Swine Flu in the USA...Are We Being Punked?

[E_Pluribus_Unitarian]

"On June 25th the CDC released information revealing that there were more than likely over 1 million (1,000,000) cases of the disease in the US, most of which had not been reported or diagnosed."

"Deaths relating to this new strain of influenza began appearing in the US in late April, and by early June 15 states had reported fatalities related to or directly occurring from the virus. These deaths totaled at 522 as of August 21th, 2009."

-- from Wiki,"2009 Swine Flu Outbreak in the US."

Folks, my math is not the best, but neither is it the worst...over a million cases and 522 deaths equals a death rate of...hmmm, let's see...far less than a tenth of one percent, right? And, in the Southern Hemisphere, where the flu season is already winding down, there has been a similarly manageable "outbreak"...even without vaccinations. OK, so what am I missing here? Is this the big, bad outbreak that some have been relentlessly pounding us with such dire warnings about? Seems to me that the risk of death from just going outside into the world every morning (driving to work, etc.) may be comparable to those numbers (over the course of a year), but I don't see anybody proposing that we all stay home.

Sure, this flu could mutate, but then we'd need new vaccines that likely wouldn't be available for months. Even the authorities will admit that they won't know the real extent of any "new form" of flu until it actually begins. I just think that we're being systematically punked on this. What do you think?

[lamp_shade]

1. I think that you think that you're being punked.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Probably. After sex, fear sells best.

[Slit Skirt]

3. we are being punked

Thom Hartman says there is some sort of "legislation" or maybe idea about forcing flu shots...ie breaking into houses under the condition of pandemic

[gratuitous]

4. Punked? No

Disinformed and misinformed? Almost certainly.

The best public health estimates are that H1N1 influenza will reach pandemic proportions. That is, it will infect a number of folks all over the country. However, the H1N1 flu is not terribly bad. The most susceptible people will be the young and the old and those with compromised immune systems. If you're between the ages of 10 and 60 and in relatively good health without respiratory problems, you'll probably be okay, even if you do catch the flu. The main danger of the flu will be its communicability, and its ease of transmission from person to person.

And, as you say, mutations and variants of the H1N1 virus will almost certainly be more virulent. Better to be prepared and practice our public health measures with H1N1, with the stakes a little lower, than be thrown into a public panic when one of its more deadly descendants comes along. Just because the authorities can't predict down to the last sniffle every eventuality is no reason not to put best practices into place.

[DeepBlueC]

10. hasn't it already reached pandemic proportions

according to the World Health Organization?

You are exactly right about best practices. These steps are about preventing the world health catastrophe that a pandemic could become.

Somme people were contemptuous of all the furor over Y2K because 'nothing catastrophic happened' but that was not because the possibility did not exist. It was because everyone on the street was made very much aware of the potential which in turn moved public and private enterprises to devote the energy, the expertise, and the resources to averting massive system failures. Every company had people working on Y2K solutions. That was a 'fear' campaign that worked.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Three points, mostly to correct the misinfo

1.- IT IS already a pandemic

2.- UNLIKE seasonal flu this sucker kills people in their prime... average age 37... ironically my dad is safer from this sucker than I am.

3.- As you said it has not mutated and for that we are all thankful.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

5. Big Pharma

is laughing all the way to the bank on this one, just as they do every year when flu season comes around.

Like the Prez said, wash your hands, people, and stay home if you feel crappy.

[walldude]

6. My youngest got the sniffles and they sent him home from school not to return

till he had a note from the doctor saying he didn't have Swine Flu. Too bad I don't have health insurance it might not have cost me $125 bucks to get him back in school. It's not punked we're getting. It's ripped off.

[madrchsod]

7. argentina was the hardiest hit country in the southern hemisphere

they had 500 and change deaths. the virus did`t mutate and there`s been no reports that the virus has mutated during the latest outbreak in the usa.

it`s going to be interesting when the "flu season" really starts in the usa.

[stray cat]

8. You are being punked - no infectious diseases exist - its all imaginary....

you and everyone you know has really never been sick a day in your life - you just think you felt bad.

[gadget]

9. The pharmaceutacal companies have given us a whole list of vocabulary

punked, screwed, fucked over, shoved, forced, deprived, lied to, scammed, killed, ignored, enslaved, robbed.

[tnlefty]

11. I have a son who began running a fever on Friday and felt bad

enough to go to bed shortly after he was home from school.

I read the info. at the CDC's website, but when his fever hit 103.8 (even with young'uns who have a history of spiking high fevers - 105 when they were younger) my spouse called a friend who is an ER nurse. She stated that in our area seasonal flu hadn't been seen yet so that it was most likely H1N1, and that unless he had complicating factors there was no reason for him to be seen. The warning signs she mentioned were the same ones mentioned on the CDC's site - complaints of stomach or chest pain, or a feeling of heaviness in the chest or labored breathing. She also mentioned that because it is highly contagious, we would all have it whether it was a mild, moderate or severe case.

I gave him ibuprofen, along with cold cloths in strategic areas, put him in the tub, and he's been fever free for 24 hrs. and will return to school tomorrow. Yes, some of the rest of the family have coughs, sore throats, but no one is running around with their hair on fire as yet. I can perfectly well understand that it would be awful for everyone in a family to have a severe case at roughly the same time as no one would be able to care for anyone.

Just my $.02.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. Tamiflu has proven quite effective against the Swine Flu.

So far the H1N1 virus hasn't been much more lethal than the seasonal flu. Of course the widespread use of antiviral drugs against it could hasten it's mutation.

[spanone]

13. not me.

[ThoughtCriminal]

14. Shhh - We're ALL Faking it! Don't tell Mom...

or she'll make us go to school!

522 deaths out of a million may seem like a low mortality compared to say - Ebola, but when you are looking at the possibility of tens of millions of cases, that starts adding up to thousands of deaths in the U.S. alone.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. science is not the strong suit of Americans I now have come to

realize.


No, we are not being punked and yes this is a pendemic at LVL 6

Personally I agree with Dr. Cho (WHO) who said that we are lucky it is such a mild virus, as it can test systems.

Now go on and believe whatever you want.

:banghead:

No other thing to do anymore

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