Microsofts H1N1 plan – keep em busy during swine flu closures
Microsoft offers online tools for Swine Flu infected kids
The software giant Microsoft has a good idea, it is software teachers can use to help keep the students engaged should they indeed have to stay home.
And with the recent news that vaccines are in much shorter supply (both quantity and later than expected, it seems likely that many schools and universities will indeed be closing the doors.
The World Health Organization is warning that the annual production of H1N1 vaccines is expected to fall short of the 4.9 billion doses that it had earlier forecast would be made.
WHO writes on their website, “Current supplies of pandemic vaccine are inadequate for a world population in which virtually everyone is susceptible to infection by a new and readily contagious virus.
Given that current demand outstrips supply, these donations, together with the doses pledged by manufacturers, will help increase supplies of pandemic vaccines to populations that would otherwise not have access.”
[Link: who.int/mediacentre/]
Below is a link to the Microsoft idea which is a good idea from Microsoft for a few reasons. For example, it is a very practical idea for both teachers and students. It gives both some time and strategy to think though the process of teaching during possible closures to schools. An added benefit: parents are relieved at the idea their kids have something practical to do when they are stuck at home.
From a marketing idea, since the concept is of course to use Microsoft software to implement the teaching, it is really good. Not everyone is going to rush out to buy software from Microsoft, but what with anger over Vista and new Office which certainly hurt Microsofts image, this plan is a step in the right direction, at least for countries / teachers / students with the money to have a computer and be online.
“We’re concerned for the students and families impacted by the H1N1 virus and understand this could be a difficult time for students worried about their health and that they could fall behind in their studies,” said Anthony Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft. “We are happy to be able to provide affordable and accessible technology solutions that educators and students can use to mitigate any disruptions in the classroom due to a possible outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus.”
More information is available at microsoft.com/education/h1n1. (and microsoft.com/press)
YouTube H1N1 vaccine shortages expected:
Issues of our time!
Our population is in the jet age. world travel, urbanization & lifestyle are very different during the 1918 flu pandemic. New emerging infectious diseases is well adopted to our present environment. Hand washing, social distancing & etiquette are disease prevention techniques centered on avoiding contact with the virus. We need to upgrade & use new technology in dealing with novel diseases. The sheer number of infections today would indicate that the cause of infection is indirect transmission of the disease is probably in public places like airports, supermarkets & others. However, traditional disinfectants used in hospitals are easily inactivated by organic matter, dirt & soil & their required method of application & toxicity is not adoptable to crowded places. For almost 20 years, in the Philippines, MDSDS is a liquid disinfectant not easily inactivated & with very low toxicity level that it can be sprayed to the environment without adverse effects to plants, animals & the environment, simply because it is biodegradable & to a great extent diluted with water. As most medical practitioners doubts the effectiveness on environment disinfection they agree that microbes on surfaces are most vulnerable on surfaces where they can easily be destroyed before causing any infection. Without doubt limiting or destroying physically the microbial population on infected surfaces will surely decrease disease transmissions thus protecting the population. Cleaning & disinfection is an effective, practical, inexpensive & safer method without side effects or dangers compared to exorbitant vaccines & medicines. This method is practiced everyday in hospitals & medical institutions to protect their facilities from infection. For whatever reasons why it is not emphasized as compared to 1918 protocols such as hand washing by the WHO & the CDC & the continued spread of the virus in the US is anybody’s guess! Are they really just selling vaccines? Allowing the virus to survive & spread increases its ability to mutate & hopefully it will spread at the WHO & CDC headquarters!