In ref to:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090501/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu
The new flu may be less potent than first feared BY WHOM? This week has had the news media spreading unwarranted fear and panic?
For example, just yesterday (see: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30/swine.flu/ ):
article: “Swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs and can jump to humans. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”
–but those symptoms are no different than any other type A influenza virus.
“But the latest virus is a hybrid of swine, avian and human strains, and no vaccine has been developed for it. In response, countries are scrambling to prevent its spread.”
–but people contract mutated versions of the flu virus every year, most do not get the latest vaccine, and most still recover after a few days. Those strains can also be hybrids of human, bird, and pig. It just sounds more “scary” to keep emphasizing a hybrid trio. Because swine flu (which has shown to pose no greater threat than other flu viruses) developed in pigs doesn’t make it more dangerous to humans. It has been proven that your immune system is the most important element when fighting the flu, which is why MDs will tell you to get plenty of rest. It’s why the same group that has always been most at risk is still most at risk: babies, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. But this is nothing new. Plus, vaccines are not 100% effective and can actually cause illness (as was the case in 1976 when 40 million were given flu vaccine and some developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe and sometimes fatal condition).
“The World Health Organization raised its pandemic to its second-highest level, warning of widespread human infection from the outbreak that originated in Mexico and has been jumping from person-to-person with relative ease.”
–”jumping from person-to-person with relative ease” is nothing more than a news media sensationalistic style of saying that the virus can pass from human to human, which is how most people who get infected with type A influenza have always gotten infected anyway. This is not a “superflu” virus that has proven to be extra contagious or extra difficult for someone to get over compared to any other flu-related illness.
“It urged countries to ramp up efforts to produce a vaccine.”
–Why? And WHAT countries? Thousands die from flu related illness every year and nobody “ramps up efforts” to create a vaccine. There’s no real reason being demonstrated why a new vaccine is so imperative even if there have been fatalities (curiously all in Mexico except for one boy who the article admits had underlying health problems). Again, there is no evidence that this is some kind of strain of flu that the human immune system cannot handle regardless of what kind of “hybrid” combination. The swine flu pathogen is not from a human source and still does not kill people at an alarming rate.
“It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director-general. “We do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them.”
–”all of humanity is under threat” sounds like now the WHO is adding to media hype, but the point here is that she says “during a pandemic,” and there has yet to be a pandemic declared (defined as the disease occurring throughout wide geographic location and affecting much of the population). This kind of language makes me suspect that if the World Health Organization declares there’s a pandemic it won’t be because of an actual threat but for some other politically motivated reason.
“By early Thursday, the WHO had confirmed 154 cases worldwide with 10 additional cases reported in Spain, Nine of the cases of the H1N1 virus in Spain were found in people who had returned from Mexico.”
–How in the name of the seven mad gods that rule the sea is 154 cases of any flu virus an overwhelming imminent threat of pandemic when as much as 500,000 people on average per year are expected to die from flu-related illness and nobody ever declares a pandemic has occurred?
“While all the fatalities, except that of the boy, have been in Mexico — the epicenter of the outbreak — the majority of the confirmed infected cases have been in the United States: 91 across 10 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
–In all cases except one baby boy with underlying health problems, those infected with the new flu strain got typical flu symptoms, not some bizarre never before seen reaction to the flu virus, and they got over it like any other influenza. So, why is it so important these 91 cases were the new strain of virus when probably thousands more contracted other strains of type A influenza, had similar symptoms, and most recovered just the same?
Again, my question is: The new flu may be less potent than first feared BY WHOM?
[eba kw="swine flu articles" num="1" ebcat=""]
Disclaimer: This site is a paid affiliate of Ebay.com.
