The Overblown Swine Flu
I’ve never understood my fellow human beings’ obsession with volcanoes, sharks, and other disasters. They are such rare occurrences that I don’t worry about them, anymore than I’d worry about getting killed by a vending machine.
The latest such hysteria seems to be around the swine flu. I know very little about this, because I instantly tune out when it comes up.
It amazes me that so many people stand in line for hours trying to get themselves and their kids vaccinated for the flu (I really don’t know if that’s for the “regular” flu or “swine” flu. I don’t care.)
Given my fellow Americans’ mass panic, I had to look up just how many Americans have been killed by this apparently ravenous plague that’s sweeping the country. The answer: Of the order of 100.
That’s 100 fatalities out of 300 million people!
In comparison, auto accidents kill about 100 people every day! That’s about 2 people in every state, every day!
Yet, I haven’t heard anyone say, “Honey, let’s stay home tonight. We might get killed driving to the restaurant.”
In fact, you’re about as likely to be killed on the way to get vaccinated, as you are to be killed by the flu. And I won’t start about the economic costs of having hundreds of millions of people take a few hours out of their day to corral their kinds into getting vaccinated.
Swine flu? Pshaw!
UPDATE: There’s apparently a “one-in-a-million” chance that you will be paralyzed, unable to walk or talk because of a flu shot. If 300 million Americans get vaccinated, you do the math…
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November 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
That’s 100 fatalities out of 300 million people!
In comparison, auto accidents kill about 100 people every day! That’s about 2 people in every state, every day!
Yet, I haven’t heard anyone say, “Honey, let’s stay home tonight. We might get killed driving to the restaurant.”
By that math, the tragedy at Ft. Hood must not have affected you much?
November 7th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Re. Fort Hood, let’s just say I’m not rushing out to buy a gun to protect myself from insane gunmen.
Every death is a tragedy. But our feelings about it should not result in irrational behavior. Otherwise, we’d ban driving because it’s too dangerous.
November 7th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
The statists like to spread fear. It’s what they do.
Swine flu… global warming… Rush Limbaugh… they are all deadly and disastrous, and all require massive government intervention, in the statists’ eyes.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:23 am
Re. Fort Hood, let’s just say I’m not rushing out to buy a gun to protect myself from insane gunmen.
Very good.
Every death is a tragedy.
Yes.
Otherwise, we’d ban driving because it’s too dangerous.
Or make certain safety features mandatory.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:24 am
Swine flu… global warming… Rush Limbaugh
Typos there, should be:
Swine…hot air…Rush Limbaugh.
November 8th, 2009 at 8:24 am
That’s 100 KIDS (not Americans) who have died so far. And that is mostly within the past 2 months. On average, 67 kids die from the normal flu over the entire YEAR. In 2 months, more kids have died from Swine Flu than normally die from the standard flu over the entire year.
I’m not saying everyone should be going crazy, but if there is a simple vaccine that can prevent my children from being one of the 100, then they will be getting it.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm
One of my sisters got infected with H1N1 or more commonly known as Swine Flu. Fortunately, she did not have very high fever and she was able to recover fast .
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