Guys, I feel a moral responsibility to post this article that was done in reference to the email I posted last night from an ER doc in our town:
http://www.ksat.com:80/health/19336577/detail.html
Dr. Marcus Gitterle's E-mail Comments Draw Ire Of Comal County Officials
POSTED: Thursday, April 30, 2009
UPDATED: 8:14 pm CDT April 30, 2009
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas -- A New Braunfels emergency doctor's e-mail sent this week about the H1N1 flu outbreak has many people wondering which information is correct and has Comal County health authorities distancing themselves from the doctor's message.
An e-mail sent by Dr. Marcus Gitterle, an employee of Christus Santa Rosa hospital, sent out an e-mail releasing information about a public health meeting he recently attended. The e-mail states that almost everybody exposed to H1N1 virus will become infected, though not necessarily sick. He also wrote that he believed the number of confirmed cases is higher than media reports indicated and that hospital would likely be overwhelmed.
The e-mail generated a massive amount of interest from the hundred who received it, including KSAT 12 News via numerous forwarded messages from readers and viewers.
Comal County officials addressed Gitterle's comments at their Thursday morning briefing.
"Christus Santa Rosa hospital just called me to assure me that this doctor was not speaking for the hospital," said Comal County Judge Danny Scheel. "The hospital agrees fully with the recommendations made by the CDC and by our local health authorities."
Scheel also said Gitterle's assertions that communities are running out of Tamiflu, one of the treatments being used for those diagnosed with the illness, are exaggerated, and that more of the drug would be available if necessary.
Gitterle backtracked from his earlier e-mail with a post on his blog Thursday. The post read: "Finally, I want to clarify that I did not, and do not feel that the media is intentionally misleading anyone; rather, I think that this is a confusing, rapidly evolving situation, and it is easy for even trained professionals to become confused about the subtle distinctions between microbiologic confirmation and clinical diagnosis. I applaud the judicious, thoughtful reporting I have been seeing. I think the media has been by and large very responsible and helpful throughout this epidemic. Likewise, the Health Department and CDC are not misleading anyone, I think that again, the same technical communication issues apply."
Update, 8:12 p.m.: The following is a statement from Gitterle sent to KSAT 12 News: When I sent out an email to close friends and family a couple of days ago, I had no idea it would be edited, twisted and sent around the world. Unfortunately, it has. I intended only to help my close friends and family understand the seriousness of this epidemic. I was not making an official public health statement. To set the record straight, I cannot speak more highly of Comal County Judge, Danny Scheele, Comal County School officials, Dr. Overman, and the tireless staff of our County Health Department. They acted with great professionalism and temerity, in choosing to close schools for 10 days, and I believe it is already having an effect on the spread of the virus. Likewise, hospitals in the region, including my own, have been doing incredible work in managing the patient care mission created by this epidemic. Administrators in my hospital system are truly rising to the occasion, and I am proud of their work. I also think that at the national level, excellent decisions have been made to support the fight against this virus. One of those excellent decisions was to make certain that ample supplies of appropriate medication are available to manage an epidemic such as this. Finally, the media is responding with some really excellent reporting on a complex, emotion-laden subject, without fanning the counterproductive flames of fear and paranoia. If there is a message I would like to convey, it is to take this flu seriously, and stay safe. How? By supporting the decisions of our public officials, and paying close attention to CDC and Health Department announcements and guidelines. If we do that, we can win this battle.
I do take these things seriously and we do take all recommend precautions but what I don't do is worry about what might or might not happen if this and if that happens when Great Aunt Sue's horse dies. It ain't worth the extra gray hair.
If someone is frightened, why would you think sarcasm and ridicule would help matters? If you're that offended, don't read the thread.
