Virgin Buys Tamiflu for staff!

Not sure if you have seen this yet but another sensible idea from Mr B?!

Virgin Buys Tamiflu

Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group Ltd. said today that his company is looking into machines and new technologies to put on aircrafts to kill germs in anticipation of a bird flu pandemic. He said his company has purchased 10,000 doses of the drug Tamiflu for his staff.

Originally posted by newby
Not sure if you have seen this yet but another sensible idea from Mr B!

Virgin Buys Tamiflu

Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group Ltd. said today that his company is looking into machines and new technologies to put on aircrafts to kill germs in anticipation of a bird flu pandemic. He said his company has purchased 10,000 doses of the drug Tamiflu for his staff.

If this true, then Mr B is NOT "sensible", but ill-informed, ignorant and quite possibly negligent.

1. There are no machines in existence that "kill germs" of the type we are discussing.. oh, unless he plans to heat the aircraft interiors to 2000 degrees celcius before descent..

2. It is unlikely Tamiflu will have any effect on Avian flu, if transferred to humans..

3. Using anti-viral therapy in this way, without good medical advice, can contribute to the problem by enhancing virus virulence and resistance, thereby making the virus even more difficult to combat.

Well said Doc.

You should not BUY medicines you should be PRESCRIBED them. [:(!]

Regards

John

[preiffer]

Do you have a reference source for this, newby?

[Decker]

The home page of V-Flyer Paul

[preiffer]

Originally posted by Decker
The home page of V-Flyer Paul

D'oh, d'oh, d'oh!

(SO tempted to remove that post to prevent my stupidity becoming public! [:I])


- Must find the head-banging-against-wall smiley.

[V]Healthscares in the media.. jeez, I hate them. Always do more harm than good.

Originally posted by preiffer
Do you have a reference source for this, newby?

http://time.blogs.com/global_health/200 ... anson.html

Glad I'm not the only one who needs the doh smiley. Doh!

Absolutely stupid, if this is true then virgin should really be ashamed of themself. Roche is having a hard enough time maufacturing the drug let alone to start giving it to people who probably/may not need it.

It would be interesting to see how their occupational health department descide who gets what. 10,000 doses would help 1000 staff with it or less than 250 staff who have been exposed to it. The 10,000 doses would be far better served within the health service for the people who really need it.

Originally posted by ade99
Roche is having a hard enough time maufacturing the drug let alone to start giving it to people who probably/may not need it.

Roche will be happy to sell to whoever is paying....

Interesting thread. I had a conversation with two microbiologists this past weekend and here's what they reported:

The flu is the flu. Those with weakened immune systems are at risk and should be vaccinated. Healthy people get sick and then get better.

The big moneymakers in this are, interestingly, Donald Rumsfeld (US Secretary of Defense)--and Pres Bush, who has just announced a 6 billion dollar stockpiling of Tamiflu, funded by cuts to poverty services, emergency heating/fuel support, education and health (while still supporting tax cuts for the wealthy) and there are (ahem) others: (http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/ne ... =aol_quote).

I admire and appreciate all that Dick Branson has done for those at risk (emergency aid and recovery flights) and dearly hope he--or Virgin--do not hold stock in Roche....and that Tamiflu acquisition is a only a thoughtful effort to protect staff who interact daily with the public, and not a pr move for Roche.

Road Runner

Pete! Help! --these chattering smilies are driving me nuts--couldn't we just go back to the static emphases? The flapping ears, shaking head, crunching mouth--very Hogwarts, a little, well..scary?

Uh oh--why did they JUST STOP?? Why is Mr. Angry Face looking at me that way?[:0]

The flu is the flu. Those with weakened immune systems are at risk and should be vaccinated. Healthy people get sick and then get better.

Usually true, but from what I understand, not always. First off, in some cases older generations may have immunity that other generations do not. In that way you can have children and young healthy people die while middle aged people are only affected to a small degree.

Secondly when you have an avian flu that is never been seen in human beings it can be exponentially more deadly then common strains of existing human/swine influenza. In the Spanish flu it was young soldiers that were dieing in droves.

I would not suggest that panic is called for (it never is) but deep below the frothy media scare campaign is the truth that microbiologists were yelling about for years. I think putting off avian flu as, just another flu where a few old people die, and us healthy folk are fine, is not the correct outlook IMO.

