Some new data

[simonthecat]

Actually, it's old data.

In the U.S., an estimated 25-50 million cases of the flu are currently reported each year - leading to 150,000 hospitalizations and 30,000-40,000 deaths yearly. If these figures were to be estimated incorporating the rest of the world, there would be an average of approximately 1 billion cases of flu, around 3-5 million

Comments

[tekroo]

"Swine Flu" is just another excuse to grab more money and power. Didn't really work too well though!

You know I have a hard time getting disposable respirators (dust masks) for our guys on account of this, yet another, exploited "crisis"? All those respirators in stock with our usual suppliers are tagged "medical use only". Great! Our guys get Silicosis somewhere down the line while "preventing" a non-crisis they have little effect on anyway! Never seen a doctor wear a dust mask -- nope!

Fortunately, we have friends in high places and have been able to get the bare minimum of what we need for this project. We seriously need to stock up if there is a lull, otherwise by the time the actual "flu season" rolls around there will be an even bigger rush spurred by another non-crisis.

[simonthecat]

That's criminal! You should get it in writing from someone why you can't get the dust masks, and distribute a copy of the letter to all your employees with instructions "This is who you have to sue if you get silicosis". Then tell the idiots who won't let you have the dust masks that they can expect a whole raft of law suits in a few years.

You could even try telling the local press and see what happens. Local news media love stories like that!

[bronchitikat]

Noticed that the 'First Victim' also 'had an underlying condition' & was pregnant/recently gave birth. If that isn't an indication of an illness compounding several other conditions I don't know what is.

I'm amused somewhat by the BBC coverage of the 'Pandemic'. At first it was all, sort of, "Aaarrggh! Deadly Flu Bug from Mexico on Way!" Even for the BBC it was a little panicked.

Now they're trying to calm things - '"Pandemic" means that four or more countries worldwide have cases' - while still trying to report News (in a not too sensationalist way). Heck, on those grounds there are Pandemics of Typhoid, Cholera, TB, Malaria . . . & have been, largely ignored, for decades!

Seems as if they're trying to still be the BBC while being modern News reporters & 'journalists'.

Otherwise, as you say, the Swine Flu variant currently seems to be not necessarily worth all the fuss.
Hmmm, hope this time next year that's still the case.

[simonthecat]

According to Dictionary.com a pandemic is an "Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population". I can't get into "Ask Oxford" (my favourite On-Line Dictionary site), but all the on-line medical dictionaries come back with the same definition.

So, the decision of when an epidemic becomes a pandemic is purely arbitrary and is therefore most likely decided by the news media!

There are official but largely unreported pandemics of AIDS/HIV, chlamydiae, gonorrhoea. (In fact about the only STD you don't hear about is syphilis. I wonder if it's been eradicated?)

And lets not forget the common cold which is, always has been and always will be, a pandemic, although it is very rare for a cold to kill someone nowadays.

Unfortunately, as much as I am in favour of free speech and the rights of the people to know, I think that reporting like this presents a very good argument for state censorship! I bet the Chinese, Iranians, North Koreans, Burmese etc aren't panicking about swine flue!

[bronchitikat]

Very little "News" these days is good news.

As for the other (real) pandemics - they have been around for a long time now, & are therefore not new, nor are they, largely, in this country (another major 'News' point).

& there is only so much reporting to be gotten from STDs without having to point out the involvement of behaviour, etc. Still, it makes a change from the Economy or MPs Expenses!