Let's face it, these past few days, the entire world has been frantically looking out for cases of the swine flu, also known as the "2009 H1N1". We can't help but to notice the increasing number of confirmed cases of the swine flu, which are spreading like wildfire across the globe. Just like any other respiratory virus, this worldwide pandemic is contracted by person-to-person contact. Health investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) are working hard to keep things under control. A doctor from the WHO stated, "It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic". We just all have to be careful and make wise decisions regarding our health. Now you may be wondering, how does this situation relate to economics? It's a simple case of supply and demand. Schools and businesses are being shut down. Take into consideration the amount of antiviral drugs that need to be supplied to patients around the world. There is only a limited amount of supplies available right now, and the WHO is debating whether or not a vaccine made specifically for H1N1 is necessary or not. Medications are very costly, therefore creating a vaccine, which is in high demand right now, would cost our economy a lot of money. "There's no one action that's going to stop this. There's no silver bullet, but all of the efforts ... will help to reduce the impact on people's health."
-Hannah Rutzick
No comments:
Post a Comment