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Incompentency at the CDC
After one fiasco after the other the CDC has recently racked up yet another recent embarassment.
The2007/2008 influenza vaccine apparanly only is effective against 40% of the viruses causing flu this year.
This comes after a series of failures related to safety and supply of previous years flu vaccines.
The dishonest scaremongering by the CDC about 20-30,000 US flu deaths annually is rendered meaningless by the reality that most of these deaths are in the very frail
aged who are likely to die of some other cause very soon.
Dr Julie Gerberding came to the head of the CDC in 2002. Her and her agency's record is abyssmal with significant erosion of trust among both health professionals and the public.
We may never see trust restored in our nation's premiere public health agency but a good start would be the resignation of Dr.Gerberding.
Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton, Pa
http://medicalcrises.blogspot.com
Comments (3)
Another Cafe regular returns.
Drop by Eric Stepp's forum for Cafe refugees at Lucidity:
http://projectlucidity.com/forum/index.php
February 18, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, what's new about a flu vaccine that only protects against 40%? As a doctor, you well know how far out ahead of the season the CDC has to assess the likelihood of which virus is going to be the season's most lethal. I haven't actually heard that there is one, single, outstandingly type of virus out there this year.
Also, I find it disgraceful that you would say that 20,000-30,000 deaths from influenza are "insignificant" because the victims are aged. There are also a number of immuno-suppressed people who die every year. And, very young children. As someone who has a chronic illness that makes me susceptible to influenza that often turns into oxygen-sucking lung ailments, I think this comment is a disgrace. (BTW--I ride public transportation in a big city all the time--the shortest route to influenza there is-- and I have NOT been ill this year--thanks to my flu shot, I believe.)
You're a doctor?
Lord, spare me from care by the likes of you.
Why do I sense some agenda in this post beyond a sincere concern over the public health?
February 18, 2008 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Why do I sense some agenda in this post beyond a sincere concern over the public health?"
...because you're paranoid?
February 18, 2008 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
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