A Swine Flu Primer

Coffee Brown, MD, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service

Is swine flu the pandemic we know is coming? According to federal agencies and a blue-ribbon panel of experts: maybe. The situation is early enough and changing fast enough that we can reasonably hope for the best even as we plan for the worst. This primer is designed to help you do just that. We will continue to post updates. The short answer is that basic hygiene is the most important thing to concentrate on.

The swine flu is a virus, not a bacteria, therefore, antibiotics are not useful against it.
The virus is Influenza A (H1N1), meaning that not all flu is this particular swine flu, and not all respiratory viruses are this virus. This virus has elements of human, avian, and swine flu virus genetics (i.e., not human genes, or bird or pig). There is little or no current human resistance to this strain. Pork is not in any way associated with this virus at this time. raising pigs or eating pork are not thought to carry any risk whatsoever for this infection.

Well then, what can you do? For now, treat this as good practice, not just for the WHO and the CDC, but for each individual: Wash your hands frequently, cover your face when you sneeze or cough, wash your hands after doing so, and demand the same courtesy from those around. Clean doorknobs, faucet handles and similar items that are touched by many other people. Avoid unnecessary travel to Mexico, Avoid work, school, or gatherings if cases have been reported in the immediate area, or if you have any infectious symptoms. Working while ill is not the heroic thing to do.

Should you go to work or school? Yes, with these exceptions: If you have any respiratory symptoms or if swine flu has been identified in your immediate community. These are also the circumstances which would support wearing a mask or avoiding gatherings.

What symptoms should you look for? If your are worried about a contact, symptoms should begin within 7 days. Symptoms should include some combination of the following:
Respiratory symptoms, like sniffles, congestion, cough (typically not productive), or sore throat, are almost always present. Fever, muscle aches, chills, fatigue and malaise are frequent, Occasionally nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you believe you may have the flu, your doctor can test for it.

Currently available antivirals are effective against this strain, and a quarter of government stockpiles, totaling about 11 million doses, have been released from government stockpiles to communities for treatment and prevention. Protection lasts about 10 days. Your has physician has specific guidelines for the use of these medicines, They should NOT be used “just to be sure.”

The current flu vaccine is not effective against this strain. A new vaccine is under consideration, but will not be available over the short term. First steps, distributing a “seed virus” to pharmaceutical companies to create pilot batches of vaccine, have begun. The pilot batches need to be tested for safety and effectiveness before full-scale production is requested. By the time that decision can be made, the pattern of this disease will be much more clear. The whole process takes several months before vaccines are available to consumers, which means it will not be available during this season. The vaccine may still be important, though, because history shows that a second or even third wave may present during fall and/or winter.

Sen. Arlan Specter (D-Penn.) attended today’s hearing briefly to emphasize the need to balance fully informing the public with the need to keep the problem in perspective.

What is the government doing about this? Plans have been long since prepared for just this situation, supplies, like antivirals, masks, and respirators have been distributed by the CDC and FEMA. Daily updates are being distributed to healthcare workers all over the country. The CDC advises a regional containment strategy, varying the level of response to the local pattern of illness. Increased screening of arrivals from out of the country, or travel restrictions within the country, would not be expected to reduce the spread.

We are on Stage 4 alert, per the WHO, how bad is that?
It simply means that there definite cases of human-to-human transmission, Stage 4 does not mean that the disease has become more severe.

All the really sick people are in Mexico. It is not known why the most severe cases appear to be confined to Mexico so far, but the CDC expects some severe cases to occur here as well. How worried should you be? Think of this as similar to an orange level terrorist alert. The emergency designations allow government resources and authorities to be positioned before a disaster occurs.There is a real possibility that the outbreak will worsen, but for now, it’s a matter of being ready. Of the 40 American cases as of last night (04/27/09), one has been hospitalized, none has died, the rest have been mild.

As of 04/28/09, 64 cases had been confirmed, and five Americans hospitalized. These numbers will be outdated by the time you read them. What does that signify? This is an expected event: more cases will be discovered each day for a while, and therefore more hospitalizations. The percent who become severely ill may go up, if this turns out to be highly contagious and virulent, or may go down, as screening picks up more of the milder cases that would normally go un-noticed. The ultimate pattern is not clear this early, but all government agencies are taking the possibility of a true pandemic seriously, and individuals should do the same. States and municipalities should review their infectious disaster plans.

