A Billion pounds + spent on the Swine flu pandemic ...that wasn't!

[Bobbisox]

What a waste of money, how could they get it so wrong?
Just imagine what other resources this would have helped

[squarebear]

I don't know anyone round here who had swine flu, so it must have worked. Why do you say they got it wrong?

[jake-the-peg]

At the time it first appeared it was unknown exactly how serious it was if it was caught.

People on here were calling for airports to be closed and the entire country to be isolated with troops as I recall.

You weren't one of them were you?

In the light of the information available at the time what was done seems very sensible.

Unless you think that in the light of a potentially fatal pandemic the best thing for a government to do is just to say "Oh it'll be all right! lets just hope for the best"

I suppose you think insurance is a waste of money too

Or perhaps you had special knowledge of the nature of swine flu gained from an in depth study of the subject and nobody would listen to you?

[Bobbisox]

A guy has just ben on the News about it, I haven't made it up ..lol

"I suppose you think insurance is a waste of money too "

errm of cause I don't jtp

[Davethedog]

This story is so ridiculous it really is tabloid rubbish.

We were warned that an epademic of Spanish flu proportions was coming, the press went into a rabid frenzy saying there wasn't enough being done, then there wasn't enough innoculations to go around, now its a waste of money.

So the Government on the advice of the best medical minds in country, tried to protect its citizens so you advocating they shouldn't have done anything and just let millions of people face the risk of death?

Just like all the people who say that spending all the money on Y2K was a waste of money when nothing happened.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing especialy in the hands of our wonderful press.

[Davethedog]

In accordance with the thought of Jakes insurance quote:

I have just thrown all the fire extinguishers out of the office because we have never had a fire here.

[bigfoot3000]

Bobbi, In the past, influenza pandemics have resulted in increased death and disease and great social disruption. In the 20th century, the most severe influenza pandemic occurred in 1918-1919 and caused an estimated 40 to 50 million deaths world wide. Current epidemiological models project that a pandemic could result in two to 7.4 million deaths globally.

Better safe then sorry regarding pandemic viruses, because if one gets through and we're all caught unaware, 1 billion will seem miniscule to the amount of deaths , money and resources we will have to use to try and battle through it.

[bednobs]

what annoys me the most is that people are complaining about the money spent, but did they have the innoculation? My gp surgery told me that at least 50% of people who were called in declined to have it anyway. How can you critsize a government for trying to protect its people then the people being so stupid as to not take up the offer of protection!

[jake-the-peg]

Well think of that money as insurance

£1 Billion is about £20 a head and we acquired vacinne and antivirals for the entire country.

Pandemics can and do occur - the good thing about this was that it was a useful run through and people will have learnt a lot from this.

If, (and I hope it doen't happen) , there ever is a mutation of bird flu that lets it pass from human to human a lot of people will have reason to be grateful for swine flu as a dry run

[Bobbisox]

and I am going to accept everyones argument on this as I see anothers P.O.V
thanks

[Bbbananas]

Wow bobbi - good for you girl x

[Bbbananas]

Although I'm sure you were only trying to evoke a lively discussion/debate and were only playing devil's advocate anyway? ;-)

[bednobs]

did you have the vaccination, bobbi?

[Davethedog]

If someone says that they could have prevented it and one person dies because that advice isn't listened too then the government/medical establishment would be culpable.

Wasn't there a number of deaths attributed to the flu which is when the millions of deaths was first put about.

[Sqad]

In my opinion it was a complete "cock up" and I can understand why.
The Government was unpopular at the time and it was thought that a General Election was imminent and the wanted to show that they had the health and safety of the electorate at heart.
The advice was taken from the medical profession in the Department of Health who MAY have been leaned on by the Government to ere on the side of caution.

Now it stated in Mexico about March 2009 the new influenza A(H1N1) virus infection continued to cause a mild illness predominately affecting younger age-groups with a low rate of hospitalisation. The only way to diagnose it was by blood test which was not available to the masses and hence the NHS Direct Line was set up ( a complete waste of time in my opinion) and Tamiflu was dished out on ticking the symptoms on a sheet of paper. Side effects of Tamiflu soon became evident. Apart from pregnancy and children under 5years of age, it was a mild disease.
Vaccines (rushed through) became available in November, but by then the diseas was subsiding.

Bobbi is right...the Medics got it wrong and the Politicians wanted to be see to be "on the ball"

The Medical profession has learned absolutely nothing from this outbreak as we do not know who had swine flu or who didn't. Hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on vaccines and Tamiflu was wasted and is lying idle.

Yes....a cock up.......but there have been many worse than that and there will be many more.

[Bobbisox]

I'm learning salla....

[Bbbananas]

... and swad agrees with you!!

[Bobbisox]

bed nobs
No I did not, I felt it handn't been tested enough at that time, personal opinion only tho

[bigfoot3000]

Who is swad?