Charlie Rose

ReadyMom  10/11/2008 10:37 PM Report

Mr. Rose, I echo the requests for you to have a show discussing how to properly prepare a household for this type of extended event. Please consider doing so!

ReadyMom  10/11/2008 10:35 PM Report

I would highly recommend the website www.GetPandemicReady.org for information on how to prepare your household.

After seeing this program, you are now aware of the need to prepare for an event lasting longer than your worst snowstorm or covering more families than our worst hurricanes.

Children will be home from schools, businesses will be closed, as will churches, theaters and other social venues. Stores will run out of goods in the first few days - others will shut their doors. The time to begin to prepare is NOW. www.GetPandemicReady.org

cr  09/05/2008 12:45 PM Report

Mr.Rose, please have another show, on How to Prepare homes and communities for an H5N1 Panflu Year.

Have Laurie Garret, Dr.Osterholm, Dr.Webster, Dr.Nabarro (if you can get him to talk how to get grassroots preparedness at home), and discuss citizen efforts towards awareness and preparedness such as "PFI Pandemic Flu Information Forum", the Flu Wiki, StudentsPrepAmerica, and, the how-to-prepare website hosted by Idaho Emergency Management: GetPandemicReady.org

Forget the CDC and other officials who say it is "too hard" to prepare for H5N1's long-forseen high fatality rate, and, who have broken the social contract by not being ethical and giving the need for panflu year prep, by not having the media cover human-to-human cluster Containments as they happen abroad, by not telling the US to go ahead and do the old-style Phase 4 & 5 action items, as the WHO Pandemic Alert is useless now, (and has been useless for years, for "political and economic pressure" reasons),

and the information on the Individuals' tab on the Planning page at pandemicflu.gov - up since Oct. 2005, but undiscussed by the president/candidates with the public!

- not giving even the airtime the switch to digital TV has had!

The US State Dept didn't even run PSAs when they "warned" the American public, as of July, 2006, about travel disruptions and no aid at all from embassies for pandemic!

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html

No "Mitigation" of viral and collateral impacts will be possible without prior supplies, prior education, and entry/exist quarantines to keep panflu out of N.America.(Not "temp.screnings at airports - this isn't SARS! Flu is contagious before symptoms, and H5N1 infects birds, rodents, dogs, pigs, cats, can linger in water and soil.)

It is not true "the public (and municipalities) can't afford to prepare; they cannot afford not to.

Our nation's future is at risk. The public can handle a challenge but they need to know real worst case, and current situation.

Many people will prepare if they hear; help discuss the local contingencies communities were supposed to be making workable prearations for, without outside aid nor effective vaccines, two years ago - it would be a public good - and, promoting real preparedness for panflu year might help save our nation and our future.

Kayla Moonwatcher, ND, Chom.  10/22/2007 12:52 PM Report

RE: H5N1 Pandemic Preparedness

I want people to know that they do not have to feel helpless. There are several simple things that everyone can do to be well prepared.

1) Purchase the Homeopathic remedy Ocsillococinum and keep it on hand for your family. This remedy is specific to bird flu and can be taken preventatively as well as curatively, and can be purchased at any health food store. Each packet contains clear instructions (or contact a Classical Homeopath) and can be stored for several years (exp. date on each packet). 2) Perelandra-ltd.com offers seasonal Flu Solution and a specific bird flu (FSBS+) solution that will support your body's microbial balance and immune system. Again, these solutions can be used both preventatively and curatively. 3) Keep your home stocked with both food and water supplies for your entire family (including pets) for at least 3 months. Be smart about quantities necessary for drinking, bathing, toilet flushing, etc. I also encourage you to have some type of camping cook stove and fuel, fire pit and wood, matches, etc., as well as candles, flashlights, wool blankets, sleeping bags (keeping warm/preventing a chill also protects you from susceptibility to viruses).

