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News & ArtsThursday, April 30, 2009
News In Other Swine Flu News
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 10:34 AM
A Spokane man suspected of having swine flu has vanished:
The officials have been unable to interview the man, who hasn’t returned their phone calls. They don’t know if he is married or has children in local schools.
But hey, if this guy goes around licking doorknobs, no biggie since it turns out that the cure for swine flu could actually be worse than the disease.
Following an outbreak in 1976:
More than 500 people are thought to have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome after receiving the [swine flu] vaccine; 25 died. No one completely understands the causes of Guillain-Barre, but the condition can develop after a bout with infection or following surgery or vaccination. The federal government paid millions in damages to people or their families.However, the pandemic, which some experts estimated at the time could infect 50 million to 60 million Americans, never unfolded. Only about 200 cases of swine flu and one death were ultimately reported in the U.S., the CDC said.
Finally, if you want to freak yourself out a little bit, you can follow a great Twitter feed tracking cases of swine flu worldwide right here.
1
Here's a thought: Maybe the pandemic in 76 never occurred BECAUSE we vaccinated 40 million people.
2
Interesting that on the Twitter feed, most of the cases reported are "suspected" -- few seem to be confirmed.
5
Who on earth is proposing that vaccinations are "the cure" for swine flu, either to slow its spread or reduce its effects on those afflicted? I ain't read that nowhere nohow.
With the reading public kinda behind the curve on facts right now, it would be kind to slow down a bit and be as cautious as you can manage selecting nouns and verbs and stuff for these flu posts. It's wonderful to be funny and accurate at the same time right now, and Slog's a great place to make that happen.
With the reading public kinda behind the curve on facts right now, it would be kind to slow down a bit and be as cautious as you can manage selecting nouns and verbs and stuff for these flu posts. It's wonderful to be funny and accurate at the same time right now, and Slog's a great place to make that happen.
7
Those cases of Guillaume-Barre in '76 and the adherent brouhaha were never proved to be actually connected to the vaccine. Settlements were made in cases that went to court but juries aren't medical investigators. Once it got into the press that individuals had won settlements people were coming out of the wood-work with claims of vaccine related problems. The panic was a great blow to the public health system in this country and later provided Reagan with ammunition to slash federal funding to the CDC and both federal and state public health entities.
9
One thing we don't know yet is what the mortality rate from this swine flu is; so far, the cases in the U.S. indicate a very, very low mortality rate--perhaps comparable to any other everyday flu strain. (Which isn't to say flu isn't serious: about 35,000 people die in the U.S. every year from flu. But this isn't a Hollywood blockbuster.)
Although Mexico has had over a hundred fatalities, we don't know what percentage of the total people infected that represents.
I point this out just because people are acting like everyone will be keeling over dying in a minute, and it's just not the case. Also, the GB syndrome thing happened in the 1970s and is not well understood; today, vaccines and vaccination and medical technology have advanced *considerably* in the past 30 years (just think back to your old Atari 400 and compare to your iPhone for an analogous change). With modern flu vaccines, GB syndrome is exceedingly rare, and it occurs quite independent from vaccines (it was identified and named in the mid-19th century, some 100 years before vaccines even existed).
The hysteria about all these things is not helpful.
Although Mexico has had over a hundred fatalities, we don't know what percentage of the total people infected that represents.
I point this out just because people are acting like everyone will be keeling over dying in a minute, and it's just not the case. Also, the GB syndrome thing happened in the 1970s and is not well understood; today, vaccines and vaccination and medical technology have advanced *considerably* in the past 30 years (just think back to your old Atari 400 and compare to your iPhone for an analogous change). With modern flu vaccines, GB syndrome is exceedingly rare, and it occurs quite independent from vaccines (it was identified and named in the mid-19th century, some 100 years before vaccines even existed).
The hysteria about all these things is not helpful.
11
@9, It's not about fatalities per se, but if a large portion of our workforce is konked out at home in bed for a week, who's gonna keep everything running?
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