I was involved in Y2K Planning in the company I worked in. Looking back, I totally agree that the whole hype was a major scam.
However, for H1N1, I am not sure that it was a deliberate scam. Unlike Y2K hype, H1N1 is a matter of 'Life and Death'. (We were so frightened that, overnight, flu virus will mutate and become untreatable with currently available medicine.
But I think WHO was too panicky and blew up the whole issue out of proportion. Many organisations and commercial companies wasted lots of manpower and resources on contingency planning, execution and trial-runs.
At the height of H1N1 headlines and the earlier days of vaccine availability, doctors and health officials were telling people not to rush for it. They advised that young aged, old aged, people affected by a list of ailments from minor to major etc. are not suitable for vaccination. Obviously, there was either worries for side effects or undersupply or both.
These days, doctors and health officials are saying that there're not enough people, particularly children, getting vaccinated. Ironically, they advised caution for children earlier. It doesn't take much scepticism to suspect trying to relieve overstocking.
The H1N1 threat is real. In the last round, we were just lucky that the H1N1 virus did not mutate into a more dangerous form. Vaccination is an important component to slow down the transmission of the virus and thereby reducing the likelihood of mutations.
Lee Wei Ling boldly suggested, before the nature of the virus was known, that people should be infected deliberately for the herd immunity. We are also lucky that she is not the health minister.
The H1N1 fatality rate is a few times higher (not lower) than that of the seasonal flus. It is also unusual that H1N1 tends to be more serious in younger people, unlike seasonal flus. It is also associated with a serious form of pneumonia.
The present H1N1 strains share a common ancestry with the H1N1 strains of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. At the risk of being labeled a fear-monger, the conservative estimate of the fatalities in the 1918 pandemic is 60 million in 2 years. That was at a time without global air travel.
Hence, the actions of WHO are consistent with trying to avoid a repeat of the 1918 pandemic. Many countries, Singapore included, underplay the seriousness of the situation for economic reasons.
If H1N1 is a clear and present danger with adverse future effects and recupercussions, why not allow vaccination to be charged to Medisave?
A H1N1 vaccination costs less than S$40 per jab. Is that going to bankrupt anyone medisavically?
The Health would probably argue that since it's so "affordable", vaccinees should be able to pay cash. However, many people with limited incomes have budgets and priorities to attend to. When it's not going to kill them immeduately, it falls down the rungs of the priorities.
If one were to google on this topic of H1N1, one would find many articles besides this one that cautions on the hype, and some even say scam, on H1N1.
As with so many other areas these days, there is always an institution or authority pushing a "mainstream" but if you search deeper you will find an "alternative" viewpoint.
I think what many people are finding these days is that "mainstream" is becoming more and more dubious and untrustworthy.
Personally, I will never trust mainstream anymore, I will always search for the alternative.
And I do this in all areas, whether it is health, medicine, food, nutrition, media, politics, energy, software, etc
REX comments as follows, in my opinion, it is not fair to comment on the H1N1 issue in retrospect. Since everyone already knows now it is not so dangerous, it is easy to say that this whole thing was a scam. Governments take strong action because of the SARS experience quite fresh in our minds. It is an issue of responsibility, especially when you are supposed to be very smart you don't want to take chances, better safe than sorry, who dares to say, no need to buy Tamiflu stcoks. Who dares to say that? Who? Of course the pharmaceutical co's made huge profits, but they would have deserved the profit if the h1n1 came out to be really deadly.
In the h1n1 saga, the best goverhment are those who act blur and dont pretend to be knowledgeable, or are really not very knowledgeable any way. They save billions of dollars by not buying so much of useless vaccinees.
It reminds me of minibonds. A neighbouring govt happily is immune from all minibond troubles, because they honestly claimed the stuffs are too complicated, don't want to get involved, no money.
Didn't some great man once said, "Ignorance is bliss and wisdom is folly."
I was involved in Y2K Planning in the company I worked in. Looking back, I totally agree that the whole hype was a major scam.
ReplyDeleteHowever, for H1N1, I am not sure that it was a deliberate scam. Unlike Y2K hype, H1N1 is a matter of 'Life and Death'. (We were so frightened that, overnight, flu virus will mutate and become untreatable with currently available medicine.
