Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

[tetano]

Int J Health Serv. 2011;41(1):95-115.
Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza.

Vance MA.

Butler University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA. mvance@butler.edu
Abstract

The catastrophic H1N1 pandemic of 1918, which killed tens of millions, is now legendary, and influenza policy has centered on preventing another such disaster. There is reason for concern about influenza A. It can rapidly alter its genetic makeup to increase virulence and can jump from other species to humans. Nonetheless, ignorance about influenza in 1918, the lack of effective vaccines or antibacterial and antiviral drugs, and the social disruption caused by World War I also contributed heavily to the lethality, and it is unlikely that influenza of similar destructiveness will recur. The stupefying publicity over the threat of influenza has been generated partly by those, such as the pharmaceutical industry and influenza researchers, who benefit from the increased expenditures the publicity provokes. It is, in effect, disease mongering, the promotion of disease or dread of disease for one's own gain. Huge expenditures on influenza preparedness have produced little demonstrable benefit and some harm, independent of the wasted resources. Disease mongering, including spreading fear of influenza, is widespread and unhealthy and should be vigorously opposed.

PMID: 21319723 [PubMed - in process]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21319723

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

FluTrackers is not connected to any pharmaceutical company, any corporation, or any government.

The distribution of cases in the pandemic was unusual - more selective for the young:


The dead children thread - Pandemic A/H1N1 2009-2010 (

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[tetano]

Re: Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

ignorance about influenza in 1918, the lack of effective vaccines or antibacterial and antiviral drugs, and the social disruption caused by World War I also contributed heavily to the lethality, and it is unlikely that influenza of similar destructiveness will recur


The consensus of the American Public Health Conference of December 1918 was that the most frequent victims of flu were "those who had been in the best of physical condition and freest from previous disease" (Crosby, 1989: 216). According to expert opinion, death was due not to direct viral damage but to the strength of the immune-inflammatory response to infection, greater in robust young (white, male) adults (Crosby, 1989).

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

ignorance about influenza in 1918, the lack of effective vaccines or antibacterial and antiviral drugs, and the social disruption caused by World War I also contributed heavily to the lethality, and it is unlikely that influenza of similar destructiveness will recur

One could add "in the developed world". Such a quote presupposes access to good medical care. I would suggest that a population of the world similar to the total population of the world in 1918 does not have access to adequate health care.

Pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, for example, are all treatable diseases that cause millions of fatalities in the developing world each year.

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

Commentary on Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

This article may have little impact on the scientific community because the International Journal of Health Services itself only has a impact factor of .98. Also, the author, Dr. Vance, is a professor of Pharmacology at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a review of his vita shows that his specialty is toxicology, not the epidemiology of influenza pandemics.

Access to the full article is restricted to paid subscribers, so it might be unfair to comment on the paper after only reading the abstract. Nonetheless . . .

. . . ignorance about influenza in 1918, the lack of effective vaccines or antibacterial and antiviral drugs, and the social disruption caused by World War I also contributed heavily to the lethality, and it is unlikely that influenza of similar destructiveness will recur.

There is an irresponsible comment and simply has no scientific basis. Influenza A(H5N1) currently has a CFR of about .60. The only reason the world has not yet experience a devastating bird flu epidemic or pandemic is because the virus has not (yet) been able to easily transmit between humans.

In contrast, the 2009 pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) was easily transmissible, but was not severely virulent. The lack of virulence of the p(H1N1) was NOT a function of vaccinations, availability of antiviral drugs, a stable world social climate or a better knowledge of influenza. It was simply a matter of reassortment luck.

The stupefying publicity over the threat of influenza has been generated partly by those, such as the pharmaceutical industry and influenza researchers, who benefit from the increased expenditures the publicity provokes. It is, in effect, disease mongering . . .

Painting all influenza researchers as pawns of pharmaceutical corporations or as money grubbing publicity hounds is a terrible insult to the professional integrity of influenza researchers. Perhaps there is something in Dr. Vance's background in toxicology research that makes him think that researchers are routinely influenced by money.