At last a couple of respectable news reporting organizations are beginning to publish info on the H1N1 outbreak. Take a look at these two links for more information.
The first is from Bloomberg, a prominent financial reporting organization
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYh5mi5NAZ94&refer=home
The second if from the Los Angeles "Times"
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3606923.story
There are now reports that this particular H1N1 strain may be even less threatening than the variant that many of us were vaccinated against leading into flu season last October. Trying to find a positive side to this, the hyperbole about influenza seems to have completely blown all concerns about GM facing the possibility of going bankrupt, the likelihood that Chrysler will file for bankruptcy as early as today, April 30, the fact that Pakistan is fighting to avoid being taken over by Taliban and al Qaeda, and that we are still fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk, a nuclear-armed nation teeters on the verge of falling into the hands of extremists, and our news organizations are fixated upon something that is still not even an epidemic, let alone a pandemic.
And again, we would never trivialize the concern about H1N1 spreading, and have implemented hygiene standards in our office to mitigate the possibility of infection. We have a far bigger problem right now with one of our guard schnauzer's flatulence. If you stop by our office and we're all wearing masks, it has nothing to do with H1N1.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
"Swine Flu" hysteria
So much hyperbole and so little time! Or at least it would seem so. Every channel, cable or broadcast, seems driven to out sensationalize the other and do it before another station beats them to it.
I would never trivialize the matter, but factual information that puts the situation in perspective will serve to minimize decision making based on fear rather than fact.
Fact: "Swine Flu" is a type A flu virus, H1N1, one of the most common, if not the most common flu virus. That would explain why those infected respond so well to Tamiflu and Relenza. Ref: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
Fact: The CDC estimates that some 35,000 - 36,000 U.S. residents die of "regular" flu or complications of flu. There is no greater need to panic as the result of this recent outbreak than there was last October when everyone was advised to get a flu shot. Ref: http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030107.htm
To their everlasting discredit, many news media have seemed frenzied to get the latest fear-mongering bit of news on the street. It is likely the stress and anxiety these histrionics have created has done more harm than H1N1 ever will for those affected.
Thus far the only network to take even a modest step back has been CNN and it had a piece this morning relating some of the above information that we have been circulating for the last two days. Ref: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/swine.flu/index.html
The reality is that being no more diligent about personal hygiene than you would normally (sneeze into a handkerchief or tissue or into the shirt sleeve, wash hands thoroughly, discard used tissues at once) and avoid coughing or sneezing into the open will normally be sufficient. The need to follow this protocol stems from the fact that viruses distributed in an aerosol (cough or sneeze) will linger in a room for up to an hour after the affected person leaves.
I would never trivialize the matter, but factual information that puts the situation in perspective will serve to minimize decision making based on fear rather than fact.
Fact: "Swine Flu" is a type A flu virus, H1N1, one of the most common, if not the most common flu virus. That would explain why those infected respond so well to Tamiflu and Relenza. Ref: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
Fact: The CDC estimates that some 35,000 - 36,000 U.S. residents die of "regular" flu or complications of flu. There is no greater need to panic as the result of this recent outbreak than there was last October when everyone was advised to get a flu shot. Ref: http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030107.htm
To their everlasting discredit, many news media have seemed frenzied to get the latest fear-mongering bit of news on the street. It is likely the stress and anxiety these histrionics have created has done more harm than H1N1 ever will for those affected.
Thus far the only network to take even a modest step back has been CNN and it had a piece this morning relating some of the above information that we have been circulating for the last two days. Ref: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/swine.flu/index.html
The reality is that being no more diligent about personal hygiene than you would normally (sneeze into a handkerchief or tissue or into the shirt sleeve, wash hands thoroughly, discard used tissues at once) and avoid coughing or sneezing into the open will normally be sufficient. The need to follow this protocol stems from the fact that viruses distributed in an aerosol (cough or sneeze) will linger in a room for up to an hour after the affected person leaves.
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