July 26, 2006
Bird Watching
Since I leave on my cyberdeprived vacation shortly, I cannot possibly do so without a bird flu update. Could you tell by the photograph?
The good news is that a promising new vaccine has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline. Since it will cost about $7.50 a dose, it will be impossibly expensive to administer in poverty stricken countries where a human to human virus is most likely to occur. GSK is talking to Bill and Melinda, who might come through with the cash -- the privitization of government responsibility at work.
God forbid GSK should disappoint their voracious stockholders by making the vaccine more affordable. After all, things like this cost money to develop, even though most of the bird flu budget from the US Treasury has gone to big pharmaceutical companies to fund just such projects, at the expense of public education and public health measures. (To be fair, this may not be true in Britain, but Tony usually plays follow the leader quite precisely.)
The emerging organization of a "waiting list" for Tamiflu, administered by its manufacturer, is an prime example of corporate interests, once again, superceding the greater good.
While we're on the subject of birds, Glenn Greenwald has an excellent essay on the chickenhawk; a species found in the muckiest swamps of Washington D.C. and in the air all over the central regions of this country.
Photo note: Unnecessary
Posted by Dakota at July 26, 2006 09:37 PM