Response to flu
Response to influenza pandemic threat is late and incomplete
The Government's 11th hour plans to stockpile drugs to counter the threat of an influenza pandemic are late and incomplete.That was the charge levelled by Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley after the Department of Health announced that more than 14 million doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu will be stockpiled - at a cost of £180 million.
The move comes months after Mr Lansley first called for counter measures as experts warned that a pandemic was inevitable and would probably take hold in Asia if bird flu mutates with human flu, creating an infectious new virus. Several other nations, including the United States, France and Australia, have already started stockpiling drugs.Health officials will have first call on the drugs, with the remainder being available to those sections of the population thought at most risk.Mr Lansley told conservatives.com: "The Government's response is late and incomplete.
We needed a stockpile of anti-viral drugs to be produced months ago and action to promote vaccine production. The Labour Government once again failed to act and to give public health the priority it requires."He also warned that the Government plan "lacks detail on risk assessment" and questioned what mechanisms are in place to increase vaccine production.
The shadow minister said: "We know that it will take more than the publication of a document to ensure that the necessary contingency measures are in place and more than an announcement on purchasing to ensure that adequate stockpiles are available to protect the public. It could take up to nine months before the necessary stockpiles are in place. That is why Conservatives have been pressing the Government so hard over this last year."
The Government's 11th hour plans to stockpile drugs to counter the threat of an influenza pandemic are late and incomplete.That was the charge levelled by Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley after the Department of Health announced that more than 14 million doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu will be stockpiled - at a cost of £180 million.
The move comes months after Mr Lansley first called for counter measures as experts warned that a pandemic was inevitable and would probably take hold in Asia if bird flu mutates with human flu, creating an infectious new virus. Several other nations, including the United States, France and Australia, have already started stockpiling drugs.Health officials will have first call on the drugs, with the remainder being available to those sections of the population thought at most risk.Mr Lansley told conservatives.com: "The Government's response is late and incomplete.
We needed a stockpile of anti-viral drugs to be produced months ago and action to promote vaccine production. The Labour Government once again failed to act and to give public health the priority it requires."He also warned that the Government plan "lacks detail on risk assessment" and questioned what mechanisms are in place to increase vaccine production.
The shadow minister said: "We know that it will take more than the publication of a document to ensure that the necessary contingency measures are in place and more than an announcement on purchasing to ensure that adequate stockpiles are available to protect the public. It could take up to nine months before the necessary stockpiles are in place. That is why Conservatives have been pressing the Government so hard over this last year."
posted by Carolyn @ 8:32 PM
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