Friday, October 19, 2001

 

A doctor who makes sense ... finally

Dr. Laura Popper, a New York pediatrician, is the first doctor I've heard on the news who made sense concerning anthrax and people trying to stock up on Cipro. I don't understand the rationale behind stocking up on an antibiotic to cure an infection that you have only a miniscule chance of contracting. My thinking is, save it for the people who will get it. How would you feel if you took the drug away from someone who really needed it?

Apparently, Dr. Popper is thinking along the same lines.

On the news this morning, Dr. Popper said it's time for doctors to be brave and (I'm paraphrasing here) not prescribe Cipro because of their patient's fears that they might be infected.

This article says that her phones are ringing off the hook. People are demanding Cipro, an antibiotic known to fight anthrax, but she's saying no.

"To me, it would be the equivalent of saying, 'We have a danger--let's give everybody a gun,'" says Popper.

Good for you, Dr Popper!

On the news last night, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that of all the billions of people in the United States, only 7 have contracted anthrax. Yesterday in the United States, he said, 250,000 people were injured in automobile accidents and people haven't stopped driving because of it.

Now that is putting it into perspective.

posted by Anne 10/19/2001 07:42:00 AM