I work at another Portland area hospital, and our policy for direct-patient-care staff is similar to OHSU's policy described above. I'm in favor of it--even if a worker doesn't care about protecting him/herself, there are a lot of others in the healthcare setting who are vulnerable.
I'm too old for the intranasal vaccine (over 49) which has been given out over the past few weeks, and am eagerly waiting for our supply of the injectible vaccine to arrive.

More change. Brace up.

I just dont see what all the panic is about. H1N1 isnt any worse than the regular flu, and the last time I had the flu, I got it from a flu shot given to me through my work. I have not had the shot OR the flu since.

I just dont see what all the panic is about. H1N1 isnt any worse than the regular flu...

I completely agree. This flu has the best marketing campaign behind it in history. Better than SARS, better than Avian flu. Better than West Nile. It's truly the Summer of Sharks out there, only we're paying for this one on both ends. Big Pharma is pushing this big time. But we really don't need any sort of reform.

The real scandal is that if you have insurance and/or money, you cannot get a swine flu shot anywhere. But, if you are uninsured and/or illegal, the state is giving it away for free>/a.

Got this from a friend. Couldn't verify, but seems to me, that one should
> be cautious when our government rushes development of new drugs.
> Do you have any info, as to whether one should get the shot, or not?
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> I sent out a serious
> warning about the Swine Flu vaccine program to all
> of you last
> night. But, in the urgency of the moment I did not have the
> time
> to properly explain the basis for my concerns (For those of you who
> might not know, I have a long research
> history and direct involvement
> in this field since the early 1970s -- so
> my speculations and concerns
> are far from "idle.").
>
> You deserve to know the details of my concerns, and why I
> have these
> concerns -- So here goes:
>
> In
> response to several follow-up questions that I have received since my
> vaccine warning letter of last evening, I have prepared some thoughts to
> further explain my position on this issue.
>
> Some
> people asked if I thought this Swine Flu problem could become a
>
> pandemic. The short answer is that I do not believe swine flu is
> going
> to create a pandemic of any significance (Remember, classification as a
> pandemic is not based on
> total numbers of patients involved -- it is
> based on total numbers of
> distinct countries which have diagnosed
> patients of any number -- large
> or small. Example, twenty countries with
> 10-15 patients each =
> pandemic!).
>
> My concern about the vaccine is
> twofold: First, it was "fast-tracked" into
> production (always dangerous
> in the field of vaccinology) with a virus
> strain known to be associated
> with potentially long-lasting neurological
> side effects (In 1976, a similar vaccine caused tens of thousands of
> adult
> patients to contract a debilitating neurological disease
> {Guillain-Barre'
> Syndrome} that changed their lives
> forever!).
>
> Second, it is being focused for priority use in young
> children and pregnant
> mothers -- populations far more vulnerable to
> potential adverse reactions
> than mature adults. Using this in pregnant women is particularly alarming
> to
> me, since there is no knowledge, or data, about what could happen to
> the
> developing fetus of pregnant mothers receiving this vaccine.
> Without
> such information, I find the uncontrolled administration of a
> "new" vaccine
> to pregnant women unconscionable! That lack of
> information is precisely
> what led to the Thalidomide catastrophe back in
> the early 1960s! In the
> worst case scenario, I think that we may
> be facing another potential
> Thalidomide disaster by administering
> this particular vaccine to pregnant
> women -- and we will only
> realize that outcome too late!
>
> The real
> danger of a swine flu infection is failing to recognize its presence
>
> early enough. However, because of the widespread public knowledge
> and
> concern about this infection, I would bet that early recognition
> (even
> over- and/or - misdiagnosis) will be the "rule."
>
> It is also important to remember that the severity and
> deaths in flu-infected
> patients is caused by the secondary bacterial
> pneumonia that the virus
> initiates -- so early diagnosis and early
> initiation of proper antibiotic
> therapy to control the pneumonia
> should minimize the impact of this
> infection on affected patients (young
> or old).
>
> Given the choice, I would opt for
> dealing with the flu -- rather than risking
> the potential dangers of the
> vaccine reactions (for which little or nothing
> can be done)!
>
> Simply put, the risk of vaccine-related adverse events far
> outweighs the
> benefit of being vaccinated -- especially since a
> flu-infected patient can
> be easily managed with proper, and judicious
> medical care!
>
> A deformed offspring has a
> totally different, and unfathomable, manage-
> ment problem -- for a
> lifetime!
>
> And since no one knows if, or to what
> extent, this may happen -- the risk
> should be totally
> avoided!
>
> That is what I pledged to follow when
> I took my Hippocratic Oath when I
> graduated Medical School in
> 1968.
>
> I hope this helps to add clarity to my
> concerns. I am happy to provide
> you with any additional thoughts
> about this situation if you so wish.
>
> David

