Swine Flu: Vaccines won't work and antivirals must be use very very carefully

Why vaccines can be dangerous: History teaches us, however, that it won't be easy. The last time the U.S. recommended nationwide vaccination against a suspected swine flu was in 1976, with less than successful results, to say the least. Under orders from President Gerald Ford, a vaccine was rushed into production and administered to 45 million Americans, at a cost of $135 million. But within weeks, people started developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, a paralyzing immune-system disorder that can result from the vaccine. Some experts estimated the risk of Guillain-Barré as being seven times higher in those who were immunized vs. those who were not. After the immunization program was terminated nine months after it began, government officials paid $90 million in damages to patients who were injured by the vaccine. The widely feared swine flu epidemic never emerged. (Read "5 Things You Need to Know About the Swine Flu Outbreak.")

SHOOT: Antivirals have the same issues as anti-biotics. If not used sparingly they will allow the virus to evolve even further, robbing us of our golden bullets. In time though, I predict that this will happen anyway. This is because the virus is evolving faster than we can take countermeasures, and this trend (drug resistance) has been underway for some time. It calls into question a lot of the basic assumptions ordinary doctors have been practising under (iow the whole idea of Health Care/Disease Care).

clipped from www.time.com With the cable news networks reporting nonstop on swine flu, it feels like the disease is lurking everywhere, and that your slightest sniffle is a sign that you've contracted the virus. That would explain why people with no outward symptoms of illness are flooding emergency rooms in swine flu–affected states, afraid that they might be sick. That's a really bad idea. clipped from www.time.com 2. Don't Be Afraid to Eat Pork clipped from www.time.com 3. Don't Hoard Antivirals clipped from www.time.com Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the agency has begun cultivating the seed stock of virus needed for a swine flu vaccine. (The current seasonal flu vaccine would not be effective against the swine flu.)