Guidelines for the Day It Falls Apart

[Lee Gold]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/05/05/pandemic.rationing.ap/index.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/05/05/2008-05-05_docs_draft_list_of_who_dies_in_flu_horro.html

The suggested list was compiled by a task force whose members come from
prestigious universities, medical groups, the military and government
agencies. They include the Department of Homeland Security, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and
Human Services.

Those out of luck are the people at high risk of death and a slim chance
of long-term survival. But the recommendations get much more specific,
and include:

• People older than 85.

• Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from
car crashes and shootings.

• Severely burned patients older than 60.

• Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced
Alzheimer's disease.

• Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure,
lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.

I think the details may be found at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/.

--Lee

[Joseph J. Kesselman]

Battlefield triage rules, essentially. Treat the folks who can be
treated most easily, so you can stretch overstressed resources to treat
the most people. And apply as sharply-defined a set of rules as
possible, to avoid getting into arguments over which bucket the patients
get tossed into. Same reason the Red Cross absolutely refuses to take
donations at aid sites no matter how convenient it would be -- in that
situation you can't afford even a hint of bribability or all cooperation
evaporates. A less-than-ideal decision process is better than a process
that people think can be gamed.

Having said that: It shouldn't be surprising that this sounds a lot like
the old civil defense brochures about how to deal with aftermath of a
nuclear attack. It's essentially the same problem, plus infectiousness.

Duck and cover... before you sneeze?

[Arthur T.]

In Message-ID:<481F7DA0...@ca.rr.com>,
Lee Gold <lee....@ca.rr.com> wrote:

>Those out of luck are the people at high risk of death and a slim chance
>of long-term survival. But the recommendations get much more specific,
>and include:

Insta. Do not archive
ttto: Banks of the Ohio

They only said they'd not cure me
I should prepare for eternity
I am too feeble and too old
There is only so much gold

The beds you see, they're all in use
They're for young people who'll produce.
For those demented, sick, and shot
The doctors say there is no slot

Then I did beg, "Please take me in
We all are brothers; all are kin"
But he pointed, crisp and chill
"Which of those will your treatment kill?"

--
Arthur T. - ar23hur "at" intergate "dot" com
Looking for a z/OS (IBM mainframe) systems programmer position

[Joseph J. Kesselman]

Arthur T. wrote:
> "Which of those will your treatment kill?"

Which... and how many.

Nice brief statement of the problem. Wish I knew the tune.

[PT]

On May 5, 3:10 pm, "Joseph J. Kesselman" <keshlam-nos...@comcast.net>
wrote:

> Arthur T. wrote:
> > "Which of those will your treatment kill?"
>
> Which... and how many.
>

Could be wrong but I think "which" in this context includes "how
many."

Also which I knew the tune.