Swine Flu Pandemic “Imminent”?
I just read that the WHO has raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to phase 5, the second highest level. This means the organization thinks a worldwide pandemic of the disease is “imminent”. So far, there have been confirmed human cases of swine flu in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and Spain. Only Mexico and the U.S. have reported deaths from the disease thus far.
Personally, I think people are getting carried away about swine flu. Is it really that much more virulent than other forms of influenza? Thousands of people die from influenza every year, so why are they calling swine flu a “pandemic”? We’re still just talking about a handful of cases in each of the countries mentioned (with the exception of ground zero, Mexico).
I’m not trying to minimize all the deaths here, but come on. News reports make it sound like tens of thousands of people are dropping dead from swine flu when that’s not the case at all. Everyone needs to get a grip — or stop traveling to and from Mexico!
(AP Photo/Moises Castillo)