Columnists | Opinion

Columnist: Flu questions? Use your head

By Tyler Francke

Posted on Sept. 10, 2009, at 2:05 a.m.

Everyone heard the new joke? When Barack Obama announced he was running for president, someone said a black man would win when pigs fly. Well, Obama was elected, and sure enough, six months later, swine flu. Haha.

All kidding aside, the world is embroiled in a phase six pandemic, reported to have infected more than 300,000 people. Not something to joke about, right? Figuring out exactly what is going on in the midst of the media circus can be difficult, so I will do my best to help.

Influenza is an infectious virus with symptoms that include fever, cough, runny nose, chills, body aches, fatigue, headaches and vomiting. The disease is highly communicable and can be spread by inhaling tainted air coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or through direct contact with a contaminated surface. The flu can be fatal, although this is rare and generally occurs only in infants or the elderly.

By contrast, swine flu, now being called the H1N1 virus, more commonly affects children and young adults, a trait more consistent with the 1918 flu pandemic that killed 50 million more than with the run-of-the-mill influenza we see annually.

But before you panic, read this: The H1N1 virus, in the form we have seen so far, is a big, fat pansy. That’s right, “I Am Legend” is not about to become reality. The Los Angeles Times confirms scientists are beginning to catch on that swine flu symptoms are milder and the mortality rate is lower than that of regular, seasonal influenza.

There have been American deaths, 585 to be exact. However, this number pales in comparison to the 36,000 that die annually in the U.S. from usual flu complications. The H1N1 virus could possibly mutate into a more dangerous form, but the World Health Organization maintains there have been no signs of that happening.

The pandemic has been blown out of proportion by a mass media starving for the next big thing now that Michael Jackson’s death is old news. But there is reason for caution. The number of influenza cases can spike ten times during fall and winter, and if the leaves crunching under my bike tires this morning were any indication, autumn is drawing near.

During this flu season, all the traditional wisdom holds true. You can only be infected through your eyes, nose, mouth and ears, so try not to stick your fingers in them. Unless you’re five years old, I shouldn’t have to tell you to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands frequently, because soap renders the virus inactive. Please don’t wear facemasks; they make you look ridiculous and won’t reduce your risk of infection since they are designed for industrial use, not filtering biological agents.

Also, be wary of a vaccine that has been rushed as much and tested as little as this one has been. In 1976, 43 million Americans were hastily immunized against what was predicted to be the next pandemic, a nasty strain of influenza ironically called “swine flu.” The sickness never spread beyond 240 soldiers stationed at Fort Dix, N.J., but what did materialize in those immunized were over 500 cases of a rare neurodegenerative disease, now linked to the hurriedly prepared vaccine.

Get vaccinated if you want, but if we all follow the same general practices our moms have been telling us for years, we should get through this winter just fine.

One more thing — please resist the urge to kiss any pigs, even if they do wear lipstick.

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Tyler Francke will have an opinion column every Thursday. Michael Shepherd will write on Mondays.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009, 2:05 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.