Thursday 11 June 2009

Swine Flu: Don't Panic

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION RAISES PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL TO ITS HIGHEST LEVEL, DECLARES SWINE FLU PANDEMIC.

And yes, there's no need to panic.

Facts:

The WHO reports 141 deaths globally from swine flu, with 106 of those (75%) in Mexico and 27 in the U.S. Seasonal influenza kills 35,000 to 50,000 Americans each year. It is now evident that the current strain of the H1N1 swine-flu virus is a "mild" version rather than a pathogenic killer like the 1918 Spanish flu. In fact, seasonal flu kills 500,000 people annually world-wide, a staggering death toll that occurs with hardly any of the public losing a moment's sleep over it.

The WHO's classification system designates a virus as a pandemic based on geography -- the number of countries in which it has been found, not the fatalities produced. The WHO announcing "pandemic" will be like shouting "fire!" in a crowded theater. "Pandemic!" could be the title of an apocalyptic disaster movie.

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