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According to a hilarious source, “the only known cure for Swine Flu has been found to be the liberal application of oinkment.” But what if you don’t have access to oinkment?
Swine Flu has killed more than 140 people in Mexico but (as far as I know) hasn’t killed anybody from any other countries yet. And why not? Is Swine Flu particularly nasty? Or are there other factors at play? Because if we can’t step away from the flock to view the bigger picture… maybe we’re missing the point.
According to the World Bank (.org) half of Mexico’s population was living in poverty in 2002. Half. The CIA World Factbook estimates the population of Mexico (July, 2008) to be 109,955,400. So that means there are about 55 million people living in poverty in Mexico, with about 22 million of those people living in extreme poverty.
Now. How hard is it to imagine that 140 of those people could catch a bad flu and die? Considering 50% of the population is possibly malnourished, living in poor or overcrowded housing, uneducated, isolated from good healthcare, living stressful lives anyway. If you compare the number of drug related murders that occur every year in Mexico to the measly amount of people killed by this Flu, then maybe you’ll question our priorities.
What about the fact that the serial murder of women has been taking place for the last ten years on the Texas/Mexican border, in the Mexican town of Juarez. So far about 300 women have been murdered, with countless others reported missing. And it continues. Has this filled you with the same feelings of concern? (Just Google “Juarez women” or “El Paso Texas murders“).
So maybe you’ll see the funny side of all those people walking around in face masks, afraid of catching a virus that has only killed 0.0001% of their population. In some neighbourhoods, bullet-proof vests and mace would serve as more effective methods of life preservation.
And why do we care? Why is the world even batting an eyelid? Because germs don’t care how much money you have in the bank, what kind of car you drive, or where you were born. Screw the poor. But when the wealthy are exposed, we pay ($$$) attention.
Apparently Swine Flu can be dealt with very effectively if the symptoms are treated early. And most of us probably grew up with a friendly family doctor who kept a jar of jellybeans on their desk. What makes us assume that other people in the world even have a doctor in their community? Even as I sit here writing this, a man walks into the office building where I work in Central America. He is begging for money. He smells, he’s dirty, he’s probably a drug addict, and he’s so sad. Yet this is considered a relatively wealthy part of the country.
If Swine Flu is creating any alarm in the world, and if you’re feeling concerned, then let it be about the unglamorous and un-newsworthy socioeconomic problems that constantly lurk beneath the surface, but are often ignored. You may have the liberty of going to the doctor and getting checked out whenever you feel crook, because it’s “better to be safe than sorry.”
But you’re one of the lucky ones.
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Comments
Oh thank goodness. You're
Oh thank goodness.
You're awesome. Finally a level headed, clear and pointed insight into this whole panic. Every flu season something like half a million to a million people die from regular "old fashioned" flu and the complications associated with it such as heart failure, pneumonia, and lung failure. Complications which tend to be caused by ill health, weak immune systems and other factors linked to inadequate medical care. These are estimates on a global level. And if we stop and think about it, they are probably low.
In the US the CDC estimates that an average of 36'000 people die seasonaly from the flu or a complication.
Now, suddenly someone puts the name of a farm animal on it and it becomes "The News". Suddenly, people in grocery stores are nervously joking in the check out line; should they start stocking up on bottled water while all the while people are loosing focus about what is going on in Washington.
If one more person says to me "Isn't it scary? Isn't it weird...*suggestive tone*" I'll cough on them.
First of all, The swine flu
First of all, The swine flu has not killed over 140 people. You should get your facts from a valid source...like the WHO webiste. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_05_01/en/index.html There have been 9 deaths in Mexico and 1 in the US.
Thanks for your comment
Thanks for your comment Anonymous but I know - if you read the rest of the comments you'll see where I posted that clarification.
Thanks for your comment
Thanks for your comment Isha! Your fast - I posted this blog like 2 minutes ago ... thanks for reading and "getting it."
Ha. Two minutes? I didn't
Ha. Two minutes? I didn't even notice the time. I landed here after doing a search for Texas and "swine flu" on Google news and sorting it by "Most recent". It appears that the reason your post came up first is because you mentioned the Texas murders.
Anyways, I do hope more people read this post and any others like it. My cynical self feels that it will do nothing to quell the panic and hysteria but at least another "viewpoint" will get out there and maybe, just maybe make someone pause for a second.
Once again, thank you and take care!
Yes, exactly. Well said.
Yes, exactly. Well said.
I've been muttering these
I've been muttering these sentiments for a long while.
The Bollocks marketing around common bugs designed to get people pouring their hard worked for $$ into drug companies pockets is boring. Thousands die of a cold and a few odd people die of a rare flue and we create world wide economic melt down out of it!??!?!!?
Thank you so much for
Thank you so much for writing this! I am going to Mexico tomorrow and my suburban family is having a panic attack over my decision to go. You not only are justifying my personal non-panic feelings, but are also making a very important point about the poverty issues completely ignored by the US media. Thank you thank you thank you.
