Comments on: Swine Flu, Technology and Policy http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: David Bruggeman http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163&cpage=1#comment-13599 David Bruggeman Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:55:28 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163#comment-13599 Hmm, Since this didn't take off after recent spreads of West Nile, the avian flu, and SARS, I don't see it as such a mortal lock. Hmm,

Since this didn’t take off after recent spreads of West Nile, the avian flu, and SARS, I don’t see it as such a mortal lock.

]]> By: Reid http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163&cpage=1#comment-13598 Reid Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:38:22 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163#comment-13598 As sure as day follows night get ready for climate change to be tagged as the culprit. Before Copenhagen a few made to order studies will be released claiming climate change increases the frequency and severity of flu pandemics. The consensus will be that if we don't decrease emissions 20% by 2020 then half the human population will die from flu pandemics by 2050. Just watch and you will see the new studies rolled out on schedule to capitalize on the fear of the year. It is getting so predictable that it is descending into farce. As sure as day follows night get ready for climate change to be tagged as the culprit. Before Copenhagen a few made to order studies will be released claiming climate change increases the frequency and severity of flu pandemics. The consensus will be that if we don’t decrease emissions 20% by 2020 then half the human population will die from flu pandemics by 2050.

Just watch and you will see the new studies rolled out on schedule to capitalize on the fear of the year. It is getting so predictable that it is descending into farce.

]]> By: bend http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163&cpage=1#comment-13596 bend Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:03:27 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5163#comment-13596 "$420 million in funds for pandemic flu were removed from the recent funding bills, and it would be nice to know whether that was a good call." Hindsight is always 20/20. Then again, there have been almost predictable cyclic outbreaks of new and deadly strain of flu since 1918. What really is limiting our ability to respond to a crisis as might emerge is the archaic means of flu vaccine production. Even with unlimited financial resources, it's not easy to immediately acquire millions of biotechnology grade chicken eggs. Scale-up is much faster with bioreactors, in which are made most other vaccines. I don't know exactly why flu vaccines are still produced in chicken eggs. Culprits could be the adverse ecconomic incentives of strict regulation, low profit margins. Who wants to spend the money to modernize production when the FDA may not grant the new process approval anyway and the public is apt to blame your product for autism? “$420 million in funds for pandemic flu were removed from the recent funding bills, and it would be nice to know whether that was a good call.”

Hindsight is always 20/20. Then again, there have been almost predictable cyclic outbreaks of new and deadly strain of flu since 1918.

What really is limiting our ability to respond to a crisis as might emerge is the archaic means of flu vaccine production. Even with unlimited financial resources, it’s not easy to immediately acquire millions of biotechnology grade chicken eggs. Scale-up is much faster with bioreactors, in which are made most other vaccines. I don’t know exactly why flu vaccines are still produced in chicken eggs. Culprits could be the adverse ecconomic incentives of strict regulation, low profit margins. Who wants to spend the money to modernize production when the FDA may not grant the new process approval anyway and the public is apt to blame your product for autism?

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