I would be foolish to trivialize the current outbreak of swine flu. If history is any indicator (and it usually is), the flu could get out of hand. An outbreak of the Asian flu in the late 1950’s resulted in the deaths of more than a million people worldwide. The Hong Kong flu killed nearly a million people in the late 1960’s. Following World War I, the Spanish flu resulted in the deaths of more than 40 million people around the world. Flu pandemics are obviously things to be taken seriously.
But the cynic in me says I’ve got better things to worry about today. The nature of the media, traditional, internet and social networks, is such that news and rumor spread faster than the flu virus itself. Not a newscast passes without a grim description of the advance of the swine flu. The ongoing news coverage has the public so stirred up that emergency rooms are experiencing crowding from a fearful public with a runny nose dashing for diagnosis.
I don’t know about you, but this year’s flu season is no different for me than any other. If I see someone who’s feverish, coughing, sneezing and with their nose running down her face, I don’t go snuggle with that stranger. I try to avoid crowds and contact with people that may be ill. I don’t care if it’s swine flu, Hong Kong flu, or a chimney flu; I’m not interested in picking up someone else’s crud.
One thing is certain; the more frightened the public becomes, the richer someone is going to get. That someone happens to be whatever pharmaceutical company or companies will be selling the vaccine. Pardon my cynicism, but shall we remember the year 1976?
In 1976, there was another flu panic. Coincidentally, it was over something called swine flu. The head of the Center for Disease Control, Dr. David Sencer, called on the government to undertake a mass vaccination program. After pouring nearly $140 million into the program it was suddenly halted. A few days into the program, reports surfaced that Guillain-Barre syndrome was appearing in some of those receiving the vaccine. This neurological condition had serious side effects and in some cases caused death. Over 500 people developed the condition and more than two dozen died from it. Millions of dollars in damages were ultimately paid by our government to the victims and their families.
The dreaded pandemic never developed and only about 200 cases of the flu were reported. One death resulted. There were fears fanned by the media that a global pandemic could kill 50 million people. The estimates proved to be only about 50 million high.
Every year, people die from the flu. That’s the reason we call it the “flu season”. This year will be no different. I’ve found that the most serious flu outbreaks occur if and when I get it. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened in years. Hopefully, my luck will continue.
In the meantime, the media needs to take a chill pill and get itself under control. The pharmaceutical companies and the makers of anti-bacterial wipes need to try and contain their glee. We need to use some common sense when interacting with others that are ill. I’m going to drink more wine; swine flu has never been transmitted through a good bottle of Sangiovese. And I’m going to try and repress my urge to go outside, snort and roll around in the mud.
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Filed under: Allen Sherpa, Health Care, The World Today | Tagged: CDC, epidemic, flu, media, pandemic, pharmaceuticals, swine flu | Leave a comment »