Question: Is the overall focus on H1N1 (swine flu) overblown?
Yes.
votes: 90
78%
No.
votes: 15
13%
I'm not sure.
votes: 10
9%
Yes. Comments:
Yes. If you need anymore reminding of just how lousy and pathetic health care will be with more government control, look no further than the situation involving the flu shots.
The news media has to earn it's keep somehow doesn't it? Especially now that Britney seems to be behaving herself, it's not like there isn't actual real important news out there that needs coverage is there?
This flu is very contagious, it is severe and it will put you down for a week. It may require post treatment for bacterial lung infection. Get plenty of rest and don't spread it. With the milder forms of flu people show up for work the next morning. This is bad for the sick and worse for those that are not sick. Yet!
It may be worse than the average flu, but it is not the black plague.
H1N1: Full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
The seasonal flu usually causes about 500 deaths in Indiana per year. The H1N1 has only caused 19 so far. You do the math. Other than being more contagious, the symptoms are milder. Most people probably had it and didn't know it. Once you get it, you shouldn't get it again. Did I hear someone cry "wolf"?
four in my household have had H1N1 - it was a mild flu compared to the seasonal flu. seems like the reporting is more to sell newspapers than it is to report facts.
Respect any new virus that arrives...but this is certainly NOT the main news and all it has created is a panic. How about not blowing off the seasonal flu shot....that is more lethal than this one. Certainly has taken the focus off other more relevant issues.
n/a
They are scaring people more than helping them.
More Over-blown Government bullshit.
Flu happens every year all year long, there not even testing for H1N1 any longer and they do not give you any drugs to fight it if you go in after the first couple of days of being sick. This country is so screwed up you cannot believe anything you read our hear anylonger. News is no longer news its slanted and trumped up to fit someones agendy. We as a Nation are in trouble.
The panic over H1N1 has taken resources away from seasonal flu, making those vaccines nearly impossible to find. Both diseases are equally dangerous. Neglecting one in favor of the other makes no sense.
Too many things are not lining up
Per the info at Wikipedia.com..."Typically, in a year's normal two flu seasons (one per hemisphere), there are between three and five million cases of severe illness and up to 500,000 deaths worldwide, which by some definitions is a yearly influenza epidemic. Although the incidence of influenza can vary widely between years, approximately 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations are directly associated with influenza every year in the United States."
If there are 500,000 deaths worldwide from the common seasonal flu that averages out at 41,667 per month. You'd think that'd cause a huge panic but everyone just yawns. A quick Google search revealed that as of mid-Oct there were 4,735 deaths worldwide since the H1N1 virus was uncovered in April. That averages out to about 676 to 789 deaths per month depending on if it was found in early or late April. The number of deaths from the common flu between April and mid-Oct is estimated to be around 250,000 to 291,000. Now those comparisons are rough numbers and certainly aren't direct comparisons, but they help to put those versions of flu into perspective. It's a shame Big Media, the CDC, the WHO, the White House, the United Nations, etc. don't do that though. Crying "The Sky is Falling" is good for Big Media's business, news ratings, advertising revenues, and also helps large organizations and governments grab more power.
no comment
Yes, they want to call all the "swine flu." No True count has been made. I'm sure the Health Care Bill will kill more, if it passes.
No. Comments:
For some reason people are now getting defensive about being vaccinated against H1N1, so the media is trying to get the message out that vaccination is important and safe (and not some government plot to make you a socialist, or whatever). They're also stressing how dangerous the virus has been for children and other vulnerable groups. I feel the coverage is warranted, in light of the backlash. By and large it is sensible advice and information, unlike the early reports this year.
there is a momemtium to information flow.... most people are deft to emergency information... that is till there see it outside their window... sooooo.. no... the information has not been excessive... prevention is still the best course of action....
I think allot of people are not taking this seriously. They think that their children will :work thru it". They are not listening to the Hospital rules. It is a very scarey thing, and the fever can hit you quick and take a huge toll on children.
The issue of healthy living - cleanliness - should always be emphasized. The need for the vaccine has been overemphasized.
I'm not sure. Comments:
I hope it is
Isn't it amazing how the MSM and liberals react to vaccine shortages depending on who is in office. When it was Bush he was demonized for incompetence. Now with H1N1 shortage ( an administration SNAFU) not a bit of blame for Obama. This double standard is hypocrisy at its worst. But what more could one expect from liberals and the liberal run MSM. Who elected these people? What fools these voters be.
I am not sure. I talked with two doctors and they admit knowing very little about it and how to treat it if you get it. I had it and it was akin to the regular flu. Some get it and die. Once again the media uses it as an attention getter for selling commercial time.
78% 
13% 