The Franklin Looks at the Science behind the Swine Flue Scare 5/21, 7pm
Posted on | May 14, 2009 | Comments Off
| May 21, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
The Folks at The Franklin have come up with a very timely presentation called Pandemics, Swine Flue and You: The Science Behind the Scare, featuring a strong panel, including the ubiquitous Art Caplan.
It is free, but call (215) 448-1254 to register.
Here are the details:
Philadelphia, PA—May 14, 2009—The Franklin and the Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy will co-host a public lecture and discussion entitled “Pandemics, Swine Flu and You: The Science Behind the Scare” on Thursday, May 21 at 7pm at The Franklin. Join a panel of leading national experts from science, public health, bioethics and the media – many of whom have influenced governmental responses in recent weeks – to explore the questions behind the swine flu pandemic. This event is the third in a series of panel discussions at The Franklin aimed at increasing the public understanding of, and confidence in, vaccines. Previous discussions have examined vaccine mandates and the HPV vaccine.
Questions to be explored include:
· Swine Flu, bird flu, old-fashioned seasonal flu: what’s the difference and why are some “pandemic”?
· Is the swine flu pandemic a news-cycle thing or the real thing? Is the media reporting this story responsibly?
· No pandemic vaccine for six months? And not enough vaccine for everyone even then? Why? Who will be first in line?
· Anti-virals and facemasks…school shutdowns and hotel quarantines…handwashing and travel advisories. Who’s in charge of this pandemic?
Panelists include: Brian J. Ward, MSc, M.D., DTM&H, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC); associate Director of the McGill Center for Tropical Diseases and Associate Professor, Center for Host-Parasite Interactions, McGill University, Montreal Canada; Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., Emanuel & Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics, Chair, Department of Medical Ethics, Director, Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; John Timpane, Staff Writer, the Philadelphia Inquirer; Hildegune C.J. Ertl, M.D., Head, Immunology Program, Director, Vaccine Center, The Wistar Institute.