Because of increased attention and the need to report new developments rapidly, expect conflicting information and ongoing reappraisal.

Harkin asked the panel whether funding is adequate for their response. they responded collectively that past funding has made it possible to begin work on a vaccine, and also enabled surveillance that Schuchat said lead to the virus beginning analysis in the U.S. before Mexico sent specimens to Canada for identification. Harkin said that he was disappointed that Mexico considered American bureaucracy a stumbling block, and that he would follow up on that. The panel also told him that reduced funding undermined the states’ ability to operate existing epidemic plans, had cost PHS 12,000 employees.

This Information is from The Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ ,the World Health Organization’s http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/ Dr. Richard Besser and the Senate Appropriations Committee Chaired by Sen Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).
Witnesses included: Rear Adm. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for Science and Public Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Paul Jarris, executive director of the Assn. of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Getting Past Republicans' “No”

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

“The hole we’ve inherited is very deep,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), “but we’ve accomplished a lot in the first 100 days.”

Reid listed the Lands Bill as “the most significant environmental legislation in a quarter of a century,” the Lilly Ledbetter Act, S-CHIP, the Economic Recovery Package, the Omnibus Spending Bill and National Service legislation, “even though we’ve had little cooperation from those on the other side of the aisle.”

In the coming weeks the Senate has a lot of work to do: the bankruptcy provision in the housing legislation, credit consumer protection, tobacco legislation “is way, way overdue”, and the supplemental provision bill. Republicans have to do more than just say no, he finished. He added that procurement was crucial to the defense department.

Pointing toward an empty easel, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, “As you can see, this is what the Republicans want us to accomplish. Their three words are ‘no, never, nothing.’”
“We have not blocked them on any amendments they want to offer,’” he said, adding they have no reason to make the Senate wait by using filibusters.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) reported that President Obama has the greatest upward shift in polls in the first 100 days since before the first Bush. He presented Associated Press findings showing a 44 percent increase in the President’s approval rating. This contrasts with several recent statements made by Republicans that voters are turning away from Obama.

Mark Silva, of the L.A. Times, gives a detailed report showing consistent 63-64 percent approval in Pew, Gallup, Associated Press and GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media polls, and says this is the first time in 10 years that the majority of the public feel the country is going in the right direction.
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“Who speaks for the Republican Party today? Dick Cheney? Newt Gingrich? Sarah Palin? Michael Steele?” Durbin asked, adding, “This is a party in search of an identity and a mission. The only mission they’ve had so far is to resist and fight this president.”

“It will not harm the Grand Old Party to spend this year in a cooperative effort to solve the problems of America,” he said.

Sen. Patty Murphy (D-Wash.) said Republican delays and filibusters are preventing Congress from solving pressing problems.

Regarding another bone of contention with Republicans, Reid said he couldn’t discuss security briefings he’d attended on sanctioned torture, but that justice, and “not vengeance, must be served.”

Reid also confirmed that the Senate is considering a 9-11 style commission to evaluate the causes of the financial meltdown.

A Full House

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) presented the House Democrats’ agenda for the economy, energy, education and healthcare.

The economy remains the top item, divided between the budget and legislation to address the crisis. “The economy is continuing to suffer, we’re continuing to see the loss of jobs, many Americans continue to be put at risk,” Hoyer said.

The budget focuses on making “strategic investments” and reversing “years of irresponsible Republican policies,” he said. “We believe all of the bills we’ve passed are consistent with trying to create jobs and invest (in economic recovery).”

Two corrective legislations arebeing proposed. The “Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009”, which is designed to require fairer interest rates and practices for consumers. For example, it would require that the highest interest rate-bearing part of a debt be reduced first by payments, rather last, as is now the often the case.

“In addition, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act should come out of committee this week or next,” Hoyer said.

There is a 600 page “discussion document” and four more hearings to shape the American Security and Clean Energy Act, which the House hopes to consider in early summer. He noted that this is this is the 39th anniversary of Earth Day, “I remember because I’ve been working here since the first one.”

The Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and the Education and Labor Committees are all simultaneously working on healthcare reform. Democrats hope to have healthcare legislation on the House Floor for consideration by the August break. The goal is universal coverage and accessibility, though probably not a publicly funded single-payer model.

