It is not as bad as the general media wants to make it appear. I'm not saying that we should not take precautions, but we don't need to panic. The following report is from the Wall Street Journal.
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Health officials are trying to figure out a basic question that could help mitigate the swine flu epidemic here and in other parts of the globe: Why are so many people dying of the infection in Mexico in contrast to elsewhere?
The answer appears to involve a combination of factors, including Mexico's often poor health-care service, cultural aspects, and the mystery bug's early appearance in this country.
Mexico said late Tuesday that the toll had risen to 159 deaths suspected from swine flu. It revised down its count of deaths confirmed from the virus to seven, and said 26 cases had been confirmed among 2,498 people treated for severe pneumonia since the outbreak began. Some 1,311 are hospitalized.
The U.S. hasn't confirmed any deaths from swine flu. Sixty-six people are confirmed ill with the virus, including five who are hospitalized, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Mexico, the number of people checking into hospitals for symptoms related to the virus declined for the fourth consecutive day, giving hope that mitigation measures were working, Health Minister José Ángel Córdova said.
Mexico City ordered the mandatory closure Tuesday of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and health clubs, as well as popular archeological sites across the nation.
Public transport workers were ordered to wear surgical face masks and rubber gloves. Some families stocked up on nonperishable foods, worried that supermarkets might close. Weekend soccer games will be played to empty stadiums, a move tantamount to the U.S. forcing professional baseball to be played with no fans.
Some cruise-ship operators suspended visits to Mexico. Cuba and Argentina have stopped air travel to the country.
2 comments:
If the media hadn't spend so much time making us afraid of avian flu a few years ago, maybe this wouldn't be such a big deal.
Creating disaster scenarios creates audience ratings which leads to higher revenue and profits. Calm, objective reporting takes more time, requires intelligent reporters, and usually does not generate the same level of profits. So we get a lot of sensationalism in the news....
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