Predicting and preparing for pandemic flu

Dear Fiona Godlee,

This editorial is very interesting. There seems to be a Tsunami in the
medical field vis-a-vis the new Swine Flu, an insult to that
poor animal! Every article and blog tells us about it but does not answer
many questions. I think this is an opportunity to ask those questions. I
am looking for answers, not knowing the answers myself.

I had trepidation in writing this response until I read about
educere, which Socrates used to practise, there was no "authority"
defined as we read in Theaetetus: (written by Plato in 360 BC translated
by Benjamin Jowett) "Well, my art of midwifery is in most respects like
theirs; but differs, in that I attend men and not women; and look after
their souls when they are in labour, and not after their bodies: and the
triumph of my art is in thoroughly examining whether the thought which the
mind of the young man brings forth is a false idol or a noble and true
birth. And like the mid-wives, I am barren, and the reproach which is
often made against me, that I ask questions of others and have not the wit
to answer them myself, is very just-the reason is, that the god compels-me
to be a midwife, but does not allow me to bring forth. And therefore I am
not myself at all wise, nor have I anything to show which is the invention
or birth of my own soul, but those who converse with me profit."

Every
medical student (and scientist) would do well to read this advice of
Socrates.

*Why was the WHO in such a great hurry to raise this to pandemic
level?

*Multiple drug resistant tuberculosis has been spreading to all
countries like wild fire; could kill millions if left unchecked reminding
us of the great white death epidemic. Why is that not a pandemic?

*Where is the controlled study to show the effect of Tamiflu against
the new Swine Flu virus, in our evidence based medical system?

*Has the new vaccine been tested against the virus in a large study?
How are we certain that it will be effective? Is this vaccine safe to give
to all age groups, especially when we are ignorant of its true validity?
Primum Non Nocere.

*What happened to the millions of dollars worth of Tamiflu stockpiled
for the imaginary pandemic of bird flu? The manufacturers must have had
the last laugh last time.

*Will the linear projection of large deaths due to the imaginary dread
of the new virus materialise? Do the non-linear universe and the human
body follow the linear laws?

*If this whole fear mongering fails to materialise who do we hold
accountable at the end of the day?

*Do we not know that fear, especially of millions in the world, might
weaken their immune system?

*Does the host resistance play any role in the final outcome of the
fight between the virus and man? If so, why are we not doing something to
build good resistance against the virus?

*Why do we not accept similar untested, but inexpensive, remedies
available in many other systems like the Chinese, Indian Ayurvedic and
homeopathic systems? Russian scientists have demonstrated viral (and other
germs) destruction using particular frequency of subtle energy non-
invasively! Our positive sciences understand only 5% of the total energy
in this universe while the large 95% needs to be explored for common good.
Why are all those efforts classified as pseudo science? What is the
definition of science, anyway? To me the present scenario looks like
science is what accepted scientists think it is! Wetenschap is wat
wetenschappers doen!

All these, and many more questions, beg more questions but answers!
Let not our untested expensive interventions be worse than the patient's
disease. Educational system was changed by the Romans from educere of
Socrates to educare of today, where the authority prescribes what the
students should learn from outside! That is the bane of medical, nay, all
sciences. Let us go back to educere from educare.

Yours ever,

bmhegde

Competing interests:
None declared