I can see vaccines and inoculations for those most prone, but this thing is in a panic mode.

Vaccinations should be on an as-needed basis and having govt officials decide for us is troublesome. If you vaccinate everyone, it will allow the resistant strains to flourish even more a la MRSA and giving everyone antibiotics.

I have juvenile diabetes and if I get the flu I go to the hospital. It is serious to me. I think it perhaps selfish for people around me to come to work not feeling well or to not get a flu shot.

Also, H1N1 is more serious than the usual flu because it does kill very healthy kids and teens via cytokine storms. People with very strong immune systems can over react to this virus causing damage to their lungs, which in turn makes a good environment for bacterial pneumonia. And that is what kills them.

John, you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The viruses in a flu shot are "killed viruses."

http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/protect/keyfacts.htm

So why isn't Bill Maher a "dim bulb" too?

It's the lemmings on the left, Jack.

here's the dim bulbs on the right:

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Lawsuit_seeks_to_halt_US_swine_flu__10152009.html

DEQ forces their way into our cars. The Feds require difficult childproof caps even if our only child has died. The TSA presumes to search and remove seemingly benign objects from out luggage without letting us see what they are doing. But at least we can choose to get the flu shots.

Anecdotes: An intelligent acquaintance mention to me her concern about science and the rumored (wrongly) connection between vaccines and autism.

A dancing acquaintance, an ER doc, said she was seeing mostly flu patients.

I've had my seasonal flu shot and will get the H1N1 when it's available to me. And I'm glad my responsibility, my choice.

John, you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The viruses in a flu shot are "killed viruses."

They are now. That happened about 15 years ago.

Vaccinations should be on an as-needed basis [...] If you vaccinate everyone, it will allow the resistant strains to flourish

Vaccination is not the same thing as medication. I know this may sound obvious, but I want to be sure you're not confusing the two because it sounds like you may be.

As-needed distribution of vaccinations is exactly what's going on right now. It probably doesn't look that way, though; that's largely because the vaccine does absolutely no good for someone who is already sick. In fact it takes up to two weeks for the immunity to take effect. (You could get the shot today and still catch the flu later this week.) That means it's currently healthy people getting the vaccine.

What they're trying to do is get a strong "herd" immunity in place among people who are in a high risk of being in contact with the disease or in contact with people who can be most harmed by the disease. Healthcare workers have been among the first to receive the vaccine because they are very likely to come in contact with the virus *and* are very likely to come in contact with people at the highest risk for adverse effects. I dunno about OHSU in particular, but in general a vaccine-or-mask policy is much less to protect the healthcare workers than it is to protect the patients.

The resistance issue is a good one to consider; we have really shot ourselves in the foot with the proliferation of antibacterial products. That said, it's not really an issue with flu vaccinations. There's basically no difference between the immune response provoked by the vaccine and the one provoked by getting sick... except you don't get sick. The flu is constantly changing anyway in response to our natural immune changes, and adding vaccines into the mix makes little to no difference.

(Antiviral medications - like Tamiflu for instance - may foster resistant strains, so minimizing its use is probably a good idea. How do you minimize it's use? Don't get really sick with the flu. In other words, get vaccinated!)

Anyway.

As for the article itself, it sure seems to me like they have a serious HIPAA problem going on there. Vaccination status is protected health information, I think, and one's supervisor at work is not entitled to the information due to "treatment" or "payment". Maybe it's okay under the "healthcare operations" exception, but that strikes me as a bit dubious.

"you cannot get the flu from a flu shot"

Sure you can - If you get a H1N1 shot formulated this spring and H1N1 mutates you can catch that regardless of getting the shot.

