‘You Don’t Want This Going Places’
So you're saying that we still don't have a true picture of the mortality of this particular strain?
It could be higher, it could be lower [than what's been reported]. It really has to be based on patients that you're doing some rigorous diagnosis on. If you cast a wide net, you end up with a lot of fish in the net that you're not really after.
What are you doing to get better data?
We've sent a team to establish a lab in Entebbe, south of Kampala. We'd like to get samples from suspected patients and have them tested, and they'd either be called confirmed cases or put in some other category. And here [in Atlanta] we're working to get assays that are targeted for the new virus, [which would enable us to] test for presence of the virus.
What will more complete sequencing of the virus tell you?
It may tell us something about its evolutionary relationship with the other viruses, but not how pathogenic it will be. That has to come from the field. At this point we're waiting to get more sequence [of genetic data] so we can have a better perspective on it.
When will that happen?
Within a week we'll have more [sequencing] information and make some sort of announcement to the government of Uganda. To find out how pathogenic it's going to be, that has to come from the field. We need to know how many patients die and how many of them live. That really defines the mortality.
Is this a milder strain than those you've seen in the past?
That has to be based on data. As far as we're concerned, there's not a lot [of data] suggesting that this is all that different from other strains. It's premature to say that it's milder or not milder.
Would a milder strain be worrying because it would be more likely to spread?
I would say that if it's milder, it's less likely to be shed in huge quantities, so people who've come in contact with patients are probably less likely to transmit the disease than [if it were] a severe strain.
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Member Comments
Posted By: Nins @ 07/06/2008 11:56:29 PM
Comment: Did you know that if McCain is elected you will have to pay income tax on the value of the medical insurance that your employer gives you? Worse still, he is offering a tax break for people who pay their own insurance, BUT only $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.
Let's say you have a family of four. Your insurance policy costs would be at least $1,500-2,500 per month under a self-pay plan, which cost more than employer group plans. So, you pay $18,000 -$30,000 per year for insurance, and you get to deduct only $5,000 of that. If you paid $25,000 for you insurance, you would be out of pocket $20,000 per year. This is FAR WORSE than the current system, where if you are self employed you can deduct 100% of you medical insurance costs.
So, if you're not self employed, you would stick with your Employer's plan. Employer plans for a family of four have a value of $900-$1,500 per month totaling 10,800-$18,000 per year. Surprise! On April 15th, you owe tax on all of that as INCOME to you. Say your bracket is 25%, and the value of your Employer medical plan is $14,000. You will OWE THE IRS an additional $3,500, and that's ON TOP of whatever monthly premium you already pay to your employer for your insurance.
Many analysts say that McCain's new rules would encourage employers to stop offering health benefits. If that happened, then far fewer Americans would be insured than are insured today, because what family of four can afford $18,000-$30,000 out of pocket per year for self-pay health insurance?
Furthermore, McCain's plan does not require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions of people who self-pay their insurance. People under employer group plans have all of their pre-existing conditions covered. This is a hugely unfair aspect of the current system. Insurance companies can afford to cover the pre-existing conditions of the much larger pool of people with group insurance, but they refuse to pay the pre-existing conditions on the smaller pool of self-pay customers. They have been allowed to price gouge the self-pay customers, which is a form of market manipulation that should be illegal.
So let's say one of your kids had diabetes and you have high blood pressure, then your employer stops offering insurance. You now have to buy your own, but you and your child are INELIGIBLE due to pre-existing conditions. Oh, yeah, they will let you buy the insurance, but you can't use it for any pre-existing condition until you have paid on time every month for two years. And you know what happens at one year and 11 months? You get a letter saying your policy has been cancelled. I have many patients this has happened to.
McCain's plan SUCKS.
It does nothing to help middle class working Americans afford or obtain medical insurance. In fact, it makes the current system WORSE.
Posted By: Bornita @ 12/12/2007 11:35:12 PM
Comment: Viruses have nothing to do with anti-biotics. Anti-biotics are for bacteria and viruses are a totally different thing.
Posted By: Evolutionist @ 12/12/2007 10:23:25 AM
Comment: rofl theres gonna be a day that medicine and vacines dont work anymore. Viruses change too quickly, they actually adapt to anti- biotics. What Im about to say is just a theory, I believe some of these viruses are man made to decrease the African population. It would be easy for a scientist to release different strains of the virus onto people. Its gonna take Americans to almost completely die off to exterminate everything that is a threat. This is not far fetched.