The old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is absolutely true for this situation. Spending a little time and money now will save you from panic and tragedy later.

al medina  10/19/2007 01:30 AM Report

Dear Folks,

Thank you for a fine show. H5N1 is grossly underreported and misdiagnosed as other diseases in Asia. It's worse than we are led to believe. I track Henry Niman's www.recombinomics.com for a more truthful and detailed expose. Lastly, get your pantry together. . .food and water and other essentials and plan for minimum of three months of being holed up in your home if H5N1 becomes transmissable (or another type of virus). There are plenty of bird flu websites to help in your planning. It's only a little money but you'll feel a lot better. Relying on the "system" is not wise. Good luck.

Ben Andrews  08/24/2007 09:53 PM Report

REPEAT POST (no changes except formating):

THE key observation of this panel was that there have been no significant advances medical-technical, administrative, or regulatory that would allow us a better outcome than what occurred in 1918!

ONE of the panelists asserted that during the 1918 pandemic those municipalities that acted sooner to eliminate all public gatherings fared much better than other communities that waited.

IF THE U.S. is to significantly reduce death rates below that of the 1918 pandemic than it must have more than just a plan (if it even has that) to quickly stop all land, air, and sea travel into the country (within hours of the national public health officer's emergency order).

ALL preparations for the subsequent emergency travel resumption and screening program must also be in complete readiness.

THE best outcome will only be achieved if almost all countries can implement such temporary travel suspension and emergency travel resumption programs.

RETAIL businesses big and small must eliminate the use of common purchase transaction instruments (both electronic and manual) by all customers.

THESE businesses will also have hand sanitizer dispensers installed at every customer check-out point whether employee or customer operated.

OTHERWISE retail business sales will be an insidious vector of disease transmission and will therefore probably be restricted to essential products and services.

AND of course there will have to be an emergency "surgical" mask and hand sanitizer (2 oz pocket containers) distribution programs on the shelf ready to go for those citizens who have not already purchased such items (presumably during a declared public health precautionary period prior to the actual public health emergency declaration.

TO RESTATE the obvious we have not yet reached a significant level of pandemic preparedness.

AND to paraphrase one of the panelists the lack of a reasonable political discussion of this and other public health issues may preclude us from ever reaching a significant level of pandemic preparedness.

WE MUST create a national public health officer to be appointed on the basis of past public health experience, demonstrated administrative competence, and relevant public health research qualifications.

THIS national public health officer must have adequate proactive regulatory powers, exigent preparedness powers, and emergency police powers. (We can't rely on a patchwork of state and county public health officials to control the next pandemic.)

WE MUST create an appointment board of qualified and preeminent public health experts to ensure that the national public health officer meets to above criteria and is insulated from political interference.

THAT board must also have sufficient clout to ensure that there is adequate funding of the national and local public health functions.

Kelly   08/22/2007 10:29 AM Report

I thought the show was informative. I'd like to see another show based on how individuals should best prepare for a pandemic, especially one that may be as severe as 1918 or worse.

Terry Miller  08/21/2007 02:18 PM Report

Probably one of the best most informative shows to date on Pan Flu.

Thank you Charlie!!

Concerned  08/21/2007 11:44 AM Report

Where can you buy the mask that you spoke about on the show?

Marcia Miner  08/20/2007 02:56 PM Report

I spoke to my town's health department following your great show on the pandemic. The health officer was very generous with all the town is doing. They have a huge number of volunteers in addition to the 40 health providers who have been having workshops regularly to keep them ready.

This October when they give out the regular flu shots they are going to do it as a training period. The procedure will be done ALL by volunteers and as quicky and efficiently as possible as though it were shots for the pandemic. We have a town population and a large senior population, so it will be an excellent readiness experiment.

Richard Karbowski Jr.  08/17/2007 03:33 PM Report

Thanks for another great show!! One quick point(maybe trivial) for Laurie Garrett when she mentioned near the start of the show of a flu outbreak which affected horses in the military and called it the Calvary (the purported site of Jesus' Crucifixion also known as Golgotha) instead of the correct term: cavalry. She did the same during an interview for one of her books awhile back. She's very intelligent and a pleasure to listen to; hopefully she'll see this and correct the error.

Thanks for your dedication to an outstanding series--it's a pleasure to watch.

