how the government is, itself, sick?

[acroyear]

Mike the Mad Biologist: The Political Failure of Annual Influenza

One of the few predictable statistics in American public health is that between 35,000-40,000 people will die every year from 'ordinary' influenza. Most of these deaths are preventable. Yet we do nothing.

In the U.S., influenza kills approximately the same number of people every year as breast cancer does. But unlike breast cancer, we don't need to run, walk, jump, pogostick, or unicycle for the 'cure.' All we need to do is vaccinate enough of the appropriate people. It's that simple.

An effective influenza vaccination policy would involve the mass vaccination of those most likely to transmit influenza: children aged 5-18. Yet our public health response to the annual equivalent of twelve 9/11s is miserable. We can't even successfully vaccinate a high-risk group, children under 24 months old

[...]

How seriously can any of our bioterrorism or biopreparedness measures be taken when we can't even do this right, let alone adopt an effective vaccination strategy.

When are we get serious about the clear and present biological threat of annual influenza? Would a stupid ribbon help?