Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
IN OUR VIEW / SWINE FLU VACCINE
Panic not a good antidote
Human psychology is fascinating, which is to say often illogical. Which is why someone had to invent Spock. The reaction to the H1N1 flu crisis could use a little Vulcan leavening. We’re only human, after all. (As Bones McCoy said: “I’m not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor.”)
Not long ago, before headlines blared “vaccine shortage,” the news was all about health care workers protesting mandated shots and citizens worried if the vaccine was safe and if they, and their children, were being used as guinea pigs. Blogosphere rumors said the government was rounding up people in Montana and forcing vaccinations on them.
Then the vaccine wasn’t supplied in the numbers expected. Suddenly the vaccine was in short supply. Just as suddenly, everybody and their grandmother had to have the flu shot.
Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, described the mind shift: “It’s quite likely that too little vaccine is one of the things that’s making people more interested in getting vaccinated,” he said.
“When we have shortages we see an increase in demand. In the next week or so, there will be a significant increase in the perceived and real availability of vaccine.”
Frieden said as of Tuesday, a total of 22.4 million doses were available, an increase of 8 million doses since last week.
And just in time. Because when humans are scared, they are vulnerable, which always brings other creatures out of their lairs, ready to profit off fear. The Internet, of course, was invented for such hucksters. The FDA warns: Watch out.
“There’s just no evidence that anything other than Tamiflu, Relenza, and the vaccine will cure, treat, protect, prevent you from getting the flu,” said Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.
But cyber swindlers beg to differ. They are hawking lots of impressive-looking respirators — and electronic devices, like the Photon Genie that claims to give off “photobiotic energy,” the Associated Press reported.
Health experts are most concerned about products that use silver. A product called “Swine Flu ... Gone” spray boldly claims to “kill the flu virus,” AP reported.
But Dr. Santa says, “There is no evidence that silver works and there is evidence that it can be harmful. My gosh, this stuff can turn your skin blue.”
Until more vaccine is available, it’s imperative that those who need it most continue to be first in line: Pregnant women, babies and children. Lifeboat logic works in this case. Everybody else needs to don their (anti-micro-bacterial) life-vests and wait their turn.
Not long ago, before headlines blared “vaccine shortage,” the news was all about health care workers protesting mandated shots and citizens worried if the vaccine was safe and if they, and their children, were being used as guinea pigs. Blogosphere rumors said the government was rounding up people in Montana and forcing vaccinations on them.
Then the vaccine wasn’t supplied in the numbers expected. Suddenly the vaccine was in short supply. Just as suddenly, everybody and their grandmother had to have the flu shot.
Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, described the mind shift: “It’s quite likely that too little vaccine is one of the things that’s making people more interested in getting vaccinated,” he said.
“When we have shortages we see an increase in demand. In the next week or so, there will be a significant increase in the perceived and real availability of vaccine.”
Frieden said as of Tuesday, a total of 22.4 million doses were available, an increase of 8 million doses since last week.
And just in time. Because when humans are scared, they are vulnerable, which always brings other creatures out of their lairs, ready to profit off fear. The Internet, of course, was invented for such hucksters. The FDA warns: Watch out.
“There’s just no evidence that anything other than Tamiflu, Relenza, and the vaccine will cure, treat, protect, prevent you from getting the flu,” said Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.
But cyber swindlers beg to differ. They are hawking lots of impressive-looking respirators — and electronic devices, like the Photon Genie that claims to give off “photobiotic energy,” the Associated Press reported.
Health experts are most concerned about products that use silver. A product called “Swine Flu ... Gone” spray boldly claims to “kill the flu virus,” AP reported.
But Dr. Santa says, “There is no evidence that silver works and there is evidence that it can be harmful. My gosh, this stuff can turn your skin blue.”
Until more vaccine is available, it’s imperative that those who need it most continue to be first in line: Pregnant women, babies and children. Lifeboat logic works in this case. Everybody else needs to don their (anti-micro-bacterial) life-vests and wait their turn.
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