Today's news comes from an AP article that was pointed out to me... the World Center For Disease Control has declared 'swine flu' a 'pandemic'. I have a couple of thoughts on this subject...
First, what IS it with naming all these quasi-horrible diseases after animals? Bird flu, swine flu, West Nile virus (named after the carrier, the West Nile mosquito), whooping cough (after the whooping crane), I mean seriously, what's next? The lemur flu? The Emerald Beetle virus? Let's get serious folks, if it's really all that important, calling it by some cutesy name isn't going to change anything. If anything, it's going to make the CDC look like it's being run by some mentally challenged pre-teens.
Which brings me to my next point. The H2N 'swine flu' is NOT a serious threat. 36,000 people die every year of the 'regular'flu (influenza virus), so why is it such a big honking deal if 400 people die of this 'rare and malignant form of the flu'? Don't get me wrong, it's always sad when someone succumbs to an illness that could have been prevented, but the raw numbers just don't justify the media hype. Is the CDC budget hurting so badly that they'll make up a new disease every week, just to stay in the news?
Speaking of news and language... what exactly is a 'pandemic'? 'Pan' Greek for multiple (more than a few, less than a multitude) 'dem' meaning illness, disease, or affliction. Sounds like another quasi-intellectual buzzword from where I'm sitting. When did this word (which is simply three Greek roots stuffed together) come into use, and why are we using it to label everything from fevers to the fact that we as a nation are fat? This 'pandemic' word doesn't scare me, no matter how often some knucklehead newswriter uses it. Tell me that there's a fat 'pandemic', or a flu 'pandemic', or a pandemic 'pandemic', I'm somehow just not scared.
So, my tip of the day to avoid THE SWINE FLU PANDEMIC is simple. Take care of yourself, keep warm during cold hours, and cool during warm hours. Drink plenty of water. If you can't keep down solids or liquids for 12 hours, go see a doctor or hospital. Swine flu, like most influenza strains, is most harmful to children under 2, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
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