Peace, order and good government, eh?

Another angle I hadn't considered

My involvement with the Flu Wiki has certainly taught me that a serious flu pandemic might bring lots of consequences that hadn't immediately occurred to me. For example, see this discussion of potential economic effects.

But here's one that still hadn't occurred to me.

SARS lawsuits against Ontario get the go-ahead

An Ontario judge ruled Tuesday that two lawsuits launched over Ontario's handling of the SARS crisis two years ago can proceed.

Both lawsuits charge that the government put the province's economic interests ahead of the safety of its nurses.

One suit is a $600 million class action by Andrea Williams, a nurse who became infected with SARS on the verge of a second outbreak in May 2003. Williams was exposed to SARS while undergoing a surgical procedure at North York General Hospital in Toronto.

The other is a $12 million suit brought by the family of nurse Nelia Laroza, who died in June. Laroza was an orthopedic nurse at the same hospital.

Now imagine what might happen if there's a flu pandemic -- a possibility more people are taking seriously lately -- and the government's response is found wanting.

Update:

Ian Welsh, who started the discussion on economic consequences of a pandemic linked to above at the Flu Wiki, has a followup at Tilting At Windmills.

Posted by pogge at August 24, 2005 03:55 PM | TrackBack