Pros
- Preparing for a pandemic goes a long way in being ready for natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
- No need to rely on government handouts.
- Government aid could be slow to respond because of shortages in gasoline and healthy personnel to distribute supplies.
- If everyone fell ill in a pandemic, it is likely that there would not be enough medication for everyone. (See article, How Many People Would Die in a Pandemic?)
- Pandemics strike quickly so the only way to be ready is to have supplies at hand such as antiviral drugs, masks, food, water and alternative energy sources.
Cons
- Deprive other countries of supplies that are needed on the frontline of avian flu outbreaks. Properly supplying those countries where avian bird flu has the real possibility of mutating into pandemic flu is key in protecting the entire world from a pandemic. The World Bank and the United Nations are helping avian flu endemic countries fight avian flu.
- Medicine has expiration dates so stockpiling expensive antiviral drugs could turn into a big investment every couple of years.
- Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza are strong drugs that need medical supervision. Children especially need to be given the correct dose and followed up for potentially serious side effects.
- Likewise, the imprudent use of Tamiflu could spur the evolution of a Tamiflu resistant strain of avian flu, and in fact, some strains have already been found to be resistant to Tamiflu.
- There is no pandemic right now and it is not known which drugs will be most effective against a pandemic flu.
- The only masks that can really prevent infection from influenza, avian flu or human flu, are really respirators and need to be properly fit in order to work properly.
- Disposable masks need to be replaced after each use so the investment could get quite expensive.
- Disposable masks for children are not available. (If a reader knows of such a mask, let me know!)
- Supplies such as food and water need to be proper stored and treated or risk going bad.
- The government has a National Stockpile of essential medicine and supplies managed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ready to arrive to any point in the US within 12 hours. Stockpiling may mean a duplication of efforts.
Where it Stands
As you can see there are good reasons to stockpile, but there are also very good arguments for not stockpiling antiviral drugs.
My advice: Stockpile basic supplies that are necessary to survive for 12 weeks due to any kind of natural disaster, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes and made-made disasters, such as terrorism.
In addition, invest in around 90 N95 (or N99 or N100) NIOSH certified and FDA approved masks per person.
Do not stock up on Tamiflu or Relenza unless you are a doctor or are responsible for a healthcare facility or public health program.
Who supports stockpiling?
- Dr. Robert Webster. In an article in the AARP magazine Webster was said to have an antiviral drug stockpile. See blog dated October 19, 2006.
Who recommends against stockpiling?
- The San Francisco Department of Public Health advises against individual stockpiling of Tamiflu.
- The World Health Organization recommends pandemic planning and preparation but advises against stockpiling medications.
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