No problem Lois, thanks for
No problem Lois, thanks for your comment. Feel free to refer my blog to your family! I hope you have a safe trip and lots of fun!
Actually, author, you've
Actually, author, you've missed the point. It's not about how "dangerous" individual cases may or may not be, or the (perceived) social injustices this new virus eclipses.
The swine flu is previously not found in humans, and is now being contracted human to human, increasingly pandemic. The point is - the global community needs to act responsibly and cooperatively in order to isolate this new and unstudied virus before it in fact reaches every continent and mutates into a formidable problem. That's the reality of the situation, and it's incredibly significant.
Thanks for your comment
Thanks for your comment Anonymous.
I'm not an expert, but according to my reading (one example: http://diseases-viruses.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_of_swine_flu_ou...)...
"The present Swine Flu outbreak is partially rooted in history, with large influenza epidemics in 1918, 1976, and even earlier."
There was also apparently an outbreak of Swine Flu in the Phillippines in 2007 (same source). Many of these flus are inter-related. Mutating, probably, but all with similar ancestry.
If we are to act responsibly, we cannot neglect the importance of socioeconomic inequalities. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, poor people always have worse health statistics than people with access to more money, better nutrition and care. You just need to know anything about TB to realize this.
Mr/Mrs/Miss Anonymous - If you are interested in this stuff, I strongly suggest you read a book called "Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the World" by Tracy Kidder. It's an AMAZING read and was a real eye-opener (for me at least). It talks about treating contagious diseases within poor communities. Paul Farmer is the founder of the Partners in Health organization (www.pih.org). The Mission of PIH is "to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care."
Anyone reading this - please - learn more about Partners in Health at their website. There is also information about the book "Mountains Beyond Mountains" at their website too... it's important stuff guys!!!
Ridiculous ... Yes we have
Ridiculous ... Yes we have to act responsibly, but we don't need to shut down Mexico's economy because of it. 50-60% of all businesses in Mexico are mom and pap shops that can survive 2-3 days with no business. The media is killing Mexico, not the 'swine' flu. The media needs to grab on to anything it can to be busy. There is the possiblility of a hurricane in the gulf, we better hike gas prices by 50 cents a gallon to. 100 million people live in Mexico like the writer pointed out. 2-3000 cases and 200 deaths... are you kidding me. In Canada 10-20,000 people die yearly due to the flu. I came back from Mexico on the 26th of April. Not one thing has gone wrong with my family except the utter contempt the public shows us. We are outcasts.
This is utterly ridiculous.
Wow Dallas, what have you
Wow Dallas, what have you started here? it seems to be a pretty touchy subject for some people (maybe everybody didn't have a doctor with jellybeans) maybe we could have a carry on to this story after you have been put thru the ringer at the airports next month!
Haha thanks for your comment
Haha thanks for your comment Leanne. Airports are horrible stressful places to be at the best of times. I'm sure one more annoying form to fill out how I'm feeling and whether I've been around pigs lately won't be anymore frustrating than usual. (Although I might ask them to define "pigs" for me).
If people are touchy, then good. Outbreaks often occur in areas of poor sanitation, over-crowding, and poverty. Mexico City is apparently one of the most densely populated cities on the planet. If people want to secure a healthy future for themselves and their families, then they need to stop sweeping poor people - e.g. the 55 million people living below the poverty line in Mexico - under the rug.
You're completely right
You're completely right Dallas. I live in Mexico and have had to field weepy I-really-wish-you-would-come-home phone calls from my mum thanks to the sensationalist media.
I've watched various foreign news channels, and they talk about the deaths in Mexico as if they're some huge mystery. They have completly skirted the issue of poverty in Mexico, and also managed to ignore the fact that the Mexican authorities have clearly stated that the people that have died only sought medical attention when their symptoms were already extremely advanced.
It's very common for people in Mexico to try and self-medicate (often buying from rather dubious pharmacies!), and the government has had to advise against this in their health warnings about the flu.
Very interesting reading
Very interesting reading Dallas. It has definitely put it into perspective. We live in NZ, where cases have been confirmed, although I am originally from South Africa, so I understand all about poverty and how that can make a huge impact on the health of people. In SA, we have TB, but most 'healthy', well nourished people don't get TB, and if they do, it is very unlucky, and they can get treatment for it, and make a full recovery. The people who get TB and die from it are the people living in squalor and unsanitary conditions, with no access to healthcare etc. This swine flu has caused such an uproar in NZ, the media is full of it, and people are worried. AS you say those 140 odd people who have died from it, were probably sick for a while and didn't seek medical care, and therefore got complications and died. The cases of swine flu in NZ have been very mild, and the people infected are better, and didn't actually get particularly ill. 70 people are murdered EVERY day in SA, and the world does't even bat an eyelid!
