IS THE NEXT PLAGUE OUT THERE?

Black Death  (1411) 

While we worry about getting the flu and wonder if this year's flu is worse than last year's, two books are out on the possibility of a pandemic.

I don't think they're selling like hot cakes. Most people (like me) don't want to think about a pandemic. They just want to know what to do if they get the flu.

Mark Harrison, Director of Oxford University’s History of Medicine unit, has published "Disease, and The Modern World," -- a chronological history of pandemics. Exploring how the next pandemic will happen; he suggests that some current inspection laws result in quarantines actually making us more vulnerable. The regulations are politicized -- for instance, though there's no evidence that virus travel in meat, countries banning pork imports from N. America, have thereby boosted local exporters.

Highly accredited scientific journalist, David Quammen’s latest book, “Spillover,” focused on "zoomotic" infections, (those that pass from animals to humans). No doubt about it, Quammen said, as he showed how the three most recent outbreaks -- SARS, bird flu and swine flu—indicate that the next pandemic will be zoomotic in origin.

The NY Times articles in September and October, revealed deep concern, and stated that another pandemic is inevitable.

Authors David Quammen, Mark Harrison, and other scientists, do not shy away from the “next big one.” They warn us that the SARS scare of 2003, might have been the big one but it wasn't, because of good luck -- communication. Because there was huge publicity,  people took precautions before it got out of hand. They are saying loud and clear -- there is nothing we can do to stop the next big one from happening.

Yow! Nothing we can do? It's inevitable?

Oh boy, big money can be made from a pandemic scare -- drug manufactures, before, during, and after the pandemic, have something to promote that will make them billionaires.

And the latest news about "Tamiflu" -- a leading British medical journal, BMJ,  asked drug maker Roche to release all its data on Tamiflu, claiming there is no evidence the drug can actually stop the flu. Since Roche has not responded, BMJ, has called for European governments to sue Roche, and get the money back that has been needless spent on stock-piling Tamiflu.

In 2011, Prescription Tamiflu was included in a list of "essential medicines" by the World Health Organization.

Clearly, staying healthy is getting to be a bigger, fuller, full time, part time job.

My own remedy -- avoid crowds -- avoid people with colds, shop online, have things delivered. I'm focused on the good luck -- the communication back in 2003 -- that's why I am sharing, loud and clear, what I have learned.

Brugel, "Hell on Earth:"
 

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