# 1969
It's a sign of the times, perhaps.
With bird flu spreading, and governments like India, Indonesia, and South Korea finding that containment is an elusive goal, thoughts are turning to what once was unthinkable:
How do we deal with millions of infected humans?
The United States has spent billions of antivirals, like Tamiflu, along with pre-pandemic vaccines. So has the United Kingdom. Other nations, like Switzerland, have enough vaccine to inoculate every citizen.
South Korea, which had previously stockpiled enough antivirals for 1.23 million people, has now decided to double their order. While 2.5 treatment courses is far too few to effectively treat a pandemic, it is better than only 1.23 million courses.
This from the Associated Press.
South Korea plans to double its Tamiflu drug stockpile as bird flu spreads
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea says it will double its stockpile of the antiviral drug Tamiflu as bird flu spreads among poultry across the country.
The office of President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday the government plans to store enough Tamiflu by the end of this year to treat 2.5 million people. Currently, South Korea has enough Tamiflu only for 1.23 million people. The country's population is 48 million.
South Korea has reported no human cases of bird flu, but fears about human infection have risen following the first outbreak of the disease in the capital a few days ago.
The viral disease has swept through poultry in South Korea since last month and has forced the slaughter of some 6.8 million birds.
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