Dan  08/17/2007 02:39 PM Report

ummm... the plural of "nemesis" is "nemeses". :o) wow. Nobel Prize winners!

great program as always, Mr. Rose.

M. Messerschmidt  08/17/2007 12:13 AM Report

The commentators occasionally touched on the importance of poverty in the role of disease outbreak and disease spread (e.g. new flues regularly developing in poor countries like Indonesia, 31 fold greater death rate in poor vs. rich countries during the 1918 flu, and the scenario of pandemic flu starting in Jakarta or other rapidly growing globalized city with poor containment capability).

These examples highlight the self interest that people in wealthy nations have in funding development work to build the capacity of the developing world to reduce the current burden of communicable disease (thereby reducing the risk pool from which pandemics emerge) and to implement containment and treatment strategies (thereby reducing the rate of pandemic spread).

I am grateful for the work organizations such as the Gates Foundation have done with in this vein and would like to see my own (US) governmentâ??s commitment grow further.

Sandra Wallach Laurie  08/16/2007 10:03 PM Report

I have been following this bird flu for more than 2 years, and to see these people that are in the know, know nothing more than I read from the start. The news on TV is so lacking in any real way. Dont you guys get it? We need to know how not to get infected. Every person needs a check list, maybe the best our goverment can do is to mail and tell people to read it and keep it up to date with

1. what is the name of the face mask and buy them now, and gloves people during the 1918 wore them

2. what food to have I would think not fresh but canned, 3.medicine you take have a month on hand 4. to not go to work or school if you are sick(remember when we were taught that years ago) 5. and if you do get ill, what to do in your home with others, keep them in one room, open the windows to let the air out wear a mask and gloves when helping them eat and when you change their clothes contain the clothes in the sheets and keep it clean as possible,wash clothes in hot water. simple stuff like dont keep tooth brushes all together and change yours out for a new one anyway once a month, when you come home think of taking off your coat then hat, then shoes in your garage or porch area, keeping the mask on and gloves take your clothes off and wash them, I dont think Im going to far with this, you want to remember you get infected through the air and your hands what they touch and if you rub your eye, nose or bite your nails , I am just thinking that people have not been taught how to do this.

Sandra Wallach Laurie  08/16/2007 09:16 PM Report

I must say that once again I watch a show and nobody is telling people what to do. They talked about some face mask, yet didnt inform what to buy or how to choose one. Sounds like we will be on our own, it will be like Katrina what we need to know we arent getting, our newspapers should do front page news on this every month, none of this look it up online, or ask the county where you live, it needs to be made public, front page and these people need to tell us what is known to do real stuff like we need what 3 weeks of food? and when we buy buy food what kind? the masks what kind and I think gloves also. My grandmother lived through the 1918 flu, and she told me about entire families being whiped out, people putting their dead out on the street, and what if there are little childern . we need to get to know our neighbors, which I can say has changed for me and I have lived in my home for 30 years, my grandmother told me how people looked after each other, it just scares me that no one on that panel had a plan for the people didnt even go into that, all you did was scare me. And that is wrong, if you know so whats the secret? give me a list of what to buy have on hand, and if I must leave my home what I should do

Ben Andrews  08/16/2007 06:42 PM Report

The key observation of this panel was that there have been no significant advances medical-technical, administrative, or regulatory that would allow us a better outcome than what occurred in 1918!

One of the panelists asserted that during the 1918 pandemic those municipalities that acted sooner to eliminate all public gatherings fared much better than other communities that waited.

If the U.S. is to significantly reduce death rates below that of the 1918 pandemic than it must have more than just a plan (if it even has that) to quickly stop all land, air, and sea travel into the country (within hours of the national public health officer's emergency order).

All preparations for the subsequent emergency travel resumption and screening program must also be in complete readiness.

The best outcome will only be achieved if almost all countries can implement such temporary travel suspension and emergency travel resumption programs.

Retail businesses big and small must eliminate the use of common purchase transaction instruments (both electronic and manual) by all customers.

These businesses will also have hand sanitizer dispensers installed at every customer check-out point whether employee or customer operated.