But I think WHO was too panicky and blew up the whole issue out of proportion. Many organisations and commercial companies wasted lots of manpower and resources on contingency planning, execution and trial-runs.
Dont't play play with flu. XD
ReplyDelete1976
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASibLqwVbsk
At the height of H1N1 headlines and the earlier days of vaccine availability, doctors and health officials were telling people not to rush for it. They advised that young aged, old aged, people affected by a list of ailments from minor to major etc. are not suitable for vaccination. Obviously, there was either worries for side effects or undersupply or both.
ReplyDeleteThese days, doctors and health officials are saying that there're not enough people, particularly children, getting vaccinated. Ironically, they advised caution for children earlier. It doesn't take much scepticism to suspect trying to relieve overstocking.
The problem (?) here is with the media's focus on H1N1 and the failure to compare it with other types of flu and diseases.
ReplyDeleteIf the newspapers were to print news daily of people are dying from AIDS, I'm very sure it will become a big issue as well.
The H1N1 threat is real. In the last round, we were just lucky that the H1N1 virus did not mutate into a more dangerous form. Vaccination is an important component to slow down the transmission of the virus and thereby reducing the likelihood of mutations.
ReplyDeleteLee Wei Ling boldly suggested, before the nature of the virus was known, that people should be infected deliberately for the herd immunity. We are also lucky that she is not the health minister.
The H1N1 fatality rate is a few times higher (not lower) than that of the seasonal flus. It is also unusual that H1N1 tends to be more serious in younger people, unlike seasonal flus. It is also associated with a serious form of pneumonia.
The present H1N1 strains share a common ancestry with the H1N1 strains of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. At the risk of being labeled a fear-monger, the conservative estimate of the fatalities in the 1918 pandemic is 60 million in 2 years. That was at a time without global air travel.
Hence, the actions of WHO are consistent with trying to avoid a repeat of the 1918 pandemic. Many countries, Singapore included, underplay the seriousness of the situation for economic reasons.
If H1N1 is a clear and present danger with adverse future effects and recupercussions, why not allow vaccination to be charged to Medisave?
ReplyDeleteA H1N1 vaccination costs less than S$40 per jab. Is that going to bankrupt anyone medisavically?
The Health would probably argue that since it's so "affordable", vaccinees should be able to pay cash. However, many people with limited incomes have budgets and priorities to attend to. When it's not going to kill them immeduately, it falls down the rungs of the priorities.
Mr Sear suggestion is very reasonable.
ReplyDeleteMoH shall look into this possibility.
If one were to google on this topic of H1N1, one would find many articles besides this one that cautions on the hype, and some even say scam, on H1N1.
ReplyDeleteAs with so many other areas these days, there is always an institution or authority pushing a "mainstream" but if you search deeper you will find an "alternative" viewpoint.
I think what many people are finding these days is that "mainstream" is becoming more and more dubious and untrustworthy.
Personally, I will never trust mainstream anymore, I will always search for the alternative.
And I do this in all areas, whether it is health, medicine, food, nutrition, media, politics, energy, software, etc
REX comments as follows,
ReplyDeletein my opinion, it is not fair to comment on the H1N1 issue in retrospect. Since everyone already knows now it is not so dangerous, it is easy to say that this whole thing was a scam. Governments take strong action because of the SARS experience quite fresh in our minds. It is an issue of responsibility, especially when you are supposed to be very smart you don't want to take chances, better safe than sorry, who dares to say, no need to buy Tamiflu stcoks. Who dares to say that? Who? Of course the pharmaceutical co's made huge profits, but they would have deserved the profit if the h1n1 came out to be really deadly.
In the h1n1 saga, the best goverhment are those who act blur and dont pretend to be knowledgeable, or are really not very knowledgeable any way. They save billions of dollars by not buying so much of useless vaccinees.
It reminds me of minibonds. A neighbouring govt happily is immune from all minibond troubles, because they honestly claimed the stuffs are too complicated, don't want to get involved, no money.
Didn't some great man once said, "Ignorance is bliss and wisdom is folly."
rex