SWINE FLU OVERREACTION
Of the few companies actually blooming amidst an economic depression, Purell must be among them. The outbreak of influenza A, also known as the swine flu, is the latest epidemic troubling skeptics and health freaks across the world.
With 1,626 cases in Mexico, 2,532 in the United States, 284 in Canada, and 95 in Costa Rica, only 53 deaths were claimed so far throughout the now 30 affected countries, according to WHO, the World Health Organization.
So why are people so paranoid about swine flu? You have a headache, it must be swine flu. You have a stomachache, it’s the swine flu. Is anyone even aware of the symptoms? Of the treatments? Of the vaccine that is well on it’s way to being distributed among the masses? Or does the general fright created by the media overpower anyone to use their ever-so-useful computer to look up some facts?
To make it a little easier for everyone, the symptoms of swine flu do in fact reflect the symptoms of the regular flu, such as high fever, cough, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, etc.
In any case, the skepticism created by the daylong television reports, magazine and newspaper articles do not say that out of the 4,694 confirmed laboratory cases scattered throughout all the corners of the world, only four countries have confirmed deaths. Unlike common perceptions of this gravity of a problem, there is a cure, and the epidemic is not immediately fatal. The mistreatment of the flu can result in death, particularly because problems like malnutrition, a weak immune system, and other such conditions are present.
While some cautions are necessary, like traveling to Mexico, wearing face masks in South Florida where only 55 cases have been confirmed (none of which have resulted in deaths), is not indispensable.
To put it in perspective, being that there are 18,328,340 Floridians in the United States, only .0003 % of our population has been affected. That’s .000018 % of the population of the United States.
As much as the .000018 % of the people that have been affected in Florida represent a small but still important part of our population, none of these residents have actually died. And although we must be somewhat worried, the incessant and unnecessary massive outbreak of paranoia is just that, unnecessary.
While the numbers remain low and vaccines are on their way, let’s worry about things that we actually need to worry about.
