Talk:Health expert: Swine flu outbreak exaggerated by pharmaceutical companies for profits

Criticisms

 * 1) Antiviral drugs are completely different from vaccines; both are mentioned with no real clear distinction
 * 2) There are two suitable antivirals, I remember Tamiflu - it's the much hyped one (guess what? The other is more effective and has less risks for people like me)
 * 3) The H1N1-A flu strain more-commonly known as "swine flu" does have an unusual profile with regard to the people who die from it
 * 4) The normal flu season sees dozens of flu strains in circulation and the regular circus of annually produced vaccines is a best-guess at the ones most likely to be widespread and kill off the vulnerable
 * 5) H1N1-A is a pandemic flu. The WHO criteria on this are scientifically based (unrelated to fatality rate) and, without acute institutional corruption, the WHO could not declare a pandemic. There would have to be a global conspiracy to falsify statistics which are the foundation for the declaration of a pandemic.

Yes, I've had both the 'normal' flu vaccine and the H1N1-A vaccine. As I say, I'm an at-risk group and Tamiflu is not something I should be treated with were I to catch an acute flu (might kill me).

A query has been submitted to the WHO by one of the other accredited reporters – if they respond, please consider the above points carefully when creating a followup article. --Brian McNeil / talk 02:33, 12 January 2010 (UTC)


 * OK, thanks for the comments and I note the problems with it, especially the first poing. I didn't consider that, actually I thought that Tamilflu was a type of vaccine - my bad. I probably should have researched this more. The 24-hour limit isn't up yet, perhaps someone would like to have a go at correcting some of the inconsistencies? I'm not sure i have enough time ATM. Tempodivalse [talk]  02:47, 12 January 2010 (UTC)


 * And also, regarding points 3-5, the article does not give them as facts, it only quotes the official as saying them, so I don't think that's a problem. Tempodivalse [talk]  02:48, 12 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Probably also worth doing a little digging into some of the almost-legit online pharmacies; I'm pretty sure you can use them to buy Tamiflu. Remind me when I'm back from my interview tomorrow morning and I'll dig up one that does sell the genuine article (at least in terms of other more "recreational" prescription-only medicines). I've contact details for a now-lapsed Wikinewsie who's fully qualified, working in a teaching hospital, and might be able to get OR quotes direct from an expert in clinical diagnosis on the serious risks you could put yourself at self-medicating with Tamiflu. That's through being in a group it would be dangerous to prescribe Tamiflu to, or poorly treating yourself with the drug thus rendering it impossible for medical professionals to treat you with it in a life-threatening situation. --Brian McNeil / talk 03:02, 12 January 2010 (UTC)
 * This is likely the essential reading Antiviral drug.
 * I've emailed Professor Dorothy Crawford an expert in microbiology at Edinburgh University requesting an interview to follow up to this story with some facts instead of FUD. --Brian McNeil / talk 10:43, 15 January 2010 (UTC)