Austrian Minister of Health answers Inquiry on CFS

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41
Location
Austria
http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/J/J_06385/index.shtml
http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_06287/imfname_199296.pdf

An excerpt:

To procure the safety of blood derived products a standard procedure is used for viral deactivation. For HIV a deactivation by these procedures has been proven. As XMRV is also a retrovirus, an inactivation is assumed with highest likelihood.

(with regard to XMRV and CFS)
With respect to the still missing scientific foundation, there is no basis to support an awareness campaign

Does the Austrian number of cases correspond to the internationally accepted prevalence of 0.3 0.5%, and if not, how would you explain the discrepancy?
Responding this question, based merely stationary treatments would not be reliable

The neurological departments of our public hospitals serve as primary CFS centers for diagnosis and treatment
(rem: they do not even know how to spell CFS!)

How many patients with suspected CFS attended the institute for occupational and environmental medicine of the university clinic AKH Wien? How many of which were diagnosed with CFS and how many got a psychiatric diagnosis instead? (rem: the institute is the only CFS center in Austria, they always turn down the diagnosis in favour of another psychiatric disorder)

The minister presents a completely miscalculated table:
***** no. of patients // CFS / CFS unclear / no CFS
2003 3 // 3 / 0 / 1
2004 3 // 0 / 0 / 3
2005 4 // 0 / 2 / 2
2006 3 // 0 / 1 / 2
2007 9 // 2 / 1 / 6
2008 2 // 0 / 1 / 1
2009 4 // 0 / 0 / 4
2010 3 // 0 / 1 / 3
Total: 30 // 5 (3.3%) / 4 (13.3%) / 19 (63.3%)

I do know however that in reality has only been one case, or 1/30 = 3.3%. Obviously the numbers were faked just before presentation and they failed to recalculate the table.. ;-)

9 people (rem: nationwide!) (4 female, 5 male) receive disability support due to CFS
 

eric_s

Senior Member
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1,925
Location
Switzerland/Spain (Valencia)
How is it possible that only 30 people have attended this center? I mean in Vienna alone there are probably a thousand people with CFS... Where do they go then?

Well, at least they are looking at how to inactivate XMRV in the blood.

Thanks for posting.
 
Messages
41
Location
Austria
There is a complete news enbargo on CFS in Austria. There has been no media report what so ever on the XMRV discovery. Instead they launched a large "burnout" campaign to promote it as a new epidemic - incidently the starting point of that falls together with the XMRV confirmation by Alter et al. And of of course the formula CFS = burnout is constantly promoted within the medical system.
 

eric_s

Senior Member
Messages
1,925
Location
Switzerland/Spain (Valencia)
Seriously? That's ridiculous, CFS and burnout are 2 totally different things. Is burnout classified in the ICD? If so, that should be obvious for anybody.
There was an article in Switzerland some days ago that was quite good. I don't agree with what they said about XMRV though. Plus i don't like the message that nothing can be done. At this moment this is quite likely to change, so they should mention that.
Here it is: Link
 
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