National emergency status applied to H1N1 in U.S.

Tajikistan News.Net
Saturday 24th October, 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the H1N1 virus, formerly known as swine flu, as a national emergency.

The declaration made Saturday clears the way for U.S. medical facilities to equip for an escalation in patients by allowing waivers on various requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs as needed, the White House said.

"In recognition of the continuing progression of the pandemic, and in further preparation as a nation, we are taking additional steps to facilitate our response," President Obama said in a statement.

Around 1,400 Americans have died from H1N1, however the number that die from conventional flu each year is in excess of 40,000.

Some believe the greatest danger is the fear being generated by parties with a vested interest in escalating the H1N1 "crisis."

Just over two months ago the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology said that, "in a plausible scenario," H1N1 might kill 90,000 Americans with the epidemic peaking in "mid-October."

Clearly that has not happened notwithstanding the virus is now present in 46 of the fifty U.S. states.

The Health and Human Services Department is working overtime to deliver vaccines and other drugs including antiviral drugs oseltamivir, made by Roche AG under the brand name Tamiflu, and zanamivir, an inhaled drug made by GlaxoSmithKline under the name Relenza.

Tamiflu is licensed to Roche by Gilead Sciences Inc., which is believed to be the biggest beneficiary of the H1N1 outbreak. Gilead's chairman was former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who still holds a stake in the company estimated to be worth $25 million.

During the SARS outbreak when Rumsfeld was defense secretary he authorised the purchase of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Tamiflu, most of which recently passed its use-by date.

On Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pushed through an emergency use authorization for an experimental new drug called peramivir, made by Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc and licensed to Shionogi & Co Ltd.

The Department of Health and Human Services has set up a Web site to explain the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines, and provide other resources for parents and children. The site can be accessed at www.flu.gov

According to the World Health Organisation, 4,735 people have died from H1N1 in the six months since it was discovered. 265 people died in the week ended Friday, the WHO said in a statement Saturday.

The death toll marked an increase of about 265 over the 4,735 deaths reported to the WHO a week ago.

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