U.S. Intelligence Warns There Will Be Major Pharmaceutical Shortages If The Pandemic Continues

An employee inspects tablets as they move along the production line at a pharmaceutical plant of Lupin, India's No. 2 drugmaker, in Verna, in the western state of Goa, India, June 9, 2017.Danish Siddiqui/Reuters, File

ABC News: US 'likely' to see shortage of pharmaceutical drugs if coronavirus outbreak continues, intelligence report finds

A decrease in generic drugs would hurt low-income and unemployed Americans.

With coronavirus outbreaks continuing to spread across the world, the United States is "likely" to see a shortage of generic pharmaceutical drugs, according to a new federal intelligence report obtained by ABC News.

The report, prepared by the Department of Homeland Security and distributed Thursday to law enforcement and government agencies around the country, warned that the U.S. is already seeing shortages of more than 200 drugs and medical supplies due to strains on the supply chain caused by international shutdowns early on in the pandemic.

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WNU Editor: There will be a shortage in generic drugs. Non-generic drugs will be available. The problem will be the high cost in buying them.

A Fifth Of People Living In War Zones Are Suffering From Mental Illness

A man at a site recently hit by what activists said was a Scud missile in Aleppo’s Ard al-Hamra neighborhood, February 23, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman

Reuters: Mental illness affects a fifth of people living in war zones

LONDON (Reuters) - One in five people in war zones has depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, with many suffering severe forms of these mental illnesses.

The findings highlight the long-term impact of war-induced crises in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, the UN’s health agency said, and the numbers are significantly higher than in peacetime populations, where around one in 14 people has a mental illness.

“Given the large numbers of people in need and the humanitarian imperative to reduce suffering, there is an urgent need to implement scalable mental health interventions to address this burden,” the research team said.

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WNU Editor: I thought the number would be higher .... much higher.

A Cavity-Fighting 'Combat Gum' For The U.S. Army

A U.S. Army soldier with Charlie Company, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division blows a bubble with his chewing gum during a mission near Command Outpost Pa'in Kalay in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, February 3, 2013. (Reuters)

Army Develops ‘Combat Gum’ To Fight Soldiers’ Cavities In Field -- Washington Times

Deployed? Don’t worry about the missed dentist appointment. The Army has discovered – and over the course of seven years, fine-tuned — a gum that helps the soldier in the field fight plaque, cut cavities and clean teeth.

America spends more than $100 billion a year on dental services, and the military said it can help lower what taxpayers pay for troops and families in this regard with its cost-cutting creation, The Army Times reported. But first and foremost, the peppermint-flavored gum, called Combat Gum, is aimed at keeping troops healthy and their mouths happy in combat and field-training situations.

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Update: Cavity-fighting 'combat gum' in the works for Army -- USA Today/Army Times

My Comment: I predict that this will be a big seller if it becomes readily available to the public.

Healthcare Benefits For Active Duty And Retired US Military To Be Cut

Trashing Tricare -- Washington Free Beacon

Obama to cut healthcare benefits for active duty and retired US military.

The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.

The disparity in treatment between civilian and uniformed personnel is causing a backlash within the military that could undermine recruitment and retention.

The proposed increases in health care payments by service members, which must be approved by Congress, are part of the Pentagon’s $487 billion cut in spending. It seeks to save $1.8 billion from the Tricare medical system in the fiscal 2013 budget, and $12.9 billion by 2017.

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My Comment: Fighting wars for ten years will bring about health care issues and costs down the road. As a result, the bean counters know that the health care aspects of the defense budget will start to escalate soon, and any attempts to rein in the defense budget will be difficult if the cuts do not happen now.

As to what is my take .... a promise was made to take care of our service men and women .... a promise that is now about to be broken. And what makes this even more "teeth gritting" is that while cuts are being made to uniformed soldiers and their families, unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits will be untouched.

How Wars Bring About Medical Innovations

Photo: Army Capt. Dan Berschinski lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan — and now uses advanced “Power Knees” that cost $40,000 per leg. Getty Images

War Is Heal: How Technologies Developed In Iraq And Afghanistan Have Improved Medical Treatments -- New York Post

American soldiers have lost lives and limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they have given life — through warzone medical advances — to countless others.

New technologies have led to fewer of our soldiers dying from their combat injuries than in any previous war Americans have fought — fewer than 10%, compared to 30% in World War II and 24% in the first Gulf War. And those breakthroughs are moving from battlefield to bedside with remarkable speed.

Previous wars gave us penicillin, blood transfusions and even the notion of modern hospitals. Our recent entanglements have seen, among other things, an improvement in prosthetics, better treatment for traumatic brain injury and more efficient wound care.

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My Comment: Wars and conflicts always bring about innovations. After 10 years of war .... one should not be surprised that these new innovations are now being applied.

The Growing Health Care Crisis For Iraq/Afghan U.S. Veterans

Over 700,000 New Vets Seek Health Care, Half With Mental Problems -- Time

Nearly three-quarters of a million veterans back from Iraq and Afghanistan who are now out of the military have sought medical care from the government, and more than half of those service members suffer from a mental health condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

These are among the stunning numbers in a new report compiled by Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans' advocacy organization. VCS shared the new report with TIME prior to public release scheduled for this week. The group culled the information from government data mostly obtained through a raft of Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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My Comment: If the results from this study are accurate ....to say that this is stunning is an understatement.

U.S. Veterans Groups Have ‘Grave Concerns’ On Health Bill

From The Hill:

Six high-profile veterans groups are raising objections to the House healthcare reform bill, warning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that it could jeopardize the care of millions of veterans.

Citing “grave concerns,” the groups are urging Pelosi to modify the House bill. If changes are not made, the veterans groups say they will actively oppose the measure.

In a letter to Pelosi that was obtained by The Hill, the groups state “the legislation could limit the health care choices for veterans, increase the cost of health care for veterans, deny coverage to dependent family members of veterans, and threaten the quality of health care offered to veterans through the VA health care system.”

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My Comment: As a Canadian .... I have more than an intimate experience with Canada's medical system, and as such I can give a perspective to the debate that is absent in the U.S.

My advice, if health costs are going beyond your control to afford it and this is your priority, the Canadian system is then for you. But there are consequences from pursuing this action .... namely .... long waiting periods, delays in receiving aid for catastrophic illnesses (i.e. cancer), and a slow degradation of your medical service. In addition .... because many young people will not pursue a medical profession because it is no longer financially viable for them, a heavy reliance on foreign trained doctors (many with different standards of medical training) becomes the net result.

There are some exceptions to the rule .... Canadian vets are enrolled in a private system, as well as the RCMP and federally incarcerated prisoners. These "exceptions" to the rule have no desire to be part of the "public" system.

On a finishing note, I live in Montreal, Quebec. The Public medical system was mandated in this province in the mid 1960s. The last time a new hospital was built in this city and metropolitan area of 3 million was in the early 1960s.