Mexico Flu Epidemic a Bunch of Media Bunk

Facts are that if there's a flu pandemic it's in the United States, not Mexico. Some 36,000 Americans died of influenza-induced illness in the last few years or 99 per day which happens to be four times' the current death rate in Mexico.

And the reason is probably due to the lousy U.S. health "care" system which doesn't look after tens of millions of people.

As CNN's hokey Sanjay Gupta (who has the health care thing totally wrong) roams around Mexico City looking for people with face masks and sad stories, he and the other so-called health experts ignore America's flu "pandemic or epidemic." Go figure. Mexico has lost 150 people so far and America 36,000 in 12 months.

Despite these insignificant figures, the media at first billed this as a pandemic, then downgraded to an epidemic. Soon it will be an outbreak, but, frankly, it should be a media scandal.

Part of the reason is that the real news -- the economic meltdown and attempts to right the world's listing ship -- is not telegenic. If the G20 leaders wore face masks or balaclavas every day, like the street protesters, they would be dominating TV coverage. If Iraq hadn't dragged on so long, and wasn't so expensive to cover for the dying television networks, it would dominate.

But now it's poor old Mexico on a slow news week. The flu is a made-for-TV illness that is about as serious as SARs was in Toronto, Vancouver, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia a few years ago. SARs was a killer, costing a couple of dozen lives in total, but was ridiculously overblown.

I feel badly for Mexico because the country depends on tourism, trade and remittance payments by illegals working in the US. and these businesses will suffer as people avoid the place due to all this publicity.

As Canada found with SARs, some of the hype is fanned by American or other tourism/trade/convention rivals. When Toronto was the center of attention during the brief and small SARs outbreak, convention industry rivals worked the phones for days scaring people and conferences away from arch-rival Toronto with great success. Mexico will suffer the same fate as other sun-tan bearing regimes will swing into action to steal tourists away for years, maybe forever.

Another nasty impact will be that this will also be exploited by American protectionists who will use the disease as reason to tighten the border even more than is already the case, bringing about more hardship for an already struggling and poor nation.

Hopefully the hype will shift to more appropriate disasters like Darfur or Tibet or Pakistan but don't count on it. The big networks cover everything that photographs, not everything that's important or truly newsworthy, and always will.

Comments

[Chaimirija]

Ahhh, where to start?

Nope, not enough time.

Mija, you need to educate yourself. I suggest you go to the CDC site...and take a gander at the information they have posted about the genetic sequence of the novel H1N1. If you don't understand it, this might be an indication that you know not what you write about.

PS: many of the previous posters here DO know what they are writing about.

[RoloTomassi]

Oh no Diane, you've been doing so well lately; I must say that this will not do.

Perhaps we will dodge the bullet and this will indeed be much ado about a mild flu bug; that is to be hoped for, but never arrogantly assumed. And while we all know that the MSM overblows EVERYTHING for the sake of ratings and the almighty dollar, to rebuke them is reasonable, but to assume that is the entire story is disingenuous at best.

But for you to blow this off at this early stage as media bunk is irresponsible.

[Bingram]

Agreed.

[canfemlib]

I have to agree, there's a whole lot of attention paid to something that is "newsworthy", but no one seems to look at the number of people who die each year from heart disease brought on by unhealthy lifestyle and obesity. Just not sexy. There are several epidemics on right now that just don't hit the front page, like the syphillis epidemic (once in decline, now on the increase again), certain types of cancer still on the increase. But they are long term situations, and therefore easier to ignore.

Sure, wash you hands, but then quit shoving your kids full of junk food, get off the couch and take a walk, and make sure everyone who has working genitals knows how to use a condom.....

[sofyadeb]

Read "The Great Influenza" by John M Barry. You will understand what is happening.
The avian virus you cited as hype has not yet mutated into a virus able to pass easily human-human. Had it made that leap we would see 50% mortality rates. It may yet make this leap...
SARS killed almost 800 - 10% mortality rate. SARS was controlled by containment - few enough cases and they quarantined people infected. It's still out there in the wild bat and civet population, and probably will reoccur...
The flu we are used to kills the elderly, immunocompromised, infants - immune systems developing or compromised. This flu turns the immune system on overdrive, rapidly flooding the body with toxins to kill the virus, but killing the body as collateral damage - the healthy die in great numbers.
The 1918 H1N1 virus killed 675,000 people in the US (population 100 million). It is not the same virus, this one has genes from swine, birds and humans. No one has immunity unless they've had it. We now have 300 million people. If it follows the 1918 pattern, there will be many deaths around the epicenter, then the virus will mellow out - there will be mild outbreaks through the summer. Then in August, September, we will see wide spread virulent outbreaks.
I hope it doesn't follow the pattern of the 1918 flu - I pray it doesn't. I hope that your cynicism turns out to be true. But I'm a believer in learning

[ESerafina42]

Even the 1918 virus didn't have 50% mortality, if the figures I saw recently were correct (500 million infected, 100 million - maybe less - killed). And this one CAN jump from human to human or we wouldn't have it in NYC. It's just not that virulent - yet. However, neither was the 1918 strain on its first go-round.

