If such a deadly strain rises, the response to this year's severe flu season (2018) has revealed that health care professionals may be ill-equipped to respond to it, Dr. Greg Poland argued.
He pointed to recent reports of overrun hospitals setting up makeshift facilities, spot shortages of antiviral medications and a nationwide shortage of IV bags caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
On top of that, there are other concerns that would only arise in the event of a 1918-like influenza, Poland added. He doubted that there would be enough ventilators to respond to such a scenario and pointed to evidence that shows many health care workers would not go to work in the face of a virus that lethal.
"Much of the antibiotic manufacturer, virtually all the chemicals required for that come outside the U.S., and it's all done in a just-in-time inventory method," Poland said. "Make the people who run the ships and airplanes sick -- now what?"
This Guy Sure Knew What he Was Talking About. Maybe We Could get Him to Do the Weather Now.
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