Did the World Health Organization (WHO) over-react? Any parent knows that you can either over-react or under-react in the face of danger to your children’s welfare. The WHO has a responsibility (much like parents do) to alert the world’s citizens to dangerous diseases and call to action assistance in dealing with possible pandemics. They had a choice; they could’ve underplayed the seriousness, or they could have done just what they did, and alert the world governments about the risk of H1N1, calling for vaccination efforts.
It's been claimed that the alert was over-stated. For example, the WHO initially thought it would require two doses of vaccine for everyone, rather than just for children under the age of 9 as is now recommended. They also changed the requirements to limit who should first receive it (those with known respiratory illness, and pregnant women, etc.). They estimated the severity of the virus based on the transmissibility, not the deadliness of the strain. According to the WHO, it is normal to judge severity based on transmissibility.
The accusing governments over-committed purchasing vaccines for what they estimate has turned out to be a "mild pandemic." In a related article, “The H1N1 Pandemic, Is a Second Wave Possible?” the author states that it is difficult to compare this pandemic to pandemics of the past because even 40 years ago, health officials didn’t have the antiviral therapies and vaccination capabilities available today.
"So did they over-react?" I asked my friend, Erin, a clinical nurse. She said, speaking for not only herself but her doctor husband as well, “Ask China- who came under [scrutiny following] the SARS pandemic, [and] had the world tut-tutting at them for not being more pro-active.”
Currently, H1N1 has claimed over 14,000 laboratory-confirmed deaths worldwide, most have been young, previously healthy people. Comparatively, SARS has only claimed 774 deaths.
Erin went on to say, “ …based on the numbers, this was a pandemic, even if the flu was not virile enough to kill most of the people it infected. As a healthy pregnant woman, I got the shot and I'm glad they offered it, since there was no telling if I would be one of the unlucky who [could have] died. I [am] reassured [knowing] that my government may have over-stocked on vaccine due to a less-than-perfect preparedness plan,” she said.
Countries with surplus vaccine are working on plans to distribute to 95 countries that previously did not have access to vaccines. In some of those countries, the threat from other illnesses like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria is more crucial, as H1N1 appears to be spreading similar to how it did in more developed regions.
I understand that as details come out, the picture gets clearer. So should we have not acted so quickly, and should we have not run in droves to get vaccinated? Or instead could it be because of the hubbub that the H1N1 flu itself didn’t amount to much? While you’re thinking about that, brace yourself for the next wave. I’m personally glad my kids got the shot.
Resources:
“Did the WHO Exaggerate the H1N1 Flu Pandemic’s Danger?” by Eben Harrell, Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100126/hl_time/08599195660800;_ylt=Al7rYasNDZEMzxvONiT.R6d0fNdF
“The H1N1 Pandemic: Is a Second Wave Possible?” by Alice Park, Time Magazine online
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1946879,00.html
Christine Jeffries is a writer/editor for work and at heart, and lives in a home of testosterone with her husband and two sons. Christine is interested in women’s health and promoting strong women.