The ‘Swine Flu’ Threat Overstated?
For a few days now I have been reading about the swine flu may present a global pandemic. Government officials have advised against travel, Schools have been closed in the US, worldwide trade bans have been put into place and some countries have begun culling entire herds of pigs. People are appearing in public and on television wearing surgical masks.
Take a deep breath.
The man who helped dispel the myth of the heterosexual AIDS epidemic tells us that the ‘Swine Flu Epidemic of 2009′ appears to be the next great doomsday folly.
“As the outbreak develops, keep in mind that seasonal flu, according to the CDC, infects between 28 and 56 million Americans each year, hospitalizes over 100,000, and kills about 36,000…At this point there’s no evidence swine flu is easier to transmit than seasonal flu or that it’s more lethal. There have been no deaths yet outside of Mexico. All infectious diseases strike much harder in underdeveloped countries because the people are less healthy to begin with.
“Swine flu” simply means it has pig RNA mixed in. There’s nothing inherent to it that would make it worse than seasonal flu. We’ve had a previous outbreak of swine flu; it killed one person.”
Now I am no doctor but it appears these tales of the doom of mankind have been greatly exaggerated.
If you are worried about the ‘Swine Flu’ then go see your doctor. Chances are he/she will tell you to follow the same preventative steps as the plain-old seasonal flu:
Now if you’ll excuse me, I am off to eat some carnitas tacos!
Don’t Panic
