I don't understand why some are so quick to call "scam" as in a purposeful deception. This seems to be just another case of bad understanding of science.
More than 50,000 people (.19 per capita) die in the U.S. of flu each year. Mexicao city based on its size should see 4000-5000 flu deaths per year for that city.
Swine flu is worth keeping an eye on - yet it is hard to ask people to keep their heads up without causing a panic. On the flip side, if the media is reporting and the government says nothing, then people blame them for that too.
The real deal on swine and avian flu:
1. First generation contact with pigs (or birds, respectively) is EXTREMELY virulent...very easy to catch and likely extremely powerful.
2. Second generation contact relies on mutations which may or may not happen as the virus evolves. This is less virulent most probably for a variety of complex reasons.
3. Third generation contact is usually where a new flu stops. Enough people are developing resistance to the disease at this point.
However the WHO ane CDC are doing their job to be prepared. Because it is an unknown virus, epidemiologists do not know the magnitude or frequency of common mutations in the virus.
We now have enough science and media that we'll always know before a big event would become a pandemic. Because we always will know before, there will always be hype.
I thought it was nice that the President gave a tip of the hat to the Bush administration in his address last night. Former President Bush did help better prepare us to deal with such issues.
