Tamiflu/Rumsfeld/H1N1 redux

The Swine Flu news stories must bring to mind the previous ad campaign to sell Tamiflu.

This virus is being made to sound mysterious because the diagnoses are being made in scattered areas. This should merely highlight the fact that tens or hundreds of thousands of people with bad colds might have this same virus, are getting better and what we really need to do is wash our hands, get rest, stay well-hydrated and stay calm. Trying selling that idea!

JNGMD

Twitter: JayGordonMDFAAP

Comments

[tilted windmill]

Hear, hear, Doctor! Finally a voice of reason. Most of us have not and will not come into contact with anyone who has been exposed to this virus. Common sense and good hygiene are the best way to avoid both the virus and the hysteria.

[Laura McBride]

I'm going to send this to my entire email list. It's the first rational column I've seen on this ridiculous panic, doubtless ginned up by drug companies and bureaucrats (and probably Mr. Rumsfeld). It's about time we all stopped falling in line with one fake horror after another created by big pharma/banks/big ag/government so they can keep us in line and dig ever deeper into our pockets. Thank you, Dr. Gordon!

[antaeus]

Let's hope. Let's hope it's not an H1N1 redux a la the virulence of the 1918 virus.

It's prudent to stay calm. But how can you dismiss the concerns of those who were already familiar with 1918? It strikes me that there's some analogy to earthquakes in California. Sure, 1906 happened, but that was long ago, and it couldn't happen again, right? So we have a 6.5 every 20 years, people get herd-scared, stock up water for awhile, and then sink back into complacency. Let's hope this isn't 1918, when people woke up healthy and were dead by dinner. But don't you think more education about the realities of pandemics would be appropriate?

[maggiemom]

Actually a large portion of those who died in 1918- it is now being theroized- died from a secondary bacterial infection. They are getting this idea from the original autopsie reports and also from new autopsies performed on some of those who died in 1918 and were having their graves moved for unrelated reasons. Some doctors or scientists took the oppurtunity to get samples.
I know this- but I still worry anyways about the swine flu thing.

[antaeus]

I have a hard time accepting that the rapid action of that virus is attributable to opportunistic bacterial infections. We have contemporary accounts of people being healthy in the morning and dead by evening. And even if bacteria played a role, the unusual age range of the victims still points to the virus as the primary cause.

[maggiemom]

thank you for reinforcing what my husband keeps telling me everytime he finds me starring horrified at CNN as the anchors go on and on about this. I scare easily.

[ianrthorpe]

I wondered if it is a conspiracy to bully us into accepting comusoey vaccination. The UK government hatched a plan a few years ago to put anti depressants in drinking water to quell the epidemic of depression. Who cared about the 85% of us that were not depressed and how the medication might affect us?

Always follow the advice of Cicero and ask yourself "Cui bono," who benefits.

In the developed nations where we have good nutrition and clean drinking water te virus is not likely to be a big problem.

http://greenteeth.blog.co.uk/tags/fear-and-panic/

[Grada3784]

Wash your hands, rest and drink fluids?

It'll never sell. No profit in it.