1654 Worried about Avian Flu?
We'd probably have a drug in place to lessen its affects if it weren't for all the people, countries and politicians who think pharmaceutical companies should be doing pro bono work. We used to have 37 vaccine makers, and now we have 3. So what does the FDA do? Not much. But you can bet it will be President Bush's fault if you or your loved one gets the avian flu. Opinion Journal Saturday's article "Political Virus":Our political leaders keep telling us to fear the avian flu, and in one sense they're right: We should all be scared to death about how much damage our political leaders will do responding to the avian flu.
Consider Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who declared this month that he hoped concern for "intellectual property" wouldn't "get into the way" of procuring widespread vaccines for a potential avian-flu outbreak. In other words, companies that make vaccines should abandon their patents at Mr. Annan's whim. This kind of hostility to property rights is precisely the reason we now have a shortage of vaccines and drugs to combat this potential pandemic.
Hat tip to Beggar's All, an LCMS blogger.
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1 comment:
I'm watching the World Health Organization, catching their drift. Actually, improving the sanitation and living conditions of many races and cultures around the world would do more to eradicate these diseases.
We can only innoculate against the effects of 'the extremes of wealth and poverty', when it is obvious that upgrading global conditions is a good deterrent. Look at the spread of AIDS in Africa - it came here, but it started in the squalor of a primitive village.
I think the drug companies profit from the disparity among rich and poor nations...they have more fuel for the fire, more diseases to treat. Imagine, if we eradicated the global conditions that brought disease about.
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