Otherwise retail business sales will be an insidious vector of disease transmission and will therefore probably be restricted to essential products and services.

And of course there will have to be an emergency "surgical" mask and hand sanitizer (2 oz pocket containers) distribution programs on the shelf ready to go for those citizens who have not already purchased such items (presumably during a declared public health precautionary period prior to the actual public health emergency declaration.

To restate the obvious we have not yet reached a significant level of pandemic preparedness.

And to paraphrase one of the panelists the lack of a reasonable political discussion of this and other public health issues may preclude us from ever reaching a significant level of pandemic preparedness.

We must create a national public health officer to be appointed on the basis of past public health experience, demonstrated administrative competence, and relevant public health research qualifications.

This national public health officer must have adequate proactive regulatory powers, exigent preparedness powers, and emergency police powers. (We can't rely on a patchwork of state and county public health officials to control the next pandemic.)

We must create an appointment board of qualified and preeminent public health experts to ensure that the national public health officer meets to above criteria and is insulated from political interference.

That board must also have sufficient clout to ensure that there is adequate funding of the national and local public health functions.

edward j shanley  08/16/2007 06:41 PM Report

Excellent show. People were clear and concise even though the subject has soo many variables. I came away that I must understand this subject more for my family's protection. Also I will write my business leader to see if they have done a pre planning concerning this subject. It is clear from the discussion if a pandemic occurs our governments- national & local will be unable to help if the a large percentage of the population is affected.

Lisabeth Wright, RN (retired)  08/16/2007 03:01 PM Report

I was glad to see the program on pandemics. There has been a lack of interest by the general media lately in this looming subject. Your show brought up the following considerations in my mind.

I would like information about a pandemic in terms of the average citizen. When should the decision be made to isolate? What would isolate mean? Not leaving the house, not answering the door? Going out but with a mask and not touching anyone? What about handling objects, like mail?

I have heard it said by experts in the World Health Organization and other distinguished scientists in the field, that each household should have three months supply of food, medicines, etc. Everyone should be ready to â??go it aloneâ?? for three months, no services whatsoever. This would mean garbage pickup, but would it mean that no water would come out of our taps? Would our toilets still flush? How would we cope with that?

These are some of the questions if everyone remained healthy. What if a family member became ill with the Avian Flu? What are the symptoms? What should we do for the family member? Throw them out the door? I would believe we should isolate them in a room, shutting the door, allowing only one caretaker. Should the ventilation be cut off to that room, so that a separate heating and cooling system is required? Does the average person know how to care for a sick person without getting sick themselves? What home care could be given to a person with avian flu? What medications should we have on hand now to be able to give that patient? Will bedpans and urinals be needed? Will the human waist need to be bagged and disposed of separately? What mask should the caretaker be wearing?

Why arenâ??t the Departments of Health mailing out comprehensive circulars with this information, now? I havenâ??t received one have you?

doris  08/16/2007 02:38 PM Report

August 16 rerun of Aug. 15 show..terrific show..astute guests...wow: Jeff Koplan was, for all the world, Dick Cavett = same voice, same body language, same manner!!! I was sure that, at least, his last name was going to be Cavett (maybe Dick's brother?)Did anyone else notice that? ..the more he moved and talked, the more Dick Cavett he was....

Enoch Page  08/16/2007 11:54 AM Report

As a university professor, I was so glad to hear this discussion and particularly the comments of the professor or administrator from Emory University where they already have a plan in place and have develop a shared understanding of the tie between global warming, natural disasters and pandemics. When student activists ask me what should be their focus, they naturally want to work on the more attractive and popular issues, and they have looked at me incredulously when I direct them to get behind a movement for preparedness. I suspect that this sounds reactionary to them and I know their blindness is just a function of how their priorities have been shaped in schools, by peer groups and especially through the media. Preparing for being able to make a reasonable response to an inevitable pandemic currently exceeds their political imaginations, but hopefully this program will help them to grasp the urgency of the situation. Careful planning can't always save people, but it was helpful to hear the report that in the last influenza epidemic of the 19th century that communities which had prepared fared far better than those whose early response to the question was dismissal. Thanks for much for airing these important issues.