[waltn]

Ms. Francis,

This is serious stuff. I wish you to do more research on the subject before you dismiss and minimize it as you have in your article. I can only surmise that you've written such an article in order to generate comments because any other reason would be truly irresponsible given the gravity of this issue.

Dr. Richard Besser on the News Hour tonight explained the pandemic very well Diane. I highly suggest that you listen to some health experts speak about the subject. I have very, very impressed with the way the US, Mexico, and international community has stepped up and taken care of us through this; it is a critical problem in the world.

First, by moving to a phase five, the world health experts are telling the world to prepare for the 2009 H1N1 virus strain that appears to be spreading person to person
very, very rapidly. Such a virus, unlike other known ones, can cause a pandemic.

Second, the 2009 H1N1 virus strain appears so new that people don't have immunity to this. Thus, "healthy" young toddlers and middle-aged people are dying from it.
The 2009 H1N1 virus strain is a re-assortment of, really, four components. It has a human component. It has avian components, a domestic swine component and a Eurasian swine component.

Third, it was due to pandemic planning and development of a new test kit in San Diego that we identified the first strain of the 2009 H1N1 virus.

[Funkman]

We must believe our rulers and their faithful media servants We are all going to DIEEEEEE!!!!!

[Chaimirija]

scientists are an ornery bunch...and they can usually back up their conclusions with facts...call your local university or college and ask to speak with someone in microbiology...

[Savanna]

This is well put...thank you for a breath of truth it is refreshing.

[Chaimirija]

while some of the premises presented are correct, the inferences are terrible. This article should be detracted.

[SpoxLogic]

I don't mind WHO and our govt erring on the side of caution. I do have issues with the media going overboard with their reporting though. If all one did was listen to them, the whole US would shut down like Mexico City had.

Oh, wait! Maybe that is their goal. Imagine the economic upheaval if they succeeded in having that happen. Then, of course, they'd blame it on the Obama admin. Pretty frikkin' ingenious of them.

[Fanie Loots]

Time will prove you wrong. You need to look at the facts without your obvious preconceptions. I'm from Africa and this virus is scary. Imagine what could happen amongst our large HIV+ population. Even if it causes a mils sickness but spreads wide we are going to see a disaster.

[CantStopUsNow]

What does you being from Africa have anything to do with knowledge about swine flu? And why dont you explain what happened with Sars and Bird Flu? Who did time prove wrong with those?

[Sarah Barbour]

Fanie did not say anything about having knowledge of swine flu; he is worried that this virus is a special threat to Africa because htere is a large population there that has Aids and this virus would be devastating to them.

[Chaimirija]

Infectious disease is a little bit of a problem is Africa...

[shaman]

So the WHO is in cahoots with the Media to distract and confuse? Please, go to the WHO site and read the definition of Pandemic. Your ignorance is profound.

[MarionKIN]

Okay, right, there's no need to panic, HOWEVER you miss a very important fact: this A/H1N1 has mainly killed people between the ages of 20-40 and *that* is why health experts *are* concerned. You neglect to mention in your stats that most of the usual 36,000 are the elderly, very young, or otherwise immuno-compromised. This IS different in its victims in Mexico City and it's irresponsible of you to casually ignore that.

[RoloTomassi]

Agreed.

[Chaimirija]

thank you

[blood1]

I don't doubt that the swine flu pandemic seems over the top, but as the media decided to hype this information, to not react and have this disease to move to a pandemic status would also be irresponsible.

It is good that this flu was identified as it has morphed and this is an opportunity to assure that our national and international response works.

The question is: The 5 W's about the report...although the Why may never be known. Conspiracy theorists...man your posts!

This report fudges with the numbers: 36000 in "past few years" - not a fact but a factoid.
99 die /day...that is not 365 days per year, but only during flu season (which is not an exact period like Jan 1 through Mar 31...so it too may be a factoid.
Are all these purported deaths in the USA verified as "flu" was the only cause?
The deaths in Mexico are reported to be impacting a relative strange group (20-30 year old), while the "flu related deaths" in US are in "high risk groups such as aged, neonates and immuno-compromised.

Time for someone to do some fact checking instead of media generating news.

[TryToBeFlexible]

Interesting outlook.

[propitiousmoment]

I've kind of been wondering if this wasn't the case, given the numbers so far. But Janet Napolitano has stated that we do not need to tighten border security so there is somebody, at least, with some common sense in charge.