters with flus and flu shots have given us what is called 'herd immunity' that they did not have at that time. Fewer of us will get this flu. It will be less severe on us. Also I remember the 70's when they wanted us to be afraid of the 'swine flu' and yet there were no cases in all that time. Just because a flu is pandemic(spread all around the world) that does not mean it is dangerous. It simply is a fact of life when we have global airline travel.

[robcon]

14. She should leave the flu epidemic to the HHS

Flu is not a Homeland Security issue.