A recent report estimates the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus) death toll at 10,000 from April through November 2009. This is a dramatic increase from October’s estimate of about 4,000 Swine Flu deaths. This comes on the heels of reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) earlier this fall that H1N1 cases were far less widespread than originally anticipated.
The CDC stopped requiring states to report Swine Flu infections in July 2009, and the CDC itself is no longer differentiating between Swine Flu, regular flu, and pneumonia; instead, these similar types of infectious diseases are now being reported as one aggregated number, making it even more difficult to discern the dangers of H1N1 infections.
Swine Flu Dangers
Regardless of the how accurate the estimates are, the fact remains that no matter how the CDC spins their reports, the Swine Flu is simply not an overly dangerous disease. The CDC estimates the seasonal flu virus results in 36,000 deaths per year, which is much higher than the H1N1 virus. The table below gives a summary view of Swine Flu infections, hospitalizations, and deaths viewed within the context of the U.S. population.
One in six Americans may have been infected with the Swine Flu, but only one in 143,000 Americans have contracted the illness with symptoms serious enough to cause hospitalization. Approximately one in 333,000 Americans have died from a Swine Flu infection. Even if you do become infected with the H1N1 virus, your chances of being sick enough to go to the hospital are one in 200. An infected person’s probability of the disease being fatal is one in 5,000. These are very low probability rates, meaning that the disease is not overly potent. Couple that with estimates being uncovered by investigative reporting that are finding out only about 1-2% of “probable” or “presumed” Swine Flu cases actually were a result of the H1N1 virus, then these statistics of mortality and hospitalization decrease into the utter minutia category.
The Risks of the Swine Flu Vaccine
The Swine Flu vaccine has proven to be more harmful than helpful in mitigating the risks with this flu outbreak. Vaccines for any flu virus are usually only effective for a short period of time as a result of the rapid genetic mutation of influenza virus strains. A vaccine works by injecting either a weakened or inert form of a virus into the body to allow one’s immune system to develop antibodies without the risk of infection. Influenza is notorious for its quick genetic mutations, making antibodies obtained through a vaccine only applicable for a short period of time.
The vaccine for Swine Flu has other troubles to contend with aside from the general lack of efficacy of vaccination against the flu. The heightened fear of the population propagated by the CDC resulted in a public cry for a vaccine to protect against Swine Flu. In order to meet that demand, vaccine manufacturers had to develop and produce large quantities of an untested medicine. The vaccine’s efficacy and safety were not properly demonstrated before dissemination to consumers. This has led to a number of those who were vaccinated experiencing severe and devastating side effects such as paralysis.
Considering that the danger of becoming seriously ill or even dying from the H1N1 virus is extremely small, it is not worth the risk of injecting yourself with a vaccine that is largely untested and unproven. The U.S. Government allocated $1 billion to pharmaceutical companies for the speedy development and distribution of these vaccines, which did not have to pass all of the same FDA safety tests and standards. In many cases, the vaccine has proved to be utterly useless in preventing a Swine Flu infection, and it has the potential for hazardous side effects.
Image used in this post
Miss Piggy courtesy of Flickr user ** Maurice ** under the CC license.
7 Comments
As a graduating Biology student, probably nothing scares me more than new, rushed, mass produced, poorly researched vaccines. The media is starting to have more control than common sense and proper protocol! Merk’s human papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine, Gardasil, is another one that always gets my goat. Pushing these vaccines to children before puberty is a little much isn’t it now? Not only has there been absurd reported side effects to Gardasil, but infertility may be a possible ‘minor side effect’. (http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2009/04/21/hpv-vaccine-might-cause-infertility/)
Also with research in the new field of epigenetics emerging, these vaccines may silence or turn off repressors and regulation proteins causing DNA damage, cancer, and disease substitutability, but only time will tell. Effects of these vaccines may show up two or three generations down the line as well.
With enough research and trials, vaccines may become safer and more efficient, but really its effects won’t be truly known until it is observed in vivo over time.
What is your knowledge of the relationship between vaccines and autism?
I haven’t heard anything about vaccines and autism, but there has been major breakthroughs with autism and the genetic code, found problems on chromosome 11, 15, & 16. I’ll have to look into vaccines and the subject though.
Thanks Greg, have been, hope you’re well also. Staying at Montclair if I get a full ride for my Master’s…we’ll see what happens.
I believe that there was a generation of vaccines in the 90’s that were hypothesized to be linked to autism. I think it had to do with the mercury in them, but I’m not sure on that. It has been pretty well publicized, but I don’t think the link was ever proven to be conclusive.
Congratulations on graduating college Ashley. I hope you have been well.
I actually had a co-worker that stopped eating pork because she didn’t want to get swine flu. The mass hysteria associated with this “epidemic” was ridiculous and unwarranted. I think it’s most interesting that the WHO and the CDC stopped counting cases, yet for some reason it was still an issue. IMO, the authorities just wanted to scare the masses, as a group in fear is much easier to control.
One more thing (then I’ll end my rant)
While the death of 10,000 people is tragic, for sure, people have to keep in mind how much that really is. That’s 10,000 people globally. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919 killed 500,000 in the U.S. alone, and 50 million worldwide. Wake me up when a real pandemic (like zombies) shows up.
Leave it to the Spanish to have best flu pandemic around.
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