# 3660
While Americans seem less-than-concerned about the H1N1 pandemic, the same can’t be said for a good many people in other countries around the globe.
In South Korea, Monday’s Editorial in The Joong Ang Daily, calls for the government `to spare no effort or expense importing more flu vaccines’ and, quite wisely, to increase their national vaccine manufacturing capacity to deal with the next pandemic that comes down the pike.
South Korea has, according to this report, enough Tamiflu to treat a little more than 10% of their population. Far less coverage than that afforded by the US and UK stockpiles, but a lot more than a lot of other countries around the world.
One has to hope that nations take this pandemic as a warning sign, and not simply assume that once we are through this outbreak, we’ve got another 40 years before the next one.
There are no guarantees when it comes to pandemics, and newly identified zoonotic diseases appear practically every year. We could just as easily see another pandemic virus next year, as we could 30 years from now.
Biologically speaking, we live in a very dangerous world. We ignore that reality at our collective peril.
August 24, 2009
The new flu is spreading like wildfire across the nation. An additional 258 cases were confirmed in a single day last week, and the number of confirmed cases has surged in the past two days since the number of daily cases exceeded 100 people for the first time last Wednesday.
The A(H1N1) virus may become more deadly as autumn draws near, and there is a high chance that the disease could spread faster than expected, sparking concerns of a pandemic. Thus it is time that the health authorities and the entire country came together to resolve the crisis. However, the preparations of the nation’s health authorities leave a great deal to be desired. Above all, the supply of antiviral drugs and vaccines, which are considered effective against the new virus, falls far short of demand.
The current stockpile of antiviral drugs is enough for 5.3 million, or 11 percent of the total population. This is low compared to reported stockpiles in other countries, such as Britain and France (50 percent) and the United States and Japan (20-25 percent).
We are on the verge of a crisis but the current supply of Tamiflu will be inadequate to meet the demand soon if the number of rises dramatically. If a flu pandemic presents a tremendous challenge, we will have a catastrophe on our hands because of a shortage of appropriate drugs.
