Navigation
User login
Topics
Archive
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
Swine Flu, Mexican Flu - Whatever!
by Alex Birch
The flu frenzy in the media is back:
The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday.
Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.
Swine flu, Mexican flu - who cares? Some hundred people died in Mexico, and we care why? Remember the bird flu (H5N1) that everyone thought was going to kill us all? That turned out to be pure media frenzy. Even our government in Sweden freaked out after some people found a few birds who had caught the flu, and parents were told not to let their children even touch birds. Nanny State paranoia, pure and simple.
Even Conservatives seem to buy into this, some only to take a shot at Obama:
U.S. President Barack Obama was exposed to swine flu on his trip to Mexico last week. Obama was greeted by archeologist Felipe Solis at a museum in Mexico City where they warmly embraced. Felipe Solis was dead the next day from what was described then as swine flu symptoms, although local health officials changed the diagnosis to non-descriptive “pneumonia” for apparent diplomatic reasons.
Reports are that Obama knew about the outbreak three days before his visit but decided to go anyway. His imprudence may have been pushed by criticism for having never visited Mexico during his short lifetime before the presidency.
Obama may never feel the symptoms of the bug but because of his exposure he may have been a contagious carrier of the deadly disease back into the United States. There is a chance he infected others. Do not expect the White House to confirm such an interesting scenario even if true.
The same Conservative blog debates Obama's status as a Jesus figure. I think all of this comes down to a few simple facts:
(1) People love to freak out over something on a national scale, because it gives them the illusion that they share a common goal (or enemy, hence 9/11 worship).
(2) Conservatives realize Obama is all talk and no walk.
(3) The GOP is divided and tries to score points by side-tracking into anti-Obama propaganda and libertarianism (FAILURE).
My message, as always: Ever onward into countless battles.
This is great
We need another Black Death. Hopefully this gets way out of control.
Comparing the swineflu to the
Comparing the swineflu to the birdflu is, although the similarity in names, far from correct. The swineflu differs greatly from the birdflu in a number of aspects.
To begin with, the birdflu was not airborne, the disease could only spread from direct contact with birds. The swineflu, on the other hand, is airborne, and is thusly transmitted from person to person - and it moves rapidly. It took three days for it to emerge from Mexico and reach Europe.
Another interesting aspect of the swineflu is that young and healthy - i.e. primarily men between 20 and 40 - are the first ones to go, exactly like with the Spanish flu of 1918. This is due to something called "Cytokine storm", which means that strong immune defenses react more strongly to the virus than weak ones, sometimes annihilating the body itself in killing the virus.
However, as you are saying, there's no reason to panic, or to even worry about this. But it should be taken into consideration, because the global situation might get worse. The virus is expected to mutate a number of times, and WHO has for the first time ever set the influenza pandemic alert level to phase 4.
Shit might be going down, and it might not. We'll just see, and meanwhile not worry.
Panic! Panic!
In case the swine flu didn't give the media enough of an excuse to spread animal-based panic, the Guardian warns Britons of "Nazi 'super cows'". I hope they're super-tasty.
This is where I
This is where I sanctimoniously and apocalyptically declare that jews and muslims were right: the love of pork shall be your destruction.
On a serious note, there is effective treatment available, only those already vulnerable with compromised immunities should be at a real risk of death. I think the key word here is 'flu' and perhaps mentally treating it as the influenza that lays you low but doesn't kill you is beneficial.
On the positive side, it'd be interesting to note what the nihilists among you think about this and what the risk of death via natural selection means. Does it invoke acceptance? are you blaming it on immigration?
Disclaimer: medical student, not qualified, if you're actually worried, seek the advice of qualified professional.
not necessarily immigration
...just bad values. It's not like this came from a kitchen in San Diego that hired illegal immigrants. Mexico City is one of the most (over)populated cities in the world, there's lots of movement between the US and Mexico in terms of people, and spring break is where a bunch of people in NY carried this back. So don't go to Mexico for spring break, perhaps? :) As long as we have a mobile society and people move easily between countries, the risk is greater that a truly deadly disease, unlike this one, would spread much more easily to the entire world's population than ever before. But the nihilist in me says, "good! the less people the better, and it's nature's way of thinning the herd".
I think outside of illegal immigration being an issue in this specific case, the fact that the US said that "border checks" were being done is a complete joke & farce. What's the point of doing border checks if most of the people are slipping through anyway?