Pandemic Flu and Global Health Security III - H5N1 - the Ultimate Demographic Timebomb

by: SusanC

Thu Mar 26, 2009 at 16:13:52 PM EDT

Writing about a subject as grim as pandemic flu, there are times when you really wish your estimates, the numbers you crunch up in the dead of night, like here or here, are wrong, and that things couldn't possibly be as bad as you figured.  Or you go back and re-read how a 'mild' pandemic can bring a city like London to the edge of anarchy, and still find it incredible that the mildest of scenarios still means the equivalent of not one, but 24, of the 2004 Indian ocean tsunamis happening in the space of 6 months.  How is the world going to cope?  Given especially the widespread ignorance of these figures, even among policymakers?

Pandemic Flu and Global Health Security II - Session Summary

by: SusanC

Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 16:55:29 PM EDT

Continuing from part 1, Whither goes the WHO? here are some of the comments made, at the Chatham House conference on Global Health Security, during the session on pandemic flu, in addition to what's already been discussed.  Note that these are not exact quotes nor are they comprehensive, just the main points that I glean from my notes.

I will share my thoughts in the comments section.

Pandemic Flu and Global Health Security I - Whither Goes the WHO?

by: SusanC

Fri Mar 13, 2009 at 20:44:48 PM EDT

UPDATE: background papers for the conference are available online here.

I was in a Chatham House conference this week where a whole range of issues around global health security was discussed.  Pandemic flu was one of the many topics, of which I will write more in the next diary.  But first, various remarks here and there by different people caused me to have this nagging feeling, that something is not quite right with the WHO, with respect to pandemic flu and issues that we care about here.