Deadly Swine Flu Outbreak

[tw]

Originally Posted by Jill

I think this is much ado about little. Sure, it's a new strain. Sure, it's (possibly*) taken the lives of 80-some people in Mexico. But the flu was the cause of death in 36,000 people in the U.S. last year.

Apparently you are reading too much fear into it. A disease that can cause a pandemic has been detected. You and everyone around you should know that - nothing more. Nobody is hyping it into fear. It is simply reported as a fact so that, should it personally affect you, you can at least recongnize it or be informed enought to act responsibily.

Would you instead prefer we all stayed ignorant and uninformed? That is, after all, what so many tried to do in 1985 with AIDs. To instead blame it all on Haitians, then on gays, then on evil people having sex. Insisting that we should not discuss it because it cannot affect us. Because it is god taking revenge on evil ones.

Nobody is even suggesting the world is threatened. Just that the disease has appeared AND that public health officials want you to know something new and potentially dangerous has arrived. Be informed; not fearful.

Meanwhile, what makes it more interesting: the viruse usually only appears among people in contact with pigs. These outbreaks occured where no pigs exist. A curious science story.