Is it just me or is the media going overboard with the Swine Flu scare?

I agree but it diverts attention away from the economy...

It has the potential to kill many more (like millions - 1918 killed somewhere in the 20 to 100 million) if it truly is a pandemic. Keep in mind that these are not traditional "flu victims" either (older, younger, sicker) but healthy young adults.

Not to say that this is a pandemic, but if it were it would be pretty scarey.

Since we travel more than people did in the early 20th century it can spread more rapidly. We don't know if our current anti-viral medications will work, or if we have the supply in the worst case senario.

It is not yet a "worst case" - but definately worth monitoring and keeping people informed about risks (and also not risks - e.g., can't get it from eating pork).

azrunning wrote:

We don't know if our current anti-viral medications will work, or if we have the supply in the worst case senario.

most things in your post are correct (from my knowledge) but you are incorrect about the antivirals. Tamiflu and Relenza have both been shown to be effective against the current straing of swine flu going around. But, as you said, if it goes pandemic, do we have enough? Who knows.

ah ... thanks for point out the antivirals, I hadn't seen that information yet about whether or not it worked with this strain.

I hate to say it, but at the rate our population is growing it is only a matter of time before something hits.

It's an epidemic and deserves the attention it's getting. True more people are going to die in one day, but you're vastly underestimating the rate this can travel from person to person.

Well, other than the fact that the media goes overboard on everything, it's you.

PsyOps, plain and simple.

"Hey Greg, look at my thumb"

"Gee you're dumb"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_operations

Yes, the media is going overboard. That's what they have been doing more and more of over the years. They love the sensationalism of it all. Turn off your TV. Get the facts and be smart about what is likely to kill you and what won't.

This is just like the bird flu from a few years ago. Lots of talk and worry but in the end the chances of it hitting home are so slim.

Just avoid doing any runs by farms and you'll be fine.

With over 150 dead in Mexico I'd say this warrants a little attention.

MarathonMind wrote:

With over 150 dead in Mexico I'd say this warrants a little attention.

Why, the flu kills 36,000 each year in America alone? This is media sensationalism at its worse.

The media NEVER goes overboard!?!!!!??!!!

:)

Remember the "Summer of the Shark" a few years ago? Media went crazy....total # of shark deaths world wide were actually lower than average.

Remember the "Bird Flu" aka avian flu? The new strands of the flu always have the potential to do catastrophic damage. The difference between today and 1918 is that we are technologically way more advanced and can deal with outbreaks much better.

I'd worry about the more common flu viruses that are becoming immune to the current vaccines. That will be the real killer down the road in another 50 years or so.

Alan

Nomind wrote:

MarathonMind wrote:

With over 150 dead in Mexico I'd say this warrants a little attention.

Why, the flu kills 36,000 each year in America alone? This is media sensationalism at its worse.

I'd say you lack perspective. The majority of those are old/babies. Swine flu is killing able bodied people, that's why it's an issue.

ghost of track past wrote:

I'd say you lack perspective. The majority of those are old/babies. Swine flu is killing able bodied people, that's why it's an issue.

I'd say that you're the one lacking perspective.

how many of these able bodied people are neglecting to get a flu shot?

i was...hence my 4 week couch stay in january.

I'm starting to feel like crap....allergies, or swine flu?

Runningart2004 wrote:

The media NEVER goes overboard!?!!!!??!!!

Remember the "Bird Flu" aka avian flu? The new strands of the flu always have the potential to do catastrophic damage. The difference between today and 1918 is that we are technologically way more advanced and can deal with outbreaks much better.

I'd worry about the more common flu viruses that are becoming immune to the current vaccines. That will be the real killer down the road in another 50 years or so.

Alan

This post shows you really have no idea what you're talking about. A few points for your enlightenment:

1. Avian flu (H5N1) is very much still with us. The worry is that it will eventually mutate to a strain that can be passed from human-human. CDC and WHO have folks embedded around the world with local health authorities to identify at the earliest moment when this happens, so there is some hope it is contained.

2. It is true we are far more technically advanced in many ways than 1918, but we really are still very limited in what we could do to prevent mass death from a flu strain as lethal as the 1918 strain. For starters, while we finally reconstructed the DNA from the 1918 strain (in the 1990s we finally were able to do this), we still have no idea why it was so lethal as compared to pandemics in 1957, 1968, and 1976. There are a couple theories, but they are still theories. Secondly, if you haven't traveled in the lesser developed world lately, one fifth of the world's population lives in poverty (over a billion people) and they have no real access to health care. A good portion of the world has no better chance against a 1918 type strain than people in 1918 did. If you really want to learn about this, read Gina Colata's book 'Flu'.

3. Flu vaccines are created each year against what the CDC believes will be the prevailing strain that year. Flu viruses do not become immune to vaccines the way bacteria become immune to antibiotics.