When is a Pandemic a Pandemic?
[I owe Chris an apology as this Post was prepared for publication on the 20th August and somehow got lost in the works. I believe it is still a relevant and important topic and has not lost any impact from this unintentional delay. Ed.]
The swine flu “pandemic” is to me a very interesting phenomenon. Sadly, it seems typical of the sort of combination of marketing hype and hysteria that is all too common.
I am principally interested in seeing beyond all the media lies and spin to know the TRUTH about what is going on. From what I have so far read the following seems to be true, but if anyone is able to correct me on some issues I would be most grateful.
- this flu epidemic is no worse or very little worse than the normal annual flu epidemics; on present evidence it is certainly not as bad as even the 1958 version, which I personally lived through quite successfully
- doctors are refusing to even see people who have the symptoms; this seems to have been accepted with a shrug of the shoulders by everyone but I find it unbelievable – when was the last time doctors refused to see someone who was ill?
- diagnosis is apparently being done over the phone by teenagers
- ergo all the above, if you have symptoms similar to flu but actually have another problem then you’re screwed; you’ll only get seen when you’re practically dying or dead
- Tamiflu is last year’s drug but is being freely distributed willy-nilly to all and sundry including over the internet even though some informed sources apparently say that for those under 12 its side-effects outweigh its benefits
- a new vaccine is going to be offered to the whole UK population at vast cost (£15/$25 a throw I think); its validation is being rushed through including for the very young even though we are not facing what I would call a serious epidemic
I have travelled extensively around Europe in recent weeks including a day walking about London. I did not see one single person anywhere in any country wearing a face mask or behaving in any way different to normal, or any pub, cafe or restaurant displaying signs to people not to sneeze or so on, yet apparently councils have been discussing with government the possibility of having to dig mass graves for swine flu victims. No doubt this makes them feel very important …..
I don’t know anyone who has or has had this flu nor who knows anyone who has had it, though I believe some may have had more direct experience of it.
To me it all smacks of the pernicious effects of hysteria combined with marketing. “SWINE” flu is a lot more frightening than “flu”. Is there in fact any proof that this thing even came from pigs?
What worries me about all this is how it will play out when we get something really serious. Your chances of seeing a doctor will be zero, to judge by what is happening now. Even the BBC are describing the current flu (which is an ANNUAL event) as “a pandemic”!!
What on earth would they have called the Plague of the 14th century then? In fact, only 21 out of every 100,000 people are reporting flu-like symptoms. Does this sound like a “pandemic”? And half of those are probably hypochondriacs, or have a cold or have been seduced by the media hysteria whipped up by drug-companies. The whole thing is rubbish. No doubt this thing is nasty enough if you get it, but justifying all this hysteria? Oh dear …..
Here is an extract from the BBC, usually pretty reliable:
Most NHS trusts have seen a fall in demand in the past seven days, although there are still 263 people in hospital in England with swine flu, 30 of whom are in critical care.
Meanwhile, the number of people going to see GPs with flu symptoms stands at 21 per 100,000 people. The figure is now lower than would be expected during a bad winter, and elsewhere in the UK the levels of illness being reported are even lower.
[I see that the 2009 Flu pandemic made it to Wikipedia. Ed]
By Chris Snuggs
Learning from Dogs 