Denise C., Alaska  08/16/2007 03:58 AM Report

After following the genetics of this issue for over 2 years, itâ??s encouraging to see conversations evolve from the skepticism of the past. H5N1 poses far too much risk of serious consequences to be taken lightly.

It was good to see both sides of the pendulum â?? David Navarroâ??s optimistic â??3 weeks to contain itâ?? scenario to Laurie Garrettâ??s â??all bets are off once itâ??s in a major cityâ??. Laurieâ??s explanation of a global spread within a day is not all that far-fetched.

Families should take the discussion about the importance of planning seriously. The possibility of an extended quarantine shows the need for individual preparation. Waves during 1918 lasted 6 weeks. What other insurance premiums can you eat if the disaster youâ??re insuring for doesnâ??t materialize?

Nobody every answered the question about pre-pandemic vaccines.

It was especially good to see them emphasize that during a pandemic the government will NOT come riding in on white horses to rescue folks.

They made the point well that contingency planning for businesses should define what core activities need to be continued and how that will be accomplished without staff reporting to work, possible lack of materials due to shipping cessation, etc.

We are all well served by PBS keeping this topic in the public discussion arena.

Thank you PBS & Charlie Rose.

Catherine Moseley  08/16/2007 03:44 AM Report

Mr. Rose,

Re: Panel Discussion of Pandemic Virus, broad-cast in my area Wednesday, August 15, 2007.

Many times I have thoroughly enjoyed the topics and interviews you navigate with such class and intelligence. It takes an extraordinary and gifted person to extract relevent information during a given interview, and a uniquely confident person to accomplish that without a need to become the central character of each discussion.

What I would like to say is that I found the above-mentioned forum to be timely, necessary and very enlightening (even to a lay person)!

It would be wonderful to partner with a major network, for an encore presentaton, during the "prime time" hour(s). This would maximize viewership and intellengently address many private fears people from all walks of life are currently experiencing on these very subjects.

Without much additional effort, the panel's views, discussion and statistics could successfully be incorporated into a Junior High or High School science and/or health cirriculum as well. Perhaps the frightening but accurate remarks about the return of Polio and Small Pox would help to drive home the need for child immunizations, as well as adult booster innoculations to reduce the risk of repeating the epedemic breakouts of the 1940's and 1950's.

Thank you so very much for your continuing integrity, dedication to current events, and the preparedness you regularly bring to the table.

With warmest regards,

Catherine Moseley

Jeremiah V. Parunak  08/16/2007 01:00 AM Report

All in favor of Laurie Garrett's view on the need for the "rank amateur's" ability to almost instantaneously diagnose or screen people check out handylab.com

Patrick Friel  08/15/2007 12:21 AM Report

Dear Mr. Rose and Ms. Vega,

My wife and I DVR the â??Charlie Roseâ?? show every day. We watch regularly and are among your biggest fans. Thank you for all youâ??ve done and your recent interview with several world-class HIV/AIDS experts. The show focused on AIDS vaccine research and the difficulties of making treatment accessible in developing countries where 90+ per cent of the epidemic is occurring. It was a terrific show; however, I must say we think you and your producers should give equal time to the subject of prevention, and in particular to the importance of investing in behavior change and male/female condom programming.

As I recall condoms were mentioned twice by your panel and then only in passing. (Iâ??m an old hand at counting the number of times AIDS experts mention condoms: I was invited to work with Dr. Jonathan Mannâ??s team at the WHO Global Programme on AIDS in April 1988 and started a group there called â??Condom and Virucide Servicesâ??. GPA had been in existence for more than a year before it occurred to anyone that condoms were not on the agenda in a serious way. This is something I tried, with limited success, to change.)

Itâ??s estimated by UNAIDS that some 13,700 people are infected with HIV every day! The stigma attached to HIV positive people is a well-known subject; less well known is the stigma associated with condom use. Seth Berkley is right that new HIV infections are vastly outpacing access to treatment and that monogamous married women in many countries are at highest risk but that little is being done to address their plight. Prevention is critical.

