Bush Considers Military Role in Flu Fight

AP via Yahoo ^ | October 4, 2005 | Jennifer Loven

[Realism]

I'm thinking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should have full jurisdiction to call upon troops over such a situation, definitely not the military.

[tom paine 2]

So why aren't we quarantining Indonesia now to prevent the spread of the virus to the US. I guess we are just going to let them infect our country, and then use the military to quarantine us.

[itsahoot]

I guess we are just going to let them infect our country, and then use the military to quarantine us.

Shows great wisdom Tom.

[little jeremiah]

Just posted this on another similar thread:

There is no vaccine for the Avian flu. It is still mutating/recombining so it's not possible to make a vaccine for it yet.

If anyone wants to read about it, read here - with info and commentary by some very knowldegeable and educated freepers and articles from all over:

Avian Flu Surveillance Project ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1399613/posts

And apparently Tamiflu may not be effective against the Avian flu.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Thanks for the info.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I've wondered about that too. These diseases almost always start in some third-world backwater. Why not contain the disease at its source by restricting travel to and from those place until the threat blows over?

[BenLurkin]

Bump.

[aomagrat]

And the swine flu back in the 1970's was supposed to kill millions, but the vaccine ended up killing more people than the flu.

[little jeremiah]

I've been reading about this flu for some time; learned more about how flus develop than I ever dreamed about. It looks like a guaranteed serious threat. Whether it will devlop the ability to transmit from human to human is the key, most of those who are experts in the field think it will - just a question of when. And if/when it does, it will kill a great many people. Right now the fatality rate as far as they can tell is about 50%. Even if it goes down to 5% that's millions of people.

[WomanBiologist]

The tetanus shot is coupled with the diptheria shot. There is currently a limited supply of the diptheria, tetanus, pertussis shot - but if you are in the recommended groups, do go and get it!!

Indiana had the largest measles outbreak this year. 33 cases in 2 counties. It was in an unimmunized community (didn't believe in vaccinations). Minnesota has a case of polio - once again, infant wasn't immunized...

Pertussis is a big deal... talk to the moms whose infants have died... Visit the Immunization Action Coalition website for great information and personal stories about how these vaccine preventable diseases have destroyed lives...

PS - I believe that quarantines should be enforced and not voluntary!!! People can be stupid, esp. when sick!

[Rakkasan1]

quick, call Dusty Hoffman and make a crappy movie about this. oh nevermind, already done.

[afnamvet]

Why is this President hell bent on expanding executive branch use of the military to solve emergencies? Does he want to take over all fifty state governments' responsibilities?

The Stafford Act defines the federal response to emergency situations.

[reformedliberal]

Thanks for the information. I am 62 and am exposed to the general public, including Amish. I will talk w/my MD.

You can talk until you are blue in the face and get nowhere w/some people/groups.

A physician friend of ours has a med student on preceptorship at the moment. I don't know the entire story (privacy issues), but the student was shocked yesterday when a patient refused either treatment or immunization for themselves or for a child.


I know something about the belief system involved and the doc asked me to give the student the 30-second version (busy day).


I condensed it to: the germ theory of disease is incorrect. Disease strengthens and increases spiritual purity. Evidently this jibed with what they had experienced, but the student looked like he'd just been socked in the solar plexus.

I know the feeling. I used to attempt to speak rationally to these people until one turned to me and said, sweetly:"We don't like people who know things."

It has gone beyond religious groups and cults, IMO. My DIL was telling me about some former friends who are simply trendy, yuppie, vegan Greens. The friendship ended when she told this young mother precisely what the risk was w/rubella. The woman's husband ordered his wife to stop speaking to my DIL because of her *negativity*, which is evidently far more damaging than any illness.

These people will be the first to yell *fascist* if God forbid we have a real need for quarantine. I go further than you: I think immunizations need to be mandatory, barring allergy or other medical reason.

I subscribe to Promed. I am amazed that I haven't seen the Indiana measles outbreak or the MN polio case.

I had pertussis at age 7. I remember how it felt to not have the energy to do anything except give in to the bouts of coughing, which HURT. I recall my father walking the floor with me at night. I ache for these babies.

[redgolum]

I am not that comfortable revoking Posse Comatas (sp).

Ask yourself, do you want President Hillary with this?

[stylecouncilor]

fyi ping

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[nyconse]

You have the CDC refusing to share info on this flu...very little vaccine which no one knows if it will work and a 55 % fatality rate. I guess we need the military to shoot the dying Americans who got shafted by their government who did not do the one thing they are mandated to do-national security. This flu certainly threatens national security.

[EJayB]

I'm with ya Dawn,

I keep my Hurricane kit ready year round for any emergency. That includes food, gas, etc. I know it sounds like a paranoid approach, but having some security never hurts.

[Diddle E. Squat]

There are a lot of new and very real threats that are unprecedented.

[Diddle E. Squat]

What is the alternative for enforcing a quarantine in an outbreak of a epidemic with no effective medical treatment?