Fear! Panic! Overreaction!
May 5th, 2009
I just wanted to jump on the proverbial bandwagon to point out how silly it is the extent to which the media is playing up this whole Swine H1N1 Flu virus. Media headlines blared that we were in the midst of a full on outbreak. The World Health Organization added fuel to the fire with their rating of 5 (pandemic imminent).
H1N1 Flu Facts: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
- Confirmed cases of H1N1 Flu in the U.S.: 403 (as of 11:00 am ET, May 5, 2009)
- Deaths related to H1N1 Flu in the U.S.: 1 (as of 11:00 am ET, May 5, 2009)
Common Flu Facts: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm
- Approximate cases of Flu in the U.S. each year: 5-20% of the population (15,000,000-60,000,000)
- Approximate Flu-related hospitalizations in the U.S. each year: 200,000
- Approximate Flu-related deaths in the U.S. each year: 36,000
That’s right, there are 98 times as many common flu deaths each year than there are H1N1 flu infections now.
I think it’s time the media stop making a big deal over this, because it’s not.
And neither was Avian Flu, West Nile Virus, SARS, or Mad Cow Disease.
Relax!
