Skepticum

Chris Rock mentions in one of his famous stand-up shows that insurance should be called “in case shit… .” I just recently discovered another application of this concept–the company I work for distributed Tamiflu, (an antiviral drug) “in case shit…” happens. And when I did some research on Tamiflu I came up with connections between the marker of Tamiflu, Rumsfeld and Bush.

The irony is that “in case shit…” happens a lot when it comes to viruses. But while I have my (free of charge) stash of Tamiflu in case a flu pandemic takes over the world, there are viruses doing damage today that aren’t kept in check and for which there is no “insurance” while the shit is actually hitting the fan.

It might just be me, but it’s ironic that I sit on a stash of Tamiflu just “in case shit…” happens, when we have shit (viruses) happening all around us, and many people not being able to afford life-saving medication. According to cnn.com, “an estimated 80 percent of people living with HIV outside the developed world have no access to health care and life-saving drugs, according to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.”

Thankfully, there are organization such as Aid for AIDS International that have ingenious programs “devoted to housing and redistributing HIV and AIDS medicine.” What that means is that there are people out there who cannot tolerate their drugs or discontinue a drug and are left with a supply. This supply can be donated to Aid for AIDS International who will use legal means to distribute the drugs to people who cannot afford them.

Now, let me make it clear, Tamiflu is not prescribed for HIV treatment. However, if Gilead Sciences can make enough Tamiflu for personal stock-piling “in case shit…” there has to be a way to make enough affordable HIV antiviral medication.

And let me also make it clear that I don’t think there’s anything random about Gilead Sciences making Tamiflu in ma$$ quantities and the fact that Donald Rumsfeld was chairman of the company between 1997 and 2001. Not to mention his owning stock in Gilead, worth somewhere between USD$5 million and USD$25 million. And then should we wonder why in Nov. 2005, W. Bush urged Congress to pass $7.1 billion in emergency funding to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic, of which $1 billion (how many 0s is that?) was dedicated to the purchase, and distribution of Tamiflu?

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