So, be safe, but don’t, for crying out loud, believe the “sky is falling” ca-ca!!!

I’ve had H1N1. It was just like the regular flu. It sucked and I stayed home for a week. But it wasn’t like death was knocking on my door. Let’s think about other people who suffer from much more serious diseases.

The regular flu is much, much worse.

I know that graphjam isn’t really the place for education but there’s a lot of misinformation floating around. While you’re right that technically it’s a secondary infection in a lot of people, the young and healthy can die from the flu itself– not just H1N1, but especially H1N1.

The circle of infections should be small, but it should also have a field outside the media coverage circle, as many (most!) people are not tested and are part of media speculation but not actually covered, per say.

oh and swine flu hasnt auctually killed 6000 (more like 500) because what kills them is a secondary bronchitus and if u DO die its because you have a horrible immune system

just like the others who have posted here that have had it, i must say: take care of yourself, and don’t spread it!

Thus one of the reasons I canceled my cable TV years ago. (go hulu!) lol

So danger imminent, blah blah blah… And legally, they government certainly isn’t liable if H1N1 gets nasty. But say it did. And the people felt uninformed. Naturally, you blame authority figures in the medical community for not informing and thus protecting you. That’s what I meant when I said “liable” – so I use my adjectives rather loosely. So sue me.

But you have a very valid point. And honestly, I hope that the stats stay this way. A nice mild flu virus, no more no less. [crosses fingers]

Of course, it looks like a lot of hoopla, I get that. The stats simply don’t support the fact that there could be danger imminent.

Also, why would the media be liable for a virus outbreak that they didn’t predict? The media is supposed to report on CURRENT events not predict that which hasn’t happened yet. If they are told to report on precautions for the virus then that’s why they report on it, because the precautions are current. It’s not their prediction. You can love the media all you want but they are in no way liable if H1N1 mutates and goes nuts.

Honestly your comprehension and logic skills fail. I understand where you are coming from, but it’s an argument that’s not even related to the original statement.

I’d read over the last 2 major parts of my previous post again with 2 key elements I’d like to point out; “Try comparing them to, oh say, 2008 or 2007’s flu season numbers” and “hype is a mater of perception”.

From what I hear, Influenza A is most fatal to the very young and elderly while H1N1 is more dangerous to teenagers and adults because their increased metabolic rate makes H1N1 a more aggressive and virulant strain.

And as for the media….it lends itself to the spread of fear of a particular thing… Everyone likes to be informed, especially when health threats or other issues that affect society at large are happening. In the case of this flu issue going on, the news media is striking fear into people which can create a ‘herd mentality’ and cause a stampede. The stock market is another good example of this ‘herd mentality’ that causes people to respond by what is told in the news.

It seems like alot of people have forgotten that ‘The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself’

Do you think that the news media has never made a particular news topic a bigger deal than it actually is? Or the news has never failed to report on something that was very important, or it was trivialized? Like alot of things, the media can be used for good and for bad.
I’m not running with the herd on this one because I think that it is being blown way out of proportion and the lack of accurate data and confirmed facts makes me wonder “why?”

H1N1 has become a polarizing issue for the public because people don’t want to get sick and die and others don’t want to get freaked out over nothing…and the news media helps increase the polarization.

Some would call me foolish and I’m not taking this as serious as I should. If I was thinking like the people who say that, I would probably say the same thing…

I could go on but I don’t want to write a book about it…

Thanks for being an ignoramus…

So no, they’re not identical and H1N1 is certainly more of a threat. I’m just sorry that people see it as fear-mongering. It’s a liability issue, basically. If things go south, the government and health authority can honestly claim to have done their best. So, personally, I’m pleased to see a lot of media coverage.

and almost every death has brought some kind of media coverage, so far. the “actual deaths” circle should maybe be down in one corner so that a small sliver of it is outside the “media” one, but i won’t personally grudge them that slight detail

3000 die each year on the roads in Britain alone (like, 1% of the total world population, and our roads are comparitively safe) but it doesn’t gather anything like that mass hysteria… just a few poorly researched and patronising ads and a gaggle of speed cameras.

Though it’s arguable that the media hysteria is one of the (several) things (including protracted hard work of researchers and medical staff) that’s STOPPED it from blowing up so far, so we might not want to disparage it that much so far.

Not that the graph does, it just points out the facts
And it gave me an actual lol for once rather than just a smile, so well done. Good use of ludicrously big circles.

Here’s some basic facts;

H1N1 is highly contagious, but so is the normal seasonal flu. H1N1 has killed a decent amount of people this year, but only about 1/10 (give or take) of that of a normal seasonal flu. Just like the normal flu H1N1 also tends to kill people whom; have compromised or weak immune systems (do to many things including age), do not eat correctly and/or keep them selves hydrated during the illness, do not take medications to help with the symptoms and people who have a pre-existing conditions (like asthma) that H1N1 would seriously effect.

From what I have seen from my 2 friends that TESTED positive for H1N1, was that it’s a pretty weak flu and they both recovered in less than 5 days.

If you simply compare H1N1 to previous FLU season records it’s a pretty lame strain of flu barely pumping out 1/10 (give or take) of the numbers a normal seasonal flu does… yes the numbers are there. Try comparing them to, oh say, 2008 or 2007’s flu season numbers and you’ll see what some of these comments are talking about.

Finally, yes, WAY too much hype, but hype is a mater of perception. It may be an issue in your small corner of the world, but the over all numbers are still pretty lame when it comes to “pandemic flu seasons”.

Media fear mongering win?

In persons, this graph should be reversed.