I know not exactly catching it from a flu shot, but they aren't silver bullets either.

No, some are greatly weakened live viruses:

“An official at a large hospital in Maryland said none of its staff would be given the nasal spray vaccine because it is made with live virus, which, although greatly weakened, was feared could pose a risk to patients.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gaiyT3ss0NGtXHvqrDl5xE-6nMmQ

I just dont see what all the panic is about. H1N1 isnt any worse than the regular flu

My 4 year-old son had H1N1 two weeks ago -- at least, that's what the pediatrician said it almost certainly was, since they aren't seeing ANY seasonal flu at this point. It was bad, three days of fever between 104-105, five total days of lying on the couch feeling miserable. He recovered and is fine, but I would have loved to avoid that with a simple shot.

The point our pediatrician made is that with regular flu, 1 out of every 10 people exposed to the virus develops the flu. With H1N1, 3 out of every 10 get it, since immunity in the overall population is so much lower. Even if H1N1 is less serious than other flu, with three times as many people getting it, there are going to be lots and lots of deaths. If seasonal flu also strikes, you could have the "normal" 30,000 flu deaths, plus another 60,000 - 90,000 from H1N1. Even if H1N1 vaccine only reduces those deaths by 10%, that's 6,000 - 9,000 lives saved. I don't understand the cost/benefit analysis that suggests those people aren't worth saving.

For the record, I'm not a huge vaccine proponent. One of the major reasons we have gone from 10 shots for kids in the 1970s to over 30 shots today is the greed of the pharmaceutical companies and their collusion with the medical establishment. We spaced our kids vaccines out over a longer period of time because of the concern about overwhelming their immune systems. But sometimes there are public health things that we need to take seriously, and H1N1 is a good example.

Don't want public-health-related requirements put on your job? Don't work in a hospital.

Freakin' babies.

"It's the lemmings on the left, Jack.

here's the dim bulbs on the right":

Here I am...stuck in the middle with you.

As a long term worker in health care, I'd like to eructate my observations and options.

1.To guess what next years flue will be, and develop a vaccine for that is an inexact science and has failed in the past.

2. In my 30 plus years of experience, the flu comes every year and the old, the very young, and those compromised by disease, will succumb.

3. I do not know of any deaths from simply the flu. It is always the primary chronic disease or or the secondary bacterial infections the kill.

4. Frequently we have to be educated on a new disease, not that it has not occurred before, but because they have formulated a drug that will, more often then not, treat this condition.

5. As commented by other posters, creating immunity from a couple conditions allow those not covered more latitude. This is found when we aggressively kill bacteria, so then the fungus will invade the patients mouth and crotch. It is happening with the flu in Canada. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/study-prompts-provinces-to-rethink-flu-plan/article1303330/

6. This year the perfect storm has arrived. Journalism is desperately chasing every drifting balloon of a story. The viral folks have realized: To be payed you have to play! So we now have Bird flu and Swine Flu and next year someone will vomit a British desert and an Obama like epiphany will be the salvation for all: The Spotted Dick Flu has arrived!

It's been much easier to get into the supermarket since they installed those hand sanitizing stations near the shopping carts. While everybody else is crowded around the dispenser wiping everything in sight, I just walk in and start shopping. I can avoid rubbing my eyes and touching my face until I visit a bathroom, or visit the cleansing station AFTERWARD.

Get rid of ALL microbes, germs, etc. and, after a certain point, your sabotage your own natural immunity.

I get a kick out of the fact that the media is now identifying this thing almost exclusively as "H1N1" - a moniker more ominous than "Swine Flu" and less likely to offend the pork industry.

Notice that nobody ever explains what "H1N1" means? Will probably eventually figure it out . . . like coy pharmaceutical references to "ED."

NW Portlander: Wikipedia to the rescue. Short answer, it's a technical description of the antibody response to the virus shell.

And to amplify what AJS said, I know some pediatric folks. They have said that in the mid-valley, the normal seasonal flu has yet to be seen; every confirmed flu case so far is H1N1.

I've been looking for the estimated number of deaths which are estimated to be associated with influenza this winter.

The figure I found was approximately 90,000...for all influenzas.

