The way the media and much of the public is reacting, you'd think the Black Plague was churning throughout the world. The CDC reports that, during a typical flu season, 36,000 Americans die. At this juncture, there are only about 100 confirmed cases in a country of 304 million people. Consequently, the percentage of Americans who've contracted the swine flue is mathematically insignificant.
More importantly, the cases here seem far less virulent than those in Mexico. Few folks here have required going to the doctor and the symptoms are like most of the flu outbreaks that sweep the country each year. Yet, despite all this, swine flu is on almost everybody's lips.
It almost makes this skeptic wonder what the media and the government are trying to divert our attention from.
More importantly, the cases here seem far less virulent than those in Mexico. Few folks here have required going to the doctor and the symptoms are like most of the flu outbreaks that sweep the country each year. Yet, despite all this, swine flu is on almost everybody's lips.
It almost makes this skeptic wonder what the media and the government are trying to divert our attention from.
or maybe they trying to just scare the public into spending. When people are scared in a society what do they do? Buy things. They can barely keep those white masks on the shelves.
ReplyDeleteOr the media has nothing much better to report on?
ReplyDeleteIf I buy a mask, it will be a new Richard Nixon mask. :)
ReplyDeletemy jokes so far;
ReplyDeletePig flew? They always said something big would happen when pigs could fly.
"Gonna make 'em sneeze like a little pig"
and the last one is visual, if anyone, including yourself sneezes, always follow up with an "oink"
oh, plus update your virus scanner and apply oinkment to anything suspicions
And consider the fact, every year, in the United Sates alone, 35 - 50 MILLION people get the flu. Every year. And the world has not ended.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a great deal of hyperbole, at this point, about the Swine Flu.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of things that bothers me about it, though. I work at a hospital, and was talking with one of my co-workers. She explained to me that the population most at risk with this virus are people with healthy immune systems. Their systems attack the virus with such vehemence that they end up killing themselves.
Now, let's suppose you want to design a bio-weapon. Who would you want to target with this weapon? The old, infirm, and infants? That's who normally dies with infections. No. Healthy people. Hmmm.....
Another thing...one time (and one time only)...my wife heard something on the news that this virus contained material from avian and human viruses. We are getting quite adept at splicing things together. Hmmm.....
Lastly, the virus seems most lethal in Mexico. Let's say you really, really wanted to close the border between our countries...
Paranoid? Maybe. Maybe not. I do wonder...