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Prisoner’s Dilemma Applied To Drug Hoarding

The prisoner’s dilemma can be applied to a variety of situations, and generally the dilemma is between which of the two people can benefit most from a certain strategy. However, an interesting factor to consider is how both individuals’ choices can have an overall impact on the world, rather than just each other. In the article Drug Hoarding and the Prisoner’s Dilemma, John Paulos discusses the prisoner’s dilemma in reference to the hoarding of the antibiotic drug Ciproflaxin as a result of the anthrax scare. He describes how individuals were stockpiling Cipro in anticipation of a situation in which they come into contact with anthrax. The strategies available to individuals were to either purchase Cipro or not purchase Cipro and rely on the public health system in case of emergency.

In this case, the benefits considered in the prisoner’s dilemma take into account the overall environmental impact of one’s actions and the consequences it can affect on other individuals. There is a clear individual benefit of purchasing Cipro ahead of time to have an available antidote to anthrax at any time. However, if more and more people stockpile Cipro, there will not be enough for others and the private stockpiling will create a shortage in the amount available for individuals as well as public hospitals. Furthermore, if Cipro is more readily available and used more often than necessary, more common bacteria will develop immunity to the antibiotics and Cipro will eventually be rendered useless. Therefore, the prisoner’s dilemma is between stockpiling and not stockpiling, but overall Paulos maintains that the best strategy is for everyone to collaborate and prevent private stockpiling of antibiotics.

Even though this strategy does not have the optimal individual benefit, the overall outcome is best and therefore Paulos provides different recommendations to ensure that private stockpiling is limited. He suggests that public health officials emphasize that the threat of anthrax is extremely small and the public health system has the capacity to handle any anthrax-related emergencies. Furthermore, he suggests that scientific authorities underscore the variety of drugs available to treat anthrax such as penicillin and doxycycline, which are equally effective and less prone to having shortages. Ultimately, this article conveys the concept that hoarding of the drug Cipro is unnecessary and the optimal outcome for this prisoner’s dilemma is to limit individuals from anxiously stockpiling Cipro to feel more safe.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/story?id=98179&page=1

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