Santa’s Wish List: H1N1 Vaccine
For generations, American children have made demands of Santa Claus.
Now that we’re grown up, isn’t it time we take care of Santa’s wish list?
He’s not asking for much. Just one item, in fact.
From the Associated Press’ Holly Ramer:
Forget cookies and milk. Santa wants the swine flu vaccine.
Many of the nation’s Santas want to be given priority for the vaccine and not just because of those runny-nosed kids. There’s also the not-so-little matter of that round belly. Research has suggested obesity could be a risk factor.
Swine flu has become such a concern that the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas featured a seminar on the illness at a recent conference in Philadelphia. The group also urged its members to use hand sanitizer and take vitamins to boost their immune systems.
The president of the organization said he also hopes parents will keep sick kids away.
“We don’t want any child to go without seeing Santa, but it’s not worth bringing your child to the mall, infecting the Santa and infecting the other children,” Nicholas Trolli said…
Ernest Berger, president of another group called Santa America, asked an Alabama congressman last week to designate Santas a priority group for the swine flu vaccine, like health care workers or infant caregivers…
Berger estimates that about two-thirds of all American Santas are overweight, and about a third are morbidly obese.
That raises health concerns because some research has suggested obesity could be a risk factor for severe swine flu.
For Santa and the children
In other news related to the H1N1 virus, the Kansas City Star’s Sarah Avery wrote Friday night:
A cluster of four Tamiflu-resistant cases of H1N1 flu at Duke University Medical Center has raised concerns that changes in the virus may make severe infections more difficult to treat.
Three of the Duke patients died. All were adults, including two women and one man, and they had other major diseases, said Cameron Wolfe, an infectious-disease specialist at Duke. He said a fourth patient remains hospitalized…
The Duke cluster comes at the same time a hospital in Wales reported five Tamiflu-resistant cases, and the World Health Organization began investigating a more virulent strain of H1N1 virus that appeared in Norway.
Last year, the World Bank estimated a major swine flu pandemic could cost the global economy $3 trillion and cause worldwide gross domestic product to plummet almost 5%.
Let’s hope this bug remains in a less-virulent, less-lethal form.
Sources:
“Better not cough: Santas lobby for swine flu shots”
Holly Ramer
Associated Press, November 17, 2009
“Tamiflu-resistant swine flu causes new worry”
Sarah Avery
Kansas City Star, November 20, 2009
November 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
For what it’s worth, it would be more practical to give the H1N1 vaccine to toddlers. This is the most likely demographic group who would give the Swine Flu to Santa.
Furthermore, isn’t giving obese people priority (re: the vaccine) over other people – kinda like giving health care priority to smokers? Both of these groups can, and should, do something to improve their own health.
If any group of people should receive priority with their halth care, why shouldn’t it be those who at least are making their own effort to stay healthy?
As a side note, has anybody here been following the flu epidemic in the Ukraine? Bad stuff over there..
-Mammoth
November 21st, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Thanks for the comment/question Mammoth.
“For what it’s worth, it would be more practical to give the H1N1 vaccine to toddlers.”
Good point. I put the piece out there more for fun, rather than to push the Santas’ agenda.
Uh oh. Hope I’ll still be getting X-mas presents after saying that.
But I also wanted the post to draw attention to H1N1 and its potential to be one of those X-factors that could bring our economy, and others around the world, to its knees.
Regarding the Ukraine, I’ve actually been following what’s been going on for a while now. At first, I heard it was swine flu, then reports came in of pneumonic plague, then it was some sort of combination of a number of flu strains in one, and then I read the World Health Organization is dismissing it all as H1N1.
Although, earlier today I read an interesting Washington Post piece about what might actually be going on in the Ukraine.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:01 am
Thanks for the Wa-Po link. One line stands out on particular:
“What we’re seeing is a normal, psychological reaction to the complete incompetence of the state authorities,…”
Um…are we talking about the Ukraine, or what may be just around the corner for the USA?
And yes you are right – if a high percentage of people are incapacitated by the flu (or some other pandemic), how can our ’system’ keep running? How will the lights & water stay on, how will food be delivered to the grocery stores, how will gas get to your friendly neighborhood gas station?
But no doubt our very competent state & federal authorities are keeping all this in mind and will make sure that we are well-taken care of.
-Mammoth
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Proud to report I survived the swine flu and am still alive and kicking. It’s no joke but I didn’t kick the bucket. Screw the vaccine panic, I’m not partaking nor am I taking my 6 year old in to get it. Bah.
November 24th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Thanks for the comment Mammoth.
“Um…are we talking about the Ukraine, or what may be just around the corner for the USA?”
How about it.
“…if a high percentage of people are incapacitated by the flu (or some other pandemic), how can our ’system’ keep running?”
Some argue even the Internet might be toast for the duration of the pandemic. Doh!
“But no doubt our very competent state & federal authorities are keeping all this in mind and will make sure that we are well-taken care of.”
One word. Katrina.
November 24th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Glad to hear you’re alive and kicking Jr Deputy Accountant. And look at the bright side to feeling yucky— you may now have some built-in resistance to the bug if it comes knocking on your door again. I, myself, am a little wary of the vaccine after spending some time researching it. Anyway, I was down for the count in April with really bad flu symptoms— kind of wonder if I was one of those infected early on.