Shock horror, an airborne disease.
A few people have died, and almost every single one of those people has been in the high risk catagory – the sort of people who are suffering a terminal illness, have immunity problems or are post-operation, the sort of people that can be easily killed by flu, pneumonia, dengue, measles or even the common cold in their weakened state.
And yet every day the newspaper blares out the dangers of Swine flu, the risks, the number of “new cases” (note parenthesis due to lack of actual evidence).
Every day I see people wearing masks, wandering around with a flimsy paper layer – like it would actually make any difference whatsoever.
But lets have a look at the facts. In the UK alone regular Influenza kills around 20000 people each year (and that’s just in one country with a population of around 60 million). Worldwide Swine Flu has killed (or should I say assisted in the deaths of) about 500 people in the space of that same year.
What’s the biggest danger?
Do you know for example that 10s of thousands of children are affected by AIDS in Malaysia? They are affected either through infection, or through the deaths of family members. Where are the nationwide media campaigns to inform the public in the kampungs about the dangers of HIV and AIDS? An actual killer disease, whose transmission is preventable through actually proven methods. Where is it? Oh, the occasional poster that says if women get AIDS it’s their own fault for dressing sexy or wearing lipstick?
Where is the nationwide panic and alarm about a real and genuine threat to thousands of Malaysians? Where is it? Oh, it’s not there because AIDS is a culturally unacceptable disease, because the majority of AIDS and HIV high risk areas are Muslim populated areas, so the newspapers aren’t allowed to suggest that people there fornicate outside of marriage, or comit “unnatural” homosexual acts, or inject drugs with dirty needles. And yet there are thousands of people who aren’t aware of the real and genuine threat to their health.
If Malaysians care so much about their wellbeing then where are the campaigns to eradicate bad driving? Where are the government drives to remove and imprison the men who issue licenses only to those that bribe? Where is the concerted effort to educate and punish traffic offenders who kill people on the roads every day. Where are the statistics that show the amount of deaths on the road, compared to the amount of H1N1 deaths? Where are they? Why are they not there? Because H1N1 would pale into absolute insignificance when charted next to deaths from AIDS, Road related deaths, Mosquito borne diseases, Smoking related deaths, Alcohol related deaths, motorcyclists driving without helmets, or any number of other causes of death.
I think even a cursory glance at the statistics would show more people have been killed by their TVs, irons, showers and even their toasters than have been killed by H1N1. Perhaps we need a nationwide ban on showers, because people die from slipping over. Perhaps the government should issue mandatory non-slip showermats to every home.
How many healthy, able bodies normal healthy adults have been struck down and killed by Swine Flu? Tell me that thousands of people in the prime of their life are going to simply drop dead at the drop of a hat and then, maybe, I will start to get concerned. The threat of AIDS is a real and genuine threat, that kills adults and children alike, kills them stone dead and no mistake. But H1N1, really, it’s not actually that dangerous, it’s just the Flu, that’s all. I’ve had Flu about 20 times in my life (I come from a cold country and get Flu every winter without fail) am I dead yet? No.
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