Pandemic. Nightmare. Beware. The hype surrounding the swine flu keeps getting worse and has probably surpassed any story relating to Pamela Anderson. Having flown through a number of airports over the last week, I wasn’t harassed by TSA [1] but I couldn’t avoid the news screens constantly berating us with the latest outbreak statistics and medical experts diagnosing the virus. Not only did I see dozens of travelers with gloves and facemasks, now at work I have to deal with co-workers taking multiple days off because their children’s schools are closed [2].
The numbers simply do not add up. So far, the Swine Flu, has been responsible for exactly one death in the United States [3] who happened to be a Mexican child visiting the U.S. According to the CDC, 36,000 deaths are attributable to influenza each year [4]. So on average, roughly 100 Americans die everyday because of the flu, yet all this media attention and government incurred costs is being diverted to a strain that is far less harmful? Is this the same government we want handling our healthcare?