Now, that's an interesting figure considering that it includes the "pandemic" sources.

It's interesting because the National Institute of Medicine study released in 2000 (To Err Is Human) indicated that there are 100,000 to 200,000 deaths a year attributable to iatrogenesis (disease caused by the caregivers, also called 'medical mistakes'). A follow-up study released this year notes that in the ten intervening years, not much has been done to address the problem and the extent of the morbidity and mortality associated with it has not changed.

So...That's 100K to 200K EVERY YEAR. Where is the panic to protect us from doctors, hospitals, and health care workers killing patients?

.
H1N1 Vaccine Protest Planned At CDC Headquarters, Posted by Jane Akre, October 19, 2009

Unlike flu seasons of the past, many Americans are still on the fence about whether they will receive the H1N1 swine flu shot this season.

The concerns are forced when those who work in health care must have the swine flu inoculation as a condition of their employment, and when government sources don't make readily available information on exactly what is in the different formulations.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the government has offered full immunity to the drug makers under the Public Readiness & Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act). If there are any adverse side effects or deaths, consumers lose their ability to hold the corporations accountable.

Amid the doubt and questions, a citizen protest is planned at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Wednesday.

...

Carson adds the government needs to be more forthcoming about the growing body of information that does show thimerosal’s link to neurological damage, instead of issuing blanket denials.

“The government needs to be 100 percent totally honest so people can weigh risk and benefits and decide for themselves. People are doing it blindly because of fear. I’d hate for them to ask questions after they’ve been injured. “

The protest is planned for early Wednesday morning at the gates of the CDC on Clifton Road as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets to discuss childhood vaccine schedule as well as HPV vaccine and the swine flu vaccine supply.

The ACIP consists of 15 experts in fields associated with immunization, selected by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services ...

###

Comments
- -
Posted by Dawn Crim
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:57 PM EST
______
The nasal spray of H1N1 will leave the vaccine recipient contagious for at least 3 weeks according to the manufacturer, MedImmune. See page 19 of their package insert for clarification.

I also wrote an article detailing all 4 vaccines' ingredients.

vactruth.com/2009/10/02/fda-approved-h1n1-vaccines-contain-ingredients-known-to-cause-cancer-and-death/
___

Wayne Madsen Report .COM (so-called 'WMR') is compiling H1N1 news developments all year, and adding original investigative reporting. Wayne's main 'hook', or reporting angle, is the man-made origins of the ('weaponized') virus, by whom, where, when, and always Why? (Almost always: political power.)

He is less concerned with the medical info about H1N1. (Or rather, his info is more speculative -- one news clipping forecast 50,000 H1N1 deaths in California alone.) But in Comment Blogs (at WMR .COM), a trove of impressive info -- 'intelligence' central, really -- readers can discover bookfuls of medical advice ... to pick and choose among, to adopt or ignore, according to personal taste and trust (of the info source). So, I am ingesting a qtr-teaspoon of Tumeric (in milk or water) daily as my choice of H1N1 prevention regimen. So far, so good.

Here is Madsen's most recent re-cap of the H1N1 story as he has developed it. He refers to his earlier reports, available archived. He puts daily worldwide H1N1 news clippings on the WMR front page, freely accessible; (but in rapid rotation, posted one day and gone the next).

Here's the (voucher) link of the following 're-cap' report but subscription (cheap) is required to click through, so I'll quote at length for a general readership.
www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20091004_1?

October 5, 2009 -- H1N1 and the connections to Madison and Memphis

WMR has learned from a top microbiologist who has researched the H1N1 virus that the University of Wisconsin at Madison is ground zero for the genetic reassortment of the pandemic from DNA recovered from the body of a 1918 flu victim in a graveyard in Alaska. It was from the Brevig Mission sample that the gene HA, or haemagglutinin, was discovered. HA is the genetic component that made the 1918 flu and makes the present H1N1 flu so virulent. The Hong Kong source also reports that the Pentagon was involved in funding the "Jurassic Park"-like development of the reassorted H1N1 virus from 1918 flu genetic material.

