Posted on Mar 17, 2020
Before Trump’s inauguration, a warning: ‘The worst influenza pandemic since 1918’
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TLDR: Lack of continuity and disinterest hindered the Trump administration ability to deal with a pandemic scenario.
"In a tabletop exercise days before an untested new president took power, officials briefed the incoming administration on a scenario remarkably like the one he faces now."
"In a tabletop exercise days before an untested new president took power, officials briefed the incoming administration on a scenario remarkably like the one he faces now."
Before Trump’s inauguration, a warning: ‘The worst influenza pandemic since 1918’
Posted from politico.comPosted in these groups: 
Donald Trump
Coronavirus COVID19
Donald Trump Coronavirus COVID19
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 2
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If this warning was issued before Trump's inauguration then it was under Obama's watch and not Trump. Right!! So, what did Obama do to prevent about the warning?...….Not a damn thing. His head was already buried in the sand....Box.
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MSgt Steve Sweeney
What did Obama do to "prevent about the warning"? WTF does that mean? Are you asking what the Obama admin did to prepare? How many articles would you like on the subject? I am sure I can explain it TO you, but unfortunately I cannot understand it FOR you. It wouldn't matter anyway. I could break down all the measures and action items in great detail, but your Obama Derangement Syndrome wouldn't allow you to hear it anyway.
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SPC David S.
MSgt Steve Sweeney LTC Lee Bouchard
Here's an analysis of the H1N1 response - Obama administration was focused on a flu coming out of China. However the swine flu caught all off guard and a pandemic resulted. Approximately 60.8 million cases of the swine flu with around 12,469 deaths occured in the US. World wide approximately 151,700-575,400 died from the swine flu. All in the Obama administration knew about a pending pandemic threat yet they failed to react quickly enough once they figured out is was coming from Mexico not China.
The big take away was that 2005 International Health Regulations established help by way of establishing a systematic approaches to surveillance, early-warning systems, and a response by member states.
The regulations delineate the responsibilities of individual countries and the leadership role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in declaring and managing a public health emergency of international concern.
However difficulties in decision making under conditions of uncertainty; complexities in international cooperation; and challenges in communication among experts, policymakers, and the public exasperated the pandemic - same issues as we have now.
However considering China suppressed information about the outbreak much of the blame should fall on China as by the time word got out - it was too late to prevent the pandemic. This was due to vulnerabilities in the response of foreign national health services and our ability to travel faster than the incubation period. If anything Trump's quick reaction in placing a travel ban to China helped to slow the pandemic in the US. As well we are lucky this time that covid-19 is not as lethal. The swine flu killed 41% of those infected - mainly children. This could have been much worse.
Point is pandemics will happen because governments and society are slow to react in conjunction with ease to travel - especially when governments fail to report the truth.
Now the important part not covered in any reports is how society responds to pandemics - just guessing being politically divided in a time of crisis does not help in expediting a quick or proper response. As such I feel its a good point in time to drop all the political partisanship and focus our attention on rebuilding our nation. How we decide to move forward we can only blame ourselves.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1208802
Here's an analysis of the H1N1 response - Obama administration was focused on a flu coming out of China. However the swine flu caught all off guard and a pandemic resulted. Approximately 60.8 million cases of the swine flu with around 12,469 deaths occured in the US. World wide approximately 151,700-575,400 died from the swine flu. All in the Obama administration knew about a pending pandemic threat yet they failed to react quickly enough once they figured out is was coming from Mexico not China.
The big take away was that 2005 International Health Regulations established help by way of establishing a systematic approaches to surveillance, early-warning systems, and a response by member states.
The regulations delineate the responsibilities of individual countries and the leadership role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in declaring and managing a public health emergency of international concern.
However difficulties in decision making under conditions of uncertainty; complexities in international cooperation; and challenges in communication among experts, policymakers, and the public exasperated the pandemic - same issues as we have now.
However considering China suppressed information about the outbreak much of the blame should fall on China as by the time word got out - it was too late to prevent the pandemic. This was due to vulnerabilities in the response of foreign national health services and our ability to travel faster than the incubation period. If anything Trump's quick reaction in placing a travel ban to China helped to slow the pandemic in the US. As well we are lucky this time that covid-19 is not as lethal. The swine flu killed 41% of those infected - mainly children. This could have been much worse.
Point is pandemics will happen because governments and society are slow to react in conjunction with ease to travel - especially when governments fail to report the truth.
Now the important part not covered in any reports is how society responds to pandemics - just guessing being politically divided in a time of crisis does not help in expediting a quick or proper response. As such I feel its a good point in time to drop all the political partisanship and focus our attention on rebuilding our nation. How we decide to move forward we can only blame ourselves.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1208802
Pandemic Preparedness and Response — Lessons from the H1N1 Influenza of 2009 | NEJM
Review Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Pandemic Preparedness and Response — Lessons from the H1N1 Influenza of 2009
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The idea of a pandemic due to the H9N2 subtype avian influenza in China from ducks goes way back. A study from the Journal of Virology dated 2003 clearly lays out the threat and the virus's ability to infect humans. As well in 2015 H9N2 was reported in being present in birds in Alaska.
