How the US Fails (Again) at Pandemic Response
About a hundred years after the most devastating pandemic yet, the United States should have all the science and technology it needs to protect its people, yet the Government is falling short and costing lives.
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Medical professionals in Phoenix prepare to tests citizens for coronavirus. (Matt York/ AP Photo) |
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Emergency hospital during 1918 Flu Pandemic at Camp Funston, Kansas. (Wikimedia Commons) |
The responses to the 1918 Flu Pandemic and the current SARS Covid 2 virus have some eerily similar patterns. Both viruses are airborne and from flying creatures, both responses involved profiting off misinformation, but neither fully utilized the science, resources, and technology available, particularly SARS-CoV-2.
January 2020, Seafood Market in Wuhan, China: The first outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) begins with 41 known infected patients.
The respiratory virus H1N1, also known as the 1918 Flu Pandemic, was caused by avian genes. It was extremely contagious and traveled through the air. The mortality rates for this virus were particularly high for youths under 5, 20-40 year olds, and those over 65; attacking the heathy groups of a community is an unusual characteristic for viruses. During this time, World War I was occurring. It is believed the first outbreak occurred at a U.S. military base; however, the virus spread extremely quickly into and across Europe and parts of Asia. The United States was one year into its involvement in the war that started four years prior. Morales in the country were low and conditions were difficult already given the war efforts.
SARS-CoV-2 is a bat-borne virus. It is highly communicable and airborne, though it can survive temporarily on surfaces. Mortality for coronavirus is low for the general population but high for the elderly, those with pre-exisiting conditions, and the immuno-compromised. In late May, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a report finding community, or non-travel related, transmission first occurred in the United States in late February. Political tensions are high this year, given that it is an election year. The government administration wants the United States to look thriving under its leadership to win the election in November.
Ten months into the H1N1 virus' two-year reign of terror, high esteem doctors including "the U.S. Surgeon General, Navy, and Journal of the American Medical Association," advocated for the use of aspirin, an over-the-counter medication whose patent expired in 1917, to alleviate the symptoms of the virus. Pharmaceutical companies jumped at the chance to create a drug with such high demand given the scale of the virus. New companies were able to make huge profits off the wrong information. The prescribed dosage was found to be toxic; it is over seven times more than that of today's dose. Aspirin poisoning results in "hyperventilation and pulmonary edema, or the build-up of fluid in the lungs." The improper promotion of aspirin increased sales for many companies, while many sick patients found worse symptoms or death from its use.
In April of 2020, President Trump begins advocating for the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus. His main source for this claim is Larry Ellison, Trump's trade adviser and a television doctor. Trump holds stock in a French drugmaker named Sanofi, which produces the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine. While it is not clear exactly how much this will benefit Trump financially, it is unethical as a leader of a country craving hope to provide an under-researched and potentially harmful solution with bonus of potentially earning thousands of dollars. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report in May consisting of months of research detailing the harmful effects of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as treatment or prophylaxis (prevention) for coronavirus: 109 out of 385 patients had "a serious cardiac adverse event" following usage of the drug, including QT prolongation (electrical disturbance in the heart resulting in slow beats), ventricular arrhythmia/ tachycardia/ fibrillation, and death. Another 113 patients reported "serious non-cardiac adverse events of interest" from taking hydroxychloroquine and/ or chloroquine; "hepatitis, increased liver enzymes, and hyperbilirubinemia" are side effects of the drugs and 59% of patients with non-cardiac ailments reported having (at least one of) them. Just weeks after the FDA's report condemning the drug's use, Trump retweeted a video posted by his son featuring a "woman identifying as a doctor promoting hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 cure." The video was flagged by Twitter for misinformation and Trump's account faced restrictions as a result. The President should not be blatantly spreading misinformation to its public, especially after the government itself has rebuked and disproved his claims.
On March 13th, President Trump declared the coronavirus a national emergency and allotted "50 billion dollars in federal funds" for states and territories to fight the virus. Less than two weeks later, the United States became the country with the most cases in the world, with 81,321 confirmed. By the end of March, 32 out of 50 states commissioned stay-at-home orders and temporarily closed nonessential businesses. OSHA released a report to prepare businesses for reopening, foreseeing business problems regarding "absenteeism," "change in patterns of commerce," and "interrupted supply/delivery." Businesses across the United States faced problems with customers not wanting to wear masks while inside establishments.
Though the virus H1N1 originated in the United States, at its time of origin it was called the Spanish Flu. It likely received this name for two reasons: tensions towards Spain/ discriminatory thoughts and Spain's prompt reporting and coverage of the virus. Spain was neutral in World War I, so the county was able to direct its efforts more completely to national health and preventing the pandemic. It is considered acceptable to call the H1N1 virus the Spanish Flu, although it is a misnomer and implies misplaced blame.
Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China but spread across the globe quickly. Resentful and racist individuals, including President Trump, began nicknaming coronavirus the 'Chinese Virus' and 'Kung Flu.' This resulted in some discrimination and ill-treatment of Asian Americans as people blamed them for the introduction of the virus to the United States. Chinese restaurants are struggling to keep businesses open. Some people are wary and avoid close proximity to East Asians in public spaces. Blaming or naming China as a cause of the coronavirus is not acceptable and is another form of misinformation and misrepresentation from Trump in this virus.
Nearly a hundred years later, it seems a very similar, or worse, story is being told again. Both the government's and the media's portrayal and miscommunication with the public across the two pandemics are frightening. The concentration on the war in 1918 and the election in 2020 leave public health on the sidelines. We know the 1918 Pandemic took 500 million lives globally over the course of two years. Currently, coronavirus is approaching its second year of pain and has taken nearly one and a half million lives. How do we restructure as a nation to communicate and respond better and more fairly to pandemics?
See related:
1918 Pandemic Flu versus Novel Coronavirus: Similarities and Differences by Denver Health
From the 'Spanish Flu' to COVID-19: lessons from the 1918 pandemic and First World War by Cedric Cotter
1918 Pandemic Flu versus Novel Coronavirus: Similarities and Differences by Denver Health
From the 'Spanish Flu' to COVID-19: lessons from the 1918 pandemic and First World War by Cedric Cotter
Check out my reflection and works cited for this post!
Very nicely done :)
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