Harefuah
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Vaccines are a cornerstone in any pandemic influenza preparedness plan. Research and development of new influenza vaccines are essential for global preparedness. There are major differences between countries regarding production capacities, priorities and resources for pandemic influenza vaccine policy and planning. ⋯ The seasonal flu vaccine, as is in the current event, will probably not be effective against pandemic strains. Development efforts should be focused on developing broad-spectrum vaccine against both seasonal and pandemic viruses. Equitable distribution of scarce resources in the world requires attention to ethical dilemmas by a multinational and multidisciplinary team.
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a common disease worldwide, refers to two frequently coexisting lung diseases, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Physiologically, COPD represents a disruption in ventilation and in the exchange of gases in the lungs. Laboratory tests indicate elevated CO2 level, gradual reduction of the levels of oxygen and pH in arterial blood and elevated PeCO2. It does not include other obstructive diseases such as asthma. ⋯ Most of the patients (92%) ventilated for acute respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) needed MV for only between 40-47 hours.