Hoyer discussed his recent trip to South America. Mexico seems to be committed to working with the U.S. to fight drug smuggling and related violence. Panama is willing to work on their role as a drug smuggling highway, which has increased as American forces become more successful at interdiction at sea, and on money laundering. Columbia has reduced the power of the drug lords. He described the discussions with Brazil as “positive’” “useful” and “engaging,” and said they are interested in advancing a partnership with the U.S.

Gun control may have to remain in the DC voting rights bill, if it is to pass within this session, according to Hoyer, who said, “The biggest objective is to enfranchise the roughly 600,000 citizens of the United States who happen to live in the District of Columbia.” He called their current lack of voting rights “an egregious hole in the integrity of our democracy.”

Next congress looks at hate crimes legislation

Declaration Of War On The Mid-West

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

Republican Representatives emerged from a GOP conference with continuing criticism of the Democratic budget.

This Sunday will be National Debt Day, the day on which federal spending surpasses revenue, and it occurs three and a half months earlier this year than last, said John Boehner (R-Ohio). “I attended a taxpayer tea party in Bakersfield, California; people are angry and they’re scared,” he said, “because the kind of spending and borrowing that are going on here are imprisoning their children’s future.”

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said, “As we come to the end of the first hundred days of this administration, the era of bipartisanship we’d hoped for could be improved. We do want to work together. Washington should be more thoughtful.”

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said that constituents are concerned about debt and the future of America and “The fact that we are facing $9 trillion worth of debt, and that’s going to be on the shoulders of our children and our grand-children.” She said that the Democratic budget lacks transparency and oversight. Constituents, she said, have to tighten their belts, while the federal government is “spending like crazy.”

Mary Fallin (R-Okla.) said the oil and gas producers in her fossil-fuel-rich state are very concerned about Obama’s policy of discouraging carbon-emitting energy. She said that jobs and production are already declining in anticipation of policy changes.
Fallin estimated the Cap-and-Trade taxes would hit $30 billion, working out to about $3,000 per year in increased energy costs for an average household, would fall most heavily on the poor and elderly and would cost seven million jobs.

Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said that hearings on Cap-and-Trade begin this week. He said the Democrats are not providing sufficient information about the costs, though Obama has acknowledged in the past that electricity prices would rise. “The reality is the Cap-and-Trade legislation offered by the Democrats amounts to an economic declaration of war on the Mid-West by liberals on Capitol Hill,” he said.

Pence said the $3,000 per household figure came from an M.I.T. study that estimated the total carbon fees and divided them by the total number of households in America. He acknowledged that the administration had promised ways of mitigating the economic impact for those hardest hit, but said that such promises are vague and “illusory.”

Boehner agreed that we must “get serious” about reducing carbon emissions and reducing the need to import oil, but he urged increased nuclear power as the only realistic way to do that.

G.R.E.E.N. Spells Jobs

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

When blue collar unions and green environmentalists discussed how alternative energy is a path to new, high quality jobs, the Blue Green Alliance was born, according to Dave Foster, the Executive Director.


Foster notes that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former Sen. John Warner (R-VA) have sponsored separate Cap-and-Trade bills, and, along with Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (R-ME), still support some form of carbon tax.

Europe and Japan have far lower per capita energy usage, he said, which means “through efficiency, we can pay for an awful lot of of these global warming reductions.”


Still, "I find it a little odd that a certain section of the Republican party has chosen to wave the banner of anti-science,” Foster said.

America is already feeling the economic effects of climate change, Foster said, and gave the example of the loss of 4,000 jobs in the aluminum industry as decreased amounts of snow pack formed in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest over the past 20 years. Hydroelectric dams depend on snow melt for power. As that diminished, electricity became prohibitively expensive.


“The cost of doing nothing about global warming will far, far exceed the cost of doing something," Foster said, while praising the thousands of steel-working jobs gained in manufacturing clean-energy wind turbines.


Foster said that alternative energy jobs tend to put skilled people back to work in familiar jobs.


“We’re not engaging in massive re-training, we’re engaging in a massive recall to work... On exactly the kinds of projects that they’ve been trained to do before,” he said.

“The Blue Green Alliance is a strategic national partnership between labor unions (the “blue” in “blue-collar”) and environmental organizations (the “green”) “ (http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/site/c.enKIITNpEiG/b.3416603/k.DD10/About_BGA.htm)