I’d like to hear back from everyone on the site what they think of the Swine Flu. So far in Idaho (at this writing), despite a number of tested cases, all have come up negative. I know, it’s still early, and I don’t doubt that we’ll eventually have a case here. Even when we get one, I’m not sure i’ll be too alarmed.
I’ve been a little puzzled by the level of coverage given to this outbreak. I interviewed the local health department’s flu pandemic coordinator yesterday and she said that the symptoms of Swine Flu are similar to the regular influenza most of us get from time to time. The same flu, by the way, that kills literally tens of thousands of people each year but doesn’t get the same media coverage.
Anyway — it’s my opinion that this Swine Flu scare has been overblown some, and even if it reaches “pandemic” levels it will likely be no more deadly than garden-variety influenza. Not that that’s good, but certainly not worthy of the alarm we’ve seen thus far.
Just wondering what y’all thought about it.
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I think this issue have been completely overblown. Like you said, thousands of people die each year from regular influenza and there’s next to no media coverage about that. But let a new strain come along and suddenly the sky is falling. Those ridiculous masks that people are wearing all over the world only make you look like an idiot. They don’t and can’t stop the virus from entering your system but their still flying off the shelves like its the end of the world.
This is typical fear mongering the media is so famous for and as always the majority of the population is falling for it because they believe whatever their told.
I also have a problem with Obama throwing 1.5 billion dollars at this problem. But that’s his MO. Whenever there’s a problem he figures if we throw money at it, the problem will go away. Not to turn this into a political issue, but I’d like to know how many trillions of dollars our deficeit has risen over the past 100 days.
The fact is the pig flu will fade away the same way the bird flu did. But not until the makers of tamiflu and respiratory masks have made their millions. Along with the ratings spike the media is hoping for by running this story nonstop.
It won’t be more deadly than the “garden-variety influenza?” That’s doubtful. Typical flu seasons don’t cause pandemics, nor do they have the U.S.A. Vice-President tell folks to stay off planes and subways.
Typical influenza has a vaccine that millions of people receive each year. The thousands the disease does kill typically have not developed adequate immunities, or have a diseased immune system preventing them from properly fighting the flu. So, it kills thousands each year.
The swine flu, to date, has no vaccine and anti-viral medications to fight infection remain limited. Meanwhile the infection continues to spread and threatens to infect millions and possibly kill tens of thousands or more.
While the regular flu seemed to kill mostly the very young and very old (due to under developed or compromised immune systems), at least in Mexico the disease appears to be killing otherwise healthy adults in their twenties, thirties and early forties.
If you were smart, you’d be very afraid.
See what I mean? See the fear it’s already instilled in people? Joe Biden, really? LMAO at that one. Oh well, you go ahead and be afraid. Our family will be just fine.
Ever hear of the flu pandemic of 1918? It killed more people than World War I, at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It was the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351.
So bury your head in the sand if you must, but the threat is real.
The problem — if you want to call it that — with the media hype is that they’re in a damned if they do, damned if they don’t situation. If they treat the subject lightly and it goes on to be something serious, we’ll go all Jon Stewart on them. Conversely, if they treat it in an overblown fashion and nothing comes of it, then they look like fear-spewing obnoxious-monkeys.
This helpful article from CNN.com puts past pandemics in perspective, citing a CDC expert who has studied past flu pandemics. They’ve followed a pattern that, luckily for us, past panics over bird flu have not followed. The article is here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30/swine.flu.1918.lessons/index.html
While I’m not ready to panic, I’m neither ready to stick my head in the sand. We can all take precautions without running around in a tight little circle saying “fire fire fire fire fire fire fire.” It’s best to look past the hype and get down to: What Can I do to remain helthy, and to keep my family healthy? Getting those answers doesn’t require listening to lots and lots and lots of bad TV.
Thank you for the link bloop, you made some good points. I don’t think we can compare this or any other episode to the one that happened in 1918 considering the medical advances in vaccines and in technology since that time. But I guess anything is possible.
I found this link interesting http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
White House apologizes for Bidens remarks.
Something to keep an eye on…. but no panic here. No use in panicing unless it moves you to action. Unfortuneatly there is no action to be had in this instance.
I don’t think its “nothing” and it could be “something” only time will tell.
http://www.localnews8.com/
LOCAL NEWS 8 ALERT
Idaho Reports First Probable Swine Flu Case
State public health officials say Idaho’s first probable case of swine flu has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation.
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Just a couple hundred miles away in Park, Utah all the public schools were closed as 8 children were diagnosed with swine flu. Soon, the virus will have reached pandemic proportions.
You all continue and be brave, foot loose and fancy free. Sincerely, I hope you and your families remain well. Be smart enough to wash your hands – OFTEN.
The same panic in the media happened with the bird flu and we all saw how that ended. There are a thousand and one things that can kill you at any given moment. If people spend their lives in fear and locked away in their homes like many of you already do, then you’re not really living, you’re just taking up space. None of us know when our time on this earth will be up and once people begin to accept that only then can they begin to live their lives to the fullest and do so without living in constant fear.
