us national antiviral stockpile inadequate, page-4

It would be interesting to see the consumption of the 2 antivirals by month as there appears to be little data on relenza consumption. Unfortunately most people still believe there is only one antiviral - tamiflu.


There will always be a demand for antivirals.

Currently there is insufficient stocks of flu vaccines to cover everyone.

A large number of people are anti-vaccine (including a surprising number of health care workers) so will get the flu anyway.
http://www.nwcn.com/health/stories/NW_100109WAB-nursing-flu-shot-KS.1d441e9ab.html

"..many people are not planning to get the Swine Flu shot. A recent survey from the University of Pittsburgh shows that about three-quarters of Americans believe that neither they nor their family members or friends will contract H1N1, and a poll from the University of Michigan reveals that only 40% of parents plan to inoculate their children"
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574443113986261186.html

While most flu cases are mild, they now have a better idea on what causes severe illness and death.

Data from Vic.
"In Victoria the pandemic virus sickened about 5 percent of the population, with 0.3 percent of infected patients being hospitalized, health officials said in a study yesterday in the Medical Journal of Australia. One in five people admitted to the hospital were transferred to ICU, mostly because of severe respiratory failure"

"Eighty-five percent of critically ill patients survived after staying an average of nine days in ICU. Almost three- quarters of these patients required mechanical ventilation to breathe and 7 percent needed to have their blood pumped through an artificial lung in a procedure known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation."

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aPd3JODa5N08