Scott Hammer says male circumcision falls into the â??non-vaccine prevention discussionâ?? which is an interesting turn of phase I had honestly not heard before. The development of a microbicide is another non-vaccine prevention method. Julie Lieberman says that the private pharmaceutical industry has no interest in microbicides yet investments in this method now total in the range of $1 billion. When male circumcision is eventually rolled out and a microbicide is developed, delivered and made accessible to women and girls it is estimated that each will be in the range of 50-60 per cent effective. And, the effectiveness of both will be heavily dependent on the same programming factors that restrain existing efforts to distribute and promote male and female condoms.

Ideologues tell us that even though condoms can be 95-99 per cent effective in use, abstinence is 100 per cent. (â??Would you jump out of a plane wearing a parachute that was judged 95 per cent effective?â??) We know (or should know) that these folks are comparing theoretical effectiveness with use effectiveness. Yes, abstinence is 100 per cent effective if it is practiced 100 per cent of the time, but because it is not, its use effectiveness is commensurately less. Fair and balanced news media allow these inaccurate pictures of condom effectiveness to circulate as if every scientific truth has to be presented with a countervailing faith-based truth to be balanced. This is nonsense: the public needs accurate information to make informed choices. The upshot of all this is that condoms have a bad name. â??If everyone engaging in risky sex were to start using condoms today the epidemic would be over tomorrow.â?? We are nevertheless still more attracted to medical, pharmaceutical and research-laden solutions. I can show you some field research conducted in three hard-hit African countries that lays this out in a forceful way.

In spite of the many studies and success stories about the effectiveness of condom programming to reduce the incidence of STD/HIV infection, the global dispensers of AIDSâ?? programme money are more drawn to investing in treatment and the elusive cure. Prevention strategies are well documented and disseminated but the investments to make them work in a sustainable way are just not there at the same levels. Overall levels of AIDS funding for prevention, treatment, care and support that are available today are a fraction of the $48 billion/year Seth Berkley says we need, and the prevention share of that sum is probably the least well understoodâ?¦ not to mention the capacity of resource poor countries to absorb the needed resources.

Complicating the picture are structural or environmental factors in developing countries such as gender inequality, lack of education (especially for girls), and weak physical and administrative infrastructure. Because they are so difficult and because they involve shifting the focus from individual donor-driven projects, they tend to be de-emphasized.

In short, there are a number of important prevention-related issues that should be aired. Please let me propose to you a panel of individuals who can explore these issues in a compelling way:

1. John Stover, The Futures Group, lead author of the only technical article cited by the UN Secretary Generalâ??s report on HIV/AIDS in June 2006. At the first UN General Assembly meeting on AIDS in 2001 Stover presented a short list of prevention interventions that if funded and implemented would help halt and begin to reverse the epidemic. At the review meeting in 2006 UNAIDS had to report that we were still where we were 5 years earlier. Condoms are used in 9 per cent of risky sex acts. HIV infection rate continues to climb.

2. Julia Kim, with her husband, headed up the Rural AIDS Development and Action Research (RADAR) in Acornhoek, South Africa, with the University of Witwatersrand and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and carried out ground-breaking work in community-based AIDS education combined with microfinance projects for village women.

3. Bunmi Makinwa, Director of the UNAIDS Office in New York City, has his finger on the pulse of the global prevention picture.

4. Bidia Deperthes, in charge of male and female condom programming at UNFPA, the only UNAIDS related agency that is focused on condom programming. At the moment, she is the only full-time staff dealing with condoms.

I guarantee you will have a stimulating discussion and most importantly you will stimulate much-needed debate on HIV/AIDS prevention funding levels and priorities.

Thanks for this opportunity to suggest some programming of vital public interest. (Needless to say there is also need for a similar programme that focuses on the AIDS problem here in the US. (Letâ??s make sure that never again a Vice-Presidential Debate (Edwards-Cheney) will display such ignorance of a critical national issue.)

Patrick Friel

Patrick Friel, PhD

Reproductive Health HIV/AIDS Consultancy

Tel: 212-972-0912

Cell: 917-902-4240