Hooray for Dallas! I was
Hooray for Dallas! I was thinking that maybe I'm the only one shouting against the cacophony of wild-eyed reporters who all over the world seem to have joined hands, mumbling "swine, swine, swine" into their face masks. As ever so often I'm glad to have read this blog (and your comment to my comment to David's contribution)
The World Health
The World Health Organization claims only 7 have died from Swine Flu:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/swine-flu/2370863/Swine-flu-Govt-steps-up-m...
"But Vivienne Allan, from WHO's patient safety program, said the body had confirmed that worldwide there had been just seven deaths - all in Mexico - and 79 confirmed cases of the disease.
"That figure is not a figure that's come from the World Health Organisation and, I repeat, the death toll is seven and they are all from Mexico," Ms Allan told ABC Radio this morning."
According to me, this brings the percentage of Mexican's killed by the dreaded Swine Flu to 0.000006%
I rest my case.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/20
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_29/en/index.html
That's the direct link to the WHO statement they also mention that the US CDC has confirmed a death in Texas. One of the problems in this whole mess is that in Mexico (and other nations) there are different types of flu present in the population and many illnesses have flu like symptoms. Obviously the WHO is stating only their Lab confirmed cases and the assumption is that there are more cases out there.
But that's not the point. Lab confirmation is not needed by those who make the news into The News. Or for that matter, Lab confirmation is not needed by the worker bees at Wikipedia and Wikinews only verifiable and reputable news sources are required.
It's so annoying how some
It's so annoying how some bull like this can so easily interrupt world commerce and manufacturing. Imagine how many people are lining up to receive that next big vaccine to prevent themselves from getting this new disease. There aren't any masks left. All of the smaller airlines that created competition to larger companies will be hit hard and probably fold. The economy of Mexico will suffer even more... I'll bet that more people will die from the aftermath of a scare like this due to it's effect on such a financially weak country than from the actual disease... I spend a lot of time in Mexico for work and it is one of the most poluted places I have ever been in the world. Many days you cannot see 200m because of the smog haze. What is more likely causing a respiratory problem? The Mexican government should spend a little less time harrassing drug dealers and a little more time cleaning up their own federal management skills.
My name is Dallas Boyd, too.
My name is Dallas Boyd, too. I'm not sure how I feel about the discovery of another Dallas Boyd. I'm a man for starters, and I think this other Dallas Boyd impostor is a woman.
Hello Dallas Boyd... if that
Hello Dallas Boyd... if that is really your name. I am indeed a woman and think it's weird you have the same name as me. What the hell. There goes my individuality.
PS - But I bet your middle name isn't Courtney.
Hey Dallas, Great minds
Hey Dallas,
Great minds think alike and I love the way you tackled the subject. Here in NZ/AUS all the news shows is stories about Swine Flu. Hows the media over there?
Hi Paul, thanks for your
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment and compliment. I just got back into NZ today after flying from San Jose in Costa Rica, to Fort Worth in Dallas, to Los Angeles, and then into Auckland. In Costa Rica people are wearing face masks at the airport. In the States, I only saw one or two people in masks. In NZ they handed me a fact sheet about Swine Flu and asked me how I was feeling. "Fabulous" after sitting on planes for about 19 hours. Everyone on the planes seemed to be thinking the same thing as me - what a load of bollocks.
Hi Dallas, welcome back. Now
Hi Dallas, welcome back. Now you better apply liberal amounts of oinkment, have a glass or two and sleep for a couple of days.
Thanks Sabine! It is
Thanks Sabine! It is definitely time for sleep I think... I've been up since 3 a.m. on Thursday and I'm starting to fade...
Puto face fucken dumb ass
Puto face fucken dumb ass here in mexico were i live not even one has died o got swine flu. I think theres only been 12 dead in mex.
SWINES FLEW IN TOP HATS
SWINES FLEW IN TOP HATS SWINDLE
Glaxo is just a marketing hand
so who sold that vacc to the whole world carrying seeds of the next pandemic?
What state, what monster?
When failed, getting away to try again?
Like Oklahoma
your comment must be approved by
OH YEAH?
guess where all the internet monitoring flows to and you guessed where that vaccine maker sits
SIDE EFFECTS AND FUTURE EFFECTS
According to a list compiled by Dr. Patricia Doyle at rense.com, a host of strange ingredients are used to make up Hoffman-La Roche's anti-flu drug Tamiflu, which has recently been connected with bizarre behavior,
Patients using Tamiflu -- which many nations are stocking up on as a way to combat a possible pandemic of the deadly H5N1 bird flu -- reported delirium, hallucinations, delusions, convulsions, disturbed consciousness and abnormal behavior. The FDA reports that side effects reported with Tamiflu include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bronchitis, stomach pain, dizziness and headache.
ANTI-MONOPOLISTS VERY QUIET ON JUST ONE FIRM ''SERVING'' THE WHOLE WORLD