September 23, 2005
What's going on here?
Just in case you were lulled into complaisancy by The New York Times, Revere, over at Effect Measure, criticizing WHO, says this, and much more (be sure to read the comments)::
"But the World Reassurance Organization doggedly refuses to say out loud what everyone else can see. This virus has gone human to human and is spreading in Indonesia. The fact that it may (or may not) be as efficiently transmitted as current endemic strains of human influenza doesn't mean things have not changed. They obviously have, and to say there is no evidence the virus has mutated because they haven't sequenced it completely, just a lie. "
Fluwiki has declared October 3-9 National Pandemic Flu Awareness Week. Not a moment too soon in my book.
I may have mentioned my idea of chicken shaped magnets for the back of cars, (slapped right over those ubiquitous yellow ribbons) - that say " be aware, prepare ......avian flu information @ fluwiki" or something equally catchy. THIS, I would buy.
As the bearer of bad tidings, I have been getting some interesting responses to my gentle interventions. The friend with whom I dined today made me promise not to mention the avian flu because it "freaks her out". Several others, who were able to listen beyond their anxiety, have been told their primary care physician that there is no need to worry about this issue, at all, and have been refused prescriptions. Another was given a prescription for ten capsules of Tamiflu (the only successful plea, so far), and was told that was all she needed -(she wanted the recommended thirty). Her doctor assured her that he knows about this issue, and he cannot understand why she's being so insistent.
So in spite of my considerable charms, my attempts to raise awareness among those near and dear, have not been met with enthusiasm. If I keep this up, I shall ruin my social life entirely. Then, again, a quarantine would do the same.
Posted by Dakota at September 23, 2005 06:04 PM