Daily Mail publisher to innoculate staff against bird flu

[Guest guest]

Companion piece:http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rumsfeld/Rumsfeld's growing stake in TamifluDefense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.October 31, 2005: 10:55 AM EST By Nelson D. Schwartz, Fortune senior writerNEW YORK (Fortune) - The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people around the globe, but it's proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that's now the most-sought after drug in the world.==========http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1 & storycode=42096Daily Mail publisher to innoculate staff against bird flu24 September 2008By Patrick SmithDaily Mail and General Trust is to offer staff medication as part of a group-wide plan to help them survive a devastating and potentially fatal global bird flu pandemic.Each member of staff across DMGT and their close friends and family are to be offered doses of Tamiflu, the antiviral drug, as part of its Pandemic Influenza Management Scheme.In a letter to all Northcliffe staff, to whom the scheme has just been extended, Ken Thompson, group employment affairs director, warned that “recent scientific and press coverage have highlighted the threat of a possible influenza pandemic”.The letter, seen by Press Gazette, said: “The present threat of this would likely stem from an avian influenza virus (‘Bird Flu’). A major global pandemic can occur when a virus (such as H5N1), mutates and becomes easily transmitted from human to human.“History has taught us that pandemics of this nature do occur, there were three in the 20th Century. Scientists believe that a flu pandemic is inevitable. It could result in large scale illness and fatality. It would also lead to significant and sustained disruption to our businesses.”It continues: “The development of a vaccine to treat a pandemic virus cannot begin until there is an outbreak of the emerging strain. A vaccine would therefore not be available to the general population for six months after the start of the pandemic.“Antiviral drugs (such as Tamiflu) provide an alternative to vaccines but will not provide immunity to influenza. They limit its effects and increase the chances of survival.”Thompson said that while the Government has been stockpiling Tamiflu, it only has enough to cover 25 per cent of the population.Occupational health providers will administer the drug to staff while drugs for friends and family can be boughtThompson said he hoped that “avian influenza will not become the threat to public health that the experts have warned us about”, he said the company had “decided to do everything we can to protect the occupational wellbeing” of its employees.Thompson was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

[Guest guest]

On the subject of vaccines, here locally in my state of NC, several hundred 6th graders are being threatened with expulsion for not getting a T-dap booster. I believe the T-dap is the same as DTP that my boys got when they were younger. How many boosters do they expect our kids to get? It's a blessing that my boys are older teens now, but I do worry about their future children. They both have had their "shots" up to age 4-6. I refused to have my boys vaccinated any more due to my youngest having reactions to his last set of shots when he was 8yrs old ( I waited longer with him). When looking back, he was having reactions since he was an infant. Subtle, but it was there. Any comments on what my state is doing? I'm curious.

Sandra

 

Viviane Lerner Sep 24, 2008 7:50 PM HEALTH & HEALING Cc: NATURAL NEWS , ALTERNET Daily Mail publisher to innoculate staff against bird flu

 

 

 

 

Companion piece:

http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rumsfeld/

 

Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu

Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.

October 31, 2005: 10:55 AM EST

By Nelson D. Schwartz, Fortune senior writer

 

NEW YORK (Fortune) - The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people around the globe, but it's proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that's now the most-sought after drug in the world.

==========http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1 & storycode=42096

Daily Mail publisher to innoculate staff against bird flu

24 September 2008

By Patrick Smith

Daily Mail and General Trust is to offer staff medication as part of a group-wide plan to help them survive a devastating and potentially fatal global bird flu pandemic.

Each member of staff across DMGT and their close friends and family are to be offered doses of Tamiflu, the antiviral drug, as part of its Pandemic Influenza Management Scheme.

In a letter to all Northcliffe staff, to whom the scheme has just been extended, Ken Thompson, group employment affairs director, warned that “recent scientific and press coverage have highlighted the threat of a possible influenza pandemicâ€.

The letter, seen by Press Gazette, said: “The present threat of this would likely stem from an avian influenza virus (‘Bird Flu’). A major global pandemic can occur when a virus (such as H5N1), mutates and becomes easily transmitted from human to human.

“History has taught us that pandemics of this nature do occur, there were three in the 20th Century. Scientists believe that a flu pandemic is inevitable. It could result in large scale illness and fatality. It would also lead to significant and sustained disruption to our businesses.â€

It continues: “The development of a vaccine to treat a pandemic virus cannot begin until there is an outbreak of the emerging strain. A vaccine would therefore not be available to the general population for six months after the start of the pandemic.

 

 

“Antiviral drugs (such as Tamiflu) provide an alternative to vaccines but will not provide immunity to influenza. They limit its effects and increase the chances of survival.â€

Thompson said that while the Government has been stockpiling Tamiflu, it only has enough to cover 25 per cent of the population.

Occupational health providers will administer the drug to staff while drugs for friends and family can be bought

Thompson said he hoped that “avian influenza will not become the threat to public health that the experts have warned us aboutâ€, he said the company had “decided to do everything we can to protect the occupational wellbeing†of its employees.

Thompson was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

 

 

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.