The H1N1 research, according to WMR's sources, centers around Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, professor of pathobiological sciences at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and, according to our Hong Kong microbiologist source, may have conducted his H1N1 under contract to the U.S. Army. WMR has also learned that Kawaoka's H1N1 research likely involves a major hospital that has received what has been called "bits and pieces" of contracts under the cover of various civilian institute sponsors. THe major hospital involved in the dubious re-assortment of the H1N1 pandemic from two forms of human flu, two forms of swine flu, and one form of avian flu is St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis, according to our sources, who, in accordance with WMR's oft-stated policy, remain anonymous in order to protect their jobs, reputations, and lives.

WMR has previously cited Madison and St. Jude's in previous reports on the artificiality of the H1N1 virus. On May 6, 2009, WMR reported:

Informed sources have revealed to WMR that the H1N1 virus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned could become a global pandemic, was reverse engineered from genetic material obtained from the remains of victims of the deadly 1918 "Spanish flu" influenza pandemic that killed 50 million people worldwide.

WMR has obtained information from biological researchers that the 1918 Spanish flu genetic sequences were "manipulated" in order to effect transmission capability. The current H1N1 virus, called "swine flu," is reportedly a combination of two forms of human flu, two forms of swine flu (North American and Eurasian), and avian or bird flu. There are now reports of species hopping from humans to pigs in Canada.

The scientific name for the current H1N1 virus that was manipulated is "Influenza A virus (strain A/Brevig Mission/1/1918 H1N1)." It is called Brevig Mission because, as WMR previously reported, U.S. Army biological warfare specialists recovered the genetic material from the fairly intact corpse of an Inuit woman who died from the 1918 flu in Brevig Mission, Alaska. WMR has learned that work on manipulation of the Brevig Mission flu strain began in 1997.

Two bio-safety laboratories have been associated with the genetic reverse engineering of not only A-H1N1, the current "swine flu" strain, but also the deadly Ebola virus. They are the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada. ...

Science Daily reported the following from Madison on October 7, 2004: "Using a gene resurrected from the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, recorded history's most lethal outbreak of infectious disease, scientists have found that a single gene may have been responsible for the devastating virulence of the virus."

Kawaoka's H1N1 research also extends to the University of Tokyo in Japan; a Kobe, Japan research institute; Indonesia, and Vietnam. It was a member of Kawaoke's research team that was caught by Indonesian authorities at Surabaya airport in east Java trying to illegally smuggle human H1N1 DNA out of the country. Kawaoke's research also involved the cross-border transport of dangerous pathogens between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Microbiology Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kawaoke worked at St. Jude's for fourteen years ...
On May 15, 2009, WMR reported:

Canada's version of the United States biological "research" laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the National Microbiology Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is once again in the news for a serious breakdown in security of pathogenic materials.

Konan Michel Yao, a native of Ivory Coast, was arrested by FBI agents on May 5, while trying to transport 22 vials of genetic material from the deadly Ebola virus from the Winnipeg laboratory to what Yao claimed was his new research job at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. ...

Yao removed the material this past January and hid the vials, containing Ebola and HIV genetic material, in a glove and inside aluminum foil. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta claim the genetic material is not infectious, however, as previously reported by WMR, similar genetic material extracted from the corpse of an Inuit woman who died of the 1918 "Spanish flu" was extracted in 1997 and used the synthetically create the current A/H1N1 hybrid or "novel" influenza virus. . . . Yao was arrested at the border crossing at Pembina ....

On March 2, 2005, a courier truck crashed in downtown Winnipeg that was transporting anthrax from the Canadian Forces Base in Ralston, Alberta and influenza, salmonella, e.coli, tuberculosis, and HIV from a laboratory in British Columbia.

What is not being explained is where Yao kept the Ebola virus material from January to May and whether he transported any other pathogenic material from the Winnipeg laboratory. As WMR reported on May 6, the day after Yao was arrested, the Winnipeg facility also contains strains of hanta virus, Marburg virus, and Lassa fever.

WMR has identified some of the H1N1 research funders as the Armed Forces Pathology Institute in Rockville, Maryland - a recipient of the Brevig Mission 1918 flu DNA; the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Kawaoka has also written articles for the renowned British medical journal "Nature." One of "Nature's" past reporters, Jane Burgermeister, has, interestingly, filed charges against the World Health Organizations and several other entities and individuals for bioterrorism and attempting to commit mass murder. She has also filed for a court injunction against the administering of the H1N1 vaccine.

