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Swine Flu - Just $ for Piggies?



Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009

by e
Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation

Reuters recently reported that "Accusations are flying in British and French media that the pandemic has been "hyped" by medical researchers to further their own cause, boost research grants and line the pockets of drug companies."

This brings up the question of money, and how far people might go to make it. Accusations are that the scientific community and big pharma are pushing the "horrific" dangers of swine flu to boost research funding and profits, because the facts are that swine flu, compared to regular seasonal flu, is a dud.

"While seasonal flu attacks about 20 percent of the population in an average year, experts estimate that even in Britain -- the worst-hit country in Europe so far -- fewer than 10 percent of people have had H1N1 swine flu."

I noticed that our media has also pushed the fear button on this with a constant drum beat of fear tactics and pressure on the population to "get that Swine Flu shot," while "Dangerous liaisons between certain experts, the labs and the government, the obscurity of the contracts between the state and the pharma firms have added to the doubt." Let's face it, someone had to insure the drug makers that a grand marketing scheme would ensue to guarantee no risk of them selling their drugs.

"British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is set to reap billions as fear of the swine flu pandemic grows. The world's second-largest drug company has secured orders from 16 countries for 195 million doses of the vaccine it is developing against the H1N1 virus" (BusinessWeek).

Meanwhile, "In Britain, health authorities' original worst-case scenario -- which said as many as 65,000 could die from H1N1 -- has twice been revised down and the prediction is now for around 1,000 deaths, way below the average annual toll of 4,000 to 8,000 deaths from seasonal winter flu."

Do you see the problem here? It's obvious that when you introduce a profit motive into health care, we all pay for someone else's Mercedes. Conversely, in China they have controlled the situation without a profit motive, and it has been a lot cleaner. "China's authoritarianism has apparently helped the country keep a lid on the global H1N1 pandemic. Similarly populated India has experienced nearly 17 times as many deaths from the disease. The United States, with less than a quarter of China's population, has recorded about 133 times as many deaths.

"That's obviously a comparison of three very different countries, but there should be no doubt after the SARS debacle that China is a densely populated hub of international travel perfectly capable of spreading disease. That Beijing has managed to keep things mostly under control suggests that its draconian measures-which have included the quarantine of thousands of visiting foreigners at the slightest provocation-are working. Another step that could help, as The New York Times reports, is the country's determination to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible. That and the educational and unintentionally humorous use of red banners. A red banner hanging from the balcony of a rural school building here in Guangdong Province says: "H1N1 flu is preventable, controllable and curable, and not terrifying.

"The government was so anxious to stay ahead of H1N1 that officials decided in June to start developing a vaccine even though testing kits for measuring the dosage of the agent in the experimental vaccines had not arrived from the W.H.O., said Zhao Kai, a virologist who advises the government. It was an unusual step, but on Sept. 5 China became the first country to declare that it had discovered a vaccine, and by late October it had produced nearly 53 million doses." (Truthdig)

The fact of the matter is that here in the United States, we no longer produce flu vaccines - because it is not profitable. We are at the mercy of foreign producers. To hell with our people - show me the money.

Highly regulated capitalism may have a place in society, but it is not a God. Capitalism and profits should not be allowed to come within light years of health care and related issues.

E. Raymond Rock (anagarika eddie) is a meditation teacher at DhammaRocksprings Theravada Buddhist Meditation Retreat Center: http://www.dhammarocksprings.org and author of “A Year to Enlightenment: http://www.amazon.com/Year-Enlightenment-Steps-Enriching-Living/dp/1564148912

He lived at Wat Pah Nanachat under Ajahn Chah as a Buddhist monk (novice) and at Wat Pah Baan Taad under Ajahn Maha Boowa and Wat Pah Daan Wi Weg under Ajahn Tui as a fully ordained Buddhist monk (bhikkhu). He was a postulant at Shasta Abbey, a Zen Buddhist monastery in northern California under Roshi Kennett; and a Theravada Buddhist anagarika at both Amaravati Monastery in the UK and Bodhinyanarama Monastery in New Zealand, both under Ajahn Sumedho. The author has meditated with the Korean Master Sueng Sahn Sunim; with Bhante Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia; and with the Tibetan Master Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado. He has practiced at the Insight Meditation Society and the Zen Center in San Francisco.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Linda DeWitt
 2 years 195 days ago.
67 fans. Follow Linda DeWitt on twitter!
I think that many of the medications produced shout Show Me the Money. And all the little piggies said Oink Oink. Interesting article.
 
Thanks for sharing, Linda D.
» left by e 2 years 193 days ago.
133 fans.
I had to laugh at your comment - thanks Linda.

Best.........e 
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