Its very clean that Obama was aware of such a threat as he actually gave a speech about his concerns on the Senate floor.
As such seems that the Obama administration failed to take appropriate action considering that Obama was well versed on the potential threat. He had eight years to get our nation prepared for a pandemic due to a virus coming out of China.
The things this author doesn't mention makes me think they are pushing a very politically motivated narrative.
http://obamaspeeches.com/032-Avian-Flu-Obama-Speech.htm
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S [login to see] 001646
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC156195/
Its very clean that Obama was aware of such a threat as he actually gave a speech about his concerns on the Senate floor.
As such seems that the Obama administration failed to take appropriate action considering that Obama was well versed on the potential threat. He had eight years to get our nation prepared for a pandemic due to a virus coming out of China.
The things this author doesn't mention makes me think they are pushing a very politically motivated narrative.
http://obamaspeeches.com/032-Avian-Flu-Obama-Speech.htm
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S [login to see] 001646
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC156195/
Obama Speech - Avian Flu Remarks on the U.S. Senate floor - Complete Text
Over 100 speeches by Barack Obama. Constantly updated. Complete and full text of each speech.
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MSgt Steve Sweeney
LTC Lee Bouchard - What level of definition would you like? You want a definition out of a dictionary? Easily done. Do you want a discussion of what leadership actually means, and the traits common to leaders? How do I know you have the capacity to understand the knowledge I will drop on your overburdened brain cells?
I'll tell you what... In the interest of humor and having time on my hands being stuck at home, I will give you the answer I gave on a Division Marine of the Quarter board from a long time ago...
The question was posed from the panel was "What is the most important leadership trait?". Now every Marine from day one is exposed the Marine Corps leadership which espouses 14 leadership traits (Judgement, Justice, Dependability, Integrity, Decisiveness, Tact, Initiative, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Endurance - JJDIDTIBUCKLE). The answer they wanted was Integrity, as integrity is critically important at the core of our character. Integrity allows you to see things that are wrong and recognize them as being wrong and call them wrong without deflecting or blaming others, among other things. That is the go-to answer in that situation.
I said "Initiative". The senior Marines on the panel looked taken aback for a second as this should have been a softball question - they asked me to explain. My response was as follows:
"13 of the 14 traits the Marine Corps recognizes as leadership traits are, in reality, Marine traits and should be inculcated in every Marine, leader and follower alike, personal integrity being paramount among them. But of the 14 traits, the single trait that will differentiate a leader from a follower is initiative. Initiative will put the Marine out front and, by default, leading. I made my point and my picture was up in the Battalion offices for the next quarter.
In the current context, besides demonstrating little of the other 14 traits, Trump failed in initiative probably most of all. He certainly fails when it comes to integrity, judgement, justice... knowledge... tact ... etc. While he may represent his base, he does very little leading unless you count telling people what they want to hear and playing to their fears and prejudice for self-serving purposes as leadership. I don't.
How's that for you? Next time I can educate you on the 11 leadership principles and the application of same if you like. You may want to go ahead and verify your account so that I can be sure you are who you say you are.
I'll tell you what... In the interest of humor and having time on my hands being stuck at home, I will give you the answer I gave on a Division Marine of the Quarter board from a long time ago...
The question was posed from the panel was "What is the most important leadership trait?". Now every Marine from day one is exposed the Marine Corps leadership which espouses 14 leadership traits (Judgement, Justice, Dependability, Integrity, Decisiveness, Tact, Initiative, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Endurance - JJDIDTIBUCKLE). The answer they wanted was Integrity, as integrity is critically important at the core of our character. Integrity allows you to see things that are wrong and recognize them as being wrong and call them wrong without deflecting or blaming others, among other things. That is the go-to answer in that situation.
I said "Initiative". The senior Marines on the panel looked taken aback for a second as this should have been a softball question - they asked me to explain. My response was as follows:
"13 of the 14 traits the Marine Corps recognizes as leadership traits are, in reality, Marine traits and should be inculcated in every Marine, leader and follower alike, personal integrity being paramount among them. But of the 14 traits, the single trait that will differentiate a leader from a follower is initiative. Initiative will put the Marine out front and, by default, leading. I made my point and my picture was up in the Battalion offices for the next quarter.
In the current context, besides demonstrating little of the other 14 traits, Trump failed in initiative probably most of all. He certainly fails when it comes to integrity, judgement, justice... knowledge... tact ... etc. While he may represent his base, he does very little leading unless you count telling people what they want to hear and playing to their fears and prejudice for self-serving purposes as leadership. I don't.
How's that for you? Next time I can educate you on the 11 leadership principles and the application of same if you like. You may want to go ahead and verify your account so that I can be sure you are who you say you are.
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MSgt Steve Sweeney
SPC David S. - I am sure you must be used to being wrong by now. You can go ahead and add another notch to your belt... or wherever you use to track your mistakes.
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SPC David S.
MSgt Steve Sweeney - you missed my previous comment - I conceded you're always right I'm always wrong about everything. Stay healthy wash your hands.
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