It is also noteworthy that Kawaoka co-founded a company with Dr. Gabriele Neumann, also of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, called FluGen, Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin, a firm which stands to financially benefit from the administration of the H1N1 vaccine. ...

FluGen President and CEO Paul Radspinner praised the April 2009 statement of President Obama that he would seek emergency Congressional funding for the H1N1 vaccination program: "We applaud President Obama, Sen. Harkin, Rep. Obey and Rep. Baldwin for their efforts to accelerate the development of new influenza vaccine production methods. These efforts are critical to the United States' efforts to control the global swine flu outbreak. New, cell-based production methods would dramatically improve the country's ability to fight this growing public health concern. FluGen's cell-based manufacturing technology, in particular, would speed production and delivery ... to meet the demand for vaccine in a pandemic."

Kawaoka has been suggested as a possible future Nobel Prize for Medicine awardee.

In addition to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) of Iowa and Representatives Tammy Baldwin and David Obey, Wisconsin Democrats, FluGen also has a benefecator in Wisconsin Democratic Governor Mike Doyle. On March 31, 2008, Doyle announced that FluGen had qualified for investor tax credits under the Wisconsin Department of Commerce's "Angel Investor and Venture Fund Tax Credit programs." Essentially, since 2008, the taxpayers of Wisconsin have been funding dangerous and dubious research into H1N1, research that may have promoted the virus's contagiousness and virulence. ...

I suppose, then, each of us may have individual priorities for concerns -- whether to focus our own attention, (and money, or insured coverage) on cause, prevention, or treatment/cure.

It's funny you mention Tumeric, Tensky. I have a "two-day" pot roast on right now, slow cooked at very low heat in the crockpot for ages until the meat is just falling right off your fork. It's in kind of a weird curry-type sauce I like, that you wouldn't think would work on a roast, but it's really good:

Brown mushrooms, a whole red onion, red bell pepper, Poblano pepper, sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes from the garden, garlic, Tarragon, Turkish bay leaves, green beans, red wine, a little yellow mustard, brown sugar, smoked Paprika, and loads...LOADS...of Tumeric. Gotta have the Tumeric.

I don't know if all that Tumeric really helps prevent the flu or not, but it sure tastes good.

"... a "two-day" pot roast."

Oh, cabbie, babybabybaby, my kinda meal. So, y'know, I'll bring the all-you-can-drink beer ... where?

P.S. and you're still wrong saying inhumankind has NOT caused climate crisis, and humankind does NOT need to repair it. (You did say that, didn't you? 'Good' conversation starter could be film-worthy for, like, 'My Dinner With Cabbie.')

So...That's 100K to 200K EVERY YEAR. Where is the panic to protect us from doctors, hospitals, and health care workers killing patients?

I wonder if that will be addressed once we are all getting care from Uncle Sam?
Or will we have lawsuit limits like Oregon does with OHSU?

Or will we have lawsuit limits like Oregon does with OHSU

I believe those were tossed out via litigation a couple of years ago.

Re. the number of flu cases contracted . . . I find it hard to believe anything I hear anymore. Yesterday evening some health industry talking head on PBS actually said that, "millions of Americans have already contracted H1N1 and recovered within a week of two." It might even have been "tens of millions," I don't remember exactly except that whatever number he threw out didn't even remotely resemble anything else I'd heard.

There was also something about the younger group at "greatest risk". Of the percentage who died, 2/3 had other conditions that predisposed them and the remainder were unexplained.

While the smaller, latter group is a source of alarm, I'm not sure I see any significant increase in American deaths in general attributed to H1N1 than of any other seasonal flu.

IMO people are freaked out because H1N1 is a descendent of the 1918 flu and big pharma, the government and the media are hyping the hail out of something that hasn't yet satisfied the definition of a true pandemic.

I believe those were tossed out via litigation a couple of years ago.

The most recent legislature restored them, with new, higher liability limits that stand a good chance of surviving further challenge in court.

... uh, cabbie, it's tuRmeric.

NW Portlander-

Actually, H1N1 *does* meet the definition of pandemic. Check the following from the WHO website:

We're in stage 6.