I am becoming more and more convinced this 'pandemic' is nothing more than a MEDIA virus. Our global news culture has more ability to spread a viral thought than our global community has to spread a (more and more apparently) weak strain of influenza.
Yesterday the World Health Organization was stating 130 confirmed deaths in Mexico; today that number dropped to 15 confirmed caused by H1N1. Our 'regular' yearly influenza is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. Per year. Normally we don't call it a 'pandemic' unless it's responsible for millions of deaths.
Oh, and they also announced the facemasks everybody's been wearing (and governments have been giving out free) are too open to stop the virus. Reminds me of the dudes in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" gassing the pets to spread the fear. Looks great in a picture; has nothing to do with reality.
Let's just go back to normal and find some real news, please?
Will a Robot Take Your God?
2 months ago
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4 comments:
Awesome post. Spot on! :)
To be fair, I understand the concern of health officials.
This strain apparently includes code from swine-, bird-, and human- forms of influenza. The fear is that this (non-seasonal) strain will therefor be much more transmissible, and by extention, more likely to mutate into something deadly.
However, all evidence so far indicates this is a much less deadly version than feared, and possibly even less transmissible than the 'regular' yearly influenza.
It really is a case of a little scientific knowledge going a very long way in our 24-hour global media.
Oh definitely...better to be safe due to the mix, but it would be nice if it were conveyed in that particular way by the media.
Instead what we have is people on the brink of hysteria. My local Bartell's has signs taped to the registers that read something like: "Due to inventory issues we will be allowing a limited number of hand sanitizers and masks per customer."
Apparently, not only are people buying the stuff in fear, but buying it in bulk. Now that's just silly.
There are anti-viral meds available in the US that are effective, and I don't even think anyone has died here other than a toddler who had been in Mexico.
Oh that Bartell's sign is fantastic! Especially since the CDC and WHO have specifically said the masks won't stop the virus.
It's becoming much more interesting to follow this viral fear than following the actual spread of the mild (though admittedly deadly) infection.
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