Saturday, May 02, 2009

CNN Anchor and Guest Warn ‘Pandemic’ Could be Like 1918


Julia A. Seymour
Business & Media Institute
Friday, May 1, 2009

Dr. Martin Blaser predicts ‘likely scenario’ like Spanish flu on ‘American Morning,’ but ignores calmer predictions.

CNN amped up the alarmism about swine flu April 30 when co-host John Roberts interviewed Dr. Martin Blaser of NYU without rounding out the segment with other opinions.

Roberts asked Blaser to put the virus, which had already sickened 109 people in ten states, “in perspective.”

Blaser responded, “This is a pandemic. It’s all over the world. Right now it’s early and it’s mild so everybody’s at risk. But right now the risk is low.”

On April 29, the World Health Organization raised its alert level to stage 5, which “is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries,” according to WHO Web site. Phase 6 is “the pandemic phase.”

Roberts also asked Blaser to respond to a prediction by John Barry, author of a book about the worst flu epidemic in history, that this virus would act in the same manner.

“John Barry, who wrote a fabulous book on the 1918 flu pandemic called ‘The Great Influenza’, thinks this is just the opening act of a very long play. That this virus is probably going to go away for a little while and then maybe next winter or early next year come back with a vengeance. What do you think?” Roberts asked.

Blaser said, “I think that’s the most likely scenario because of, because influenza is very influenced by the season and in 1918 it came. There was a little bump in the early summer. It went underground and then it did come back with a vengeance. And that would be predictable here.”

Roberts didn’t mention that the 1918 Spanish flu killed an estimated 50 million people or ask Blaser if he was suggesting that there might be such serious loss of life if the swine flu returns. He also didn’t mention the views of others who think the H1N1 virus will be less severe than even seasonal flu — which takes an estimated 36,000 lives a year in the U.S.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “scientists studying the virus are coming to the consensus that this hybrid strain of influenza — at least in its current form — isn’t shaping up to be as fatal as the strains that caused some previous pandemics.”

The Times cited a few scientists including Richard Webby, an influenza virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who said: “This virus doesn’t have anywhere near the capacity to kill like the 1918 virus.”

“‘There are certain characteristics, molecular signatures, which this virus lacks,’ said Peter Palese, a microbiologist and influenza expert at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. In particular, the swine flu lacks an amino acid that appears to increase the number of virus particles in the lungs and make the disease more deadly,” Karen Kaplan and Alan Zarembo wrote.

The bottom line, according to the Times, was that we probably wouldn’t see this flu “dwarf a typical flu season.” One applied mathematics professor, Dirk Brockmann, told the Times his worst-case scenario based on a computer model would result in 1,700 people sick after four weeks.

How to Prepare for a Pandemic --Book review

We have been repeatedly warned by leading medical professionals and government health officials that a severe influenza pandemic is a very real possibility, with potential global death tolls exceeding 100 million. We are told that a pandemic will likely last 12-18 months in multiple waves, and to expect widespread social disruption. We are told that we need to stockpile non-perishable food and water, as our food supply chain and utilities may become severely degraded or completely inoperative. Yet there is little information available from them on how families can prepare for such a long term traumatic event.

This book lays out in detail the planning, preparation, and actions to take to avoid an inevitable mass scramble for suppliers' small and increasingly backlogged inventories of storable food, water storage and purification equipment, emergency lighting and communications, alternative transportation, and a host of other important necessities. The book provides planning guidelines and practical how-to for the;

type, quantity, and source of non-perishable food
techniques for collecting, storing, and purifying water
approaches for reliable lighting and staying informed in the event of a electrical grid collapse
formulas for sizing a solar PV system for backup (or everyday) power
ways to keep your house warm in the winter
measures to protect your family from public unrest
procedures to treat sick family members when hospitals are overwhelmed
approaches to simple cleaning and sanitation
and a host of other preparations needed for families to stay healthy and safe during a serious influenza pandemic.

Reviews

“The book is crammed with lots of very valuable information on preparing for this emergency with the focus on the needs of the family. I found it very informative and helpful for making and improving the quality of my family’s plan. This is a unique and very timely contribution to the preparedness literature that is long overdue. It is a must read and reference text for anyone who is serious about preparing their home and family for the possibility of a severe influenza pandemic.”
-- Dr. Grattan Woodson, MD, author The Bird Flu Preparedness Planner, The Bird Flu Manual

“An intensively researched, user-friendly, and imminently practical crash course in surviving on limited resources. Whether coming as a pandemic, hurricane, or ice storm, disaster-induced disruption of societal support systems is increasingly inevitable, and this guide is a must-have to help you and your loved ones plan to survive.”
-- Thomas Honey, owner of Honey Electric Solar Inc.

“William Stewart’s How to Prepare for a Pandemic covers the breadth of disaster planning and is an important, comprehensive contribution to the literature of pandemic preparation.”
-- Melanie Mattson, risk communicator, publisher The Flu Wiki

Top Books on Pandemics

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