Age-Specific Death Rates Should Determine Swine Flu Treatment

[FarCenter]

By Carey Sargent

July 27 (Bloomberg) -- Governments without sufficient stockpiles of antiviral drugs should prioritize treatment for swine flu based on age-specific fatality rates, a study said.

Giving antivirals to the elderly should be a priority if the current outbreak follows the patterns of the 1969-1970 flu pandemic in Italy, where deaths occurred primarily among those older than 65, research published in the BioMed Central Infectious Diseases medical journal found. Treatment of younger adults should be the focus if the flu is more like the 1918-1919 pandemic in Copenhagen, the study said.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aJm1pXK9Hjac

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Health care rationing is a necessity.

[MercutioATC]

1. ...and the CDC has just upped its estimate of the number of people who will contract this flu.

"Up to 40%" now.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu

[panader0]

2. I heard that too--------Wow! 40%

[hlthe2b]

3. kick

[SheilaT]

4. Health rationing has always existed

in some form or anther. We don't always recognize it for what it is.At the risk of sounding callous (and I am 60 years old myselfr) I'm not sure it really makes sense to give limited stocks of vaccine to the older population.

And how long will it take to know what the age-specific fatality rates will be? I suspect we won't know that until an outbreak is in full swing. If there is a horrific, high mortality rate outbreak.