The regular flu kills around 500,000 people a year. The last avian flu killed possibly 40 million (in a world without modern jetliners.)

It is like a roll of the dice. This avian flu could weaken if/when it pole-vaults the species barrier, or it could stay virulent. Who knows if Tamiflu buying is the way to go? I have no idea, but I do not see it as criminal or somehow negligent to shareholders. Branson is not alone. Many corporations with traveling staff have been buying anti-virals for their employees, and have been for years.

Just my opinion..

Come on Roadrunner, less of the Democrat BS or I will have to let go at you!
One thing we have all tried to keep out of on this site is religion and politics, as we all have different views, such as the Democrats are the biggest bunch of porkbelly filling, lying, scumbags around and the opposite misguided view that President Bush is wrong. [}:)]

[Decker]

Funnily Alan I don't remember you trying that hard [}:)][:p]

Originally posted by Decker
Funnily Alan I don't remember you trying that hard [}:)][:p]

Trying to turn a new leaf Decks, a la David Cameroon, "caring, sharing Conservatives" [:o)][:o)]

[Decker]

Good man! [8D]

Originally posted by AlanA

a new leaf

Well done Alan - I don't think anyone noticed the quiet little edit.[}:)];)

Originally posted by sailor99

Originally posted by AlanA

a new leaf

Well done Alan - I don't think anyone noticed the quiet little edit.[}:)];)

Damn, you caught me. Ok then I will resign, but dont forget to give me my £18,000 termination money :D

Come on Roadrunner, less of the Democrat BS or I will have to let go at you!
Now, now Alan, no need for violence. I had no idea you were a switched on Cameronian, it's hard to see loggers' school ties on this site. I promise in future to limit my musings to really important contributions, like campaigning for saving petrol by riding motorbikes and then visiting a head injury hospital.

and to Derrico--thanks for the contribution, as I said, I was repeating what I heard about the flu from partying microbiologists and understand that there are enormous unknowns.
I do disagree however with any sense that there should be gargantuan windfall profit for Roche shareholders, as there was just recently for oil companies post- Katrina. There is just something inherently nasty about profits caused by panic and the subsequent (and very quiet) budget cuts that will go to funding those profits.

I am however quite interested in whatever technology can be put on an airplane to zap germs as I got quite a nasty cold from my last flight. Will we be issued those little breathing devices that you strap around your neck and claim to keep your little patch of oxygen germ-free? Should I purchase shares in it now?

Friday...aaaah

RR

Originally posted by roadrunner

Now, now Alan, no need for violence. I had no idea you were a switched on Cameronian, it's hard to see loggers' school ties on this site. I promise in future to limit my musings to really important contributions, like campaigning for saving petrol by riding motorbikes and then visiting a head injury hospital.

Noo, be like the Holywood celebs, drive to the show openings in your environmentally freindly Prius, and keep your hummers for all other times :D:D:D

Well done--and keep in mind that they are DIESEL Hummers.

rr;)

I do disagree however with any sense that there should be gargantuan windfall profit for Roche shareholders, as there was just recently for oil companies post- Katrina. There is just something inherently nasty about profits caused by panic and the subsequent (and very quiet) budget cuts that will go to funding those profits.

We are in full agreement here. The manipulation going on in the US is amazing. huge tax cuts (in the tune of billions) followed by shocked looks when we have record deficits, followed by cuts in health and anti terror spending??? followed by social programs they have wanted to do in for years? Those in the middle incomes being raped by this policy are the ones most focused on gay marriage and other faux issues. It is sad really {/politics}

Off the topic of politics, I would like an airline that had some advanced germ killer.. seems like someone should advertise that. Happy weekend everyone..

The most efficient way that I can think of is putting some kind of a advanced air filtration system onto the aircraft. I don't really know how they would do that, but it's an idea!

I'm staying out of the mini-politics discussion here, but just for the record, I'm a liberal.

I must agree that stocking Tamiflu is quite silly, people have already said why, we won't have an even semi-effective avian flu medicene until the virus naturally mutates to affect humans. Anything made in a lab is pure speculation and will probably not be completely effective when the real mutation occurs (which it will...soon).

It would also help if all airlines went back to a more regular change of air in the cabin instead of recirculating the same air more ofthen. This is what spreads germs easily throughout the cabin.