The Modern Pandemic: It's only a matter of time

The Modern Pandemic: It’s only a matter of time
Chelsea Thompson, September 5 2008 - 4:30 PM

This article is basically about scientists feeling that it is about time for an influenza pandemic. It states that a new type of the influenza virus has to come about and cause severe illness to humans. People would not be able to fight off the virus because it will be foreign to their immune systems. The Health Agency of Canada stated that “When a pandemic occurs, it’s going to be caused by a virus that we really haven’t seen before, so everyone’s going to be vulnerable.” If the virus comes out in a fairly unpopulated area, or somewhere that is isolated, then the World Health Organization (WHO) would try to contain it as soon as possible to prevent spreading of the virus. If it broke out somewhere more urban, then the WHO would have a more difficult time containing the virus. The most important thing is the rapid response and distribution of vaccines. The only problem is that there are only a handful of countries that are able to manufacture the vaccines, including The US, Canada, and Japan. Canada is in the best position to produce vaccines during a pandemic. Representatives from the Association for Industrial Workplace Accidents are worried that the countries capable of producing vaccines are not going to be willing to export them to the rest of the world. The only problem is that nobody knows how mild or deadly the virus is going to be until it starts circulating.
The only thing that really bothers me about this article is the fact that vaccine producing countries are not willing to share them with the rest of the world. While I agree that they should look after their own citizens first, I also think that it is their responsibility to keep people from countries that cannot afford to make, or do not have the recourse s to make a vaccine. The idea of a worldwide pandemic in itself is terrifying, but the idea of some countries being utterly defenseless against the virus is scarier in my opinion. Another thing that disturbs me is the fact that there is no way of predicting exactly when or where the Influenza pandemic will hit, or how it is going to affect infected persons.
http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2008/09/03/Features/The-Modern.Pandemic.Its.Only.A.Matter.Of.Time-3412293-page4.shtml