Not much action lately on the Avian Flu front. I guess old news doesn't interest the media any more. The World Health Organization does continue to monitor the Avian Flu situation in countries where it is still occurring. See the results here. Unless you're in China, Egypt or Vietnam, it seems you have nothing to fear. For the rest of the world, avian flu is dead.
Or is it?
The pharmaceutical companies involved in making the various antivirals, namely the Tamiflu and the Relenza, may have seemed to slow down on their propaganda. The reality is that they are going at it from a different angle now. Most organizations that were scared into stockpiling antivirals during the 2003 to 2005 fear campaign are now being approached because the stock they purchased then has reached it maturity date. These "pro-active" organizations now have old stock on their hand that they will have to discard and replace by new stocks.
For those companies who invested and are now faced with a loss of the investment, particularly under difficult economic conditions, it may time to revisit your position.
What pressured you to buy into this plan in the first place?
Was it:
- Media pressure?
- Internal pressure from union groups or staff?
- Direct pressure from the pharmaceutical companies?
Either way, before buying again you should consider what has been provided before.
1 - Avian Flu has still not been proven to be able to mutate into a form that will allow human-to-human tranmission. Unless you are in the poultry business, your chances of contracting the avian flu are almost as high as that of being hit by a meteor.
2 - Test have shown that not only the antivirals are ineffective, but they have many side effects i.e. liver problems, dementia
3 - The only people working to make use of antivirals mandatory are those that benefit directly from the sale of the products. For more on this and the Rumsfeld swindle see the blog called Life Through My Eyes: The bird flu hoax.
Once again as I write this, I want to include a caveat. The risk of influenza pandemic is real. History has shown that this kind of of situation occurs on a cyclical basis. We have had three major and three minor pandemics in the last century. Read some of my previous posts to find out more. Also go to this site to get more on the impacts of pandemics.
As I have mentioned before, medication isn't the solution, building up your immune system is. So how do we build up our immunity to influenza? Common healthy living practices:
- Develop or maintain good eating habits
- Have lots of sleep
- Exercise
- Reduce stress
- Stop smoking
- Get regular medical check-ups
When viruses are around then a few more good habits need to come into play:
- Hand washing
- Cough etiquette (sneezing in your armpit instead of your hands)
- Social distancing (staying three feet from the person you are talking with0
- Sanitation (cleaning your keyboard, phone or workspace before and after use)
- Encouraging a practice to stay home when you think you are ill
If you are one of the decision-makers in a company that has to look into restocking of anti-virals, my recommendation is, don't waste your money. Invest instead into an HR Emergency Plan. If you don't know where to start for such a plan, send me a note and I'll provide you with some information, free, no catch.
On the flu look-out,
Alain Normand
No comments:
Post a Comment