Let them lock themselves in their houses. Who cares? If someone is dumb enough to believe what the media and/or government is telling them then we don’t want them out spreading their stupid on the streets anyway.
I am not singling anyone out or trying to offend anyone. I just think that everyone needs to learn to think for themselves. It enrages me to hear about people that just take what is said and run with it.
There is always more to the story.
The world health organization said that a pandemic is not immenent in regards to the swine flu.
“If someone is dumb enough to believe what the media and/or government is telling them then we don’t want them out spreading their stupid on the streets anyway.”
What, exactly, are the media and government telling the public? They are telling us to be and stay informed, as well as to practice precautions. That’s not so much to ask of a reasonable, intelligent adult.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has developed a Website at http://www.swineflu.idaho.gov that will contain information about reports of influenza illnesses. The Website will be updated at 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with lab results.
For people who may be traveling to affected areas, travel information and recommendations are available from the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/travel.
By the way, today the CDC confirmed that the woman in Kootenai County, ID does have the swine flu.
Wendyjo-Are you telling me that you have never seen a story on the news and thought that it might be a little slanted or one sided? Do you believe everything that the media outlets report on? Are they really presenting ALL of the facts accurately and fairly? I don’t know of one media outlet that does this.
Sometime during the past 25 years the broadcast and prinr news has become part of the entertainment industry. Very bad for the trustful person. If newpapers are not sold and if news shows are not watched, people will lose advertising money that pays the people and the overhead to bring us the “news”. The fact is…Sensation Sells news! Which article will catch the eye or the ear first? “Woman sick from flu” or “Local woman seriously ill from suspected Pandemic flu bug”? and we must all look at many, many sources and sort through the facts to get to the truth and logic.
Thank you heididahl. At least there’s one other person out there that understands what I am saying.
I once heard a journalist say “Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story!”-Seriously.
You don’t even want to know how much I agree on the media thing…
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/758754.html
Doesn’t really matter how much the media sensationalizes a story. Flu kills people, every year. The H1N1/Swine flu is killing people, too.
Idaho’s second Swine flu victim has been identified in Ada County, and is a baby less than a year old. Unlike the first victim, the baby has not left the area and was not exposed to anyone who had the flu. It’s not known how the baby contracted the flu.
Unfortunately the baby did attend a daycare and so other children have been exposed. Samples from the baby have been sent off to the national test center for confirmation.
Are you suggesting that we live our lives in fear of the flu? I don’t understand.
“Unfortunately the baby did attend a daycare and so other children have been exposed.”
What does that mean? “Unfortunately”-The only unfortunate thing there is that other children may have been exposed. If the flu kills so many every year, why would we worry about exposing other people to this flu that hasn’t even killed that many people?
It’s also been noted that this strain of flu isn’t as strong as once believed. Meaning most people that have gotten sick in the US, are getting better. Like every other strain their will be casualties. Unfortunate, but a fact of life and nothing to get hysterical over.
It would be interesting to see stats on what people have died from during the time that this particular threat has been in the forefront.
I’m sure that more people have died from a myriad of other things and we will never hear about it.
Really, what’s the difference between a baby who’s at daycare 1 day a week, and POSSIBLY exposed others, versus me taking my kids to McDonald’s one daty and week and POSSIBLY, unknowingly exposing others? Nothing. Daycares really get a bad rep from events like this, but I hope this is teaching all of them to be vigilant about handwashing, lysol and germ control.
The parents of the exposed baby say he/she wasn’t exposed to anyone with the flu. By putting our kids in contact with anyone, even at Albertsons or the post office, exposes them everyday to something. As nice as it would be, sick people don’t stay home!
I was thinking the same thing the other day Alice. Let’s hope the news reports are true that it seems to be dying down a little and not the full blown pandemic expected.
Thank you reader….You get it.
The upside of potential disease outbreaks is that they always give us a great excuse to attack the media, and it gives the media an excuse to attack others in the media!
Unless it happens to turn out to be a full blown epidemic, it’s going to be IMPOSSIBLE to get the amount of coverage exactly right. Either the coverage is going to be too much or too little. Even if “exactly right” exists, how is that measured?
So this is great fodder from the peanut gallery. This way they can just point the finger and claim that others are more scared than they are. For a moment, they can feel brave.
I do like to bash the media too, so I’m part of this! Just recognize it for what it is.
Bashing the media? More like government agencies controlling the media. That’s the point. “Freedom of Press” can’t exist if the press has to answer to the government…. See Dan Rather.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/761993.html
Another Idahoan likely has swine flu, authorities say.
This patient is in his 30’s and is from Madison County.
I’d be interested in knowing who intends to get the H1N1 vaccine when it comes out. Also, do you think pharmecutical companies have rushed to get this vaccine to the public before tests have come back regarding it’s safety or effectiveness?