The Swine Flu Scare: Reality Check
by We have come a long way since the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 that claimed 500,00 lives. While we should be concerned about the Swine flu, it is pertinent to note that there are pandemics around the world that claim millions of lives annually.
Another virus is creating havoc with our minds and lives. Fear is everywhere as we hear the frightening predictions of an impending pandemic. We are overly sensitive to our co-worker’s sniffle, and rush to cover our faces when someone coughs in an elevator that we may have the misfortune to ride on. It is reminiscent of previous scares like the SARS and Bird Flu, with many of us being made to feel that impending doom is a handshake away.
Reality check! The world population is around 6.5 billion. Approximately 32% of the world’s population die from nutritional deficiencies, maternal and prenatal conditions and communicable diseases. The life expectancy for people in Swaziland is 31.9 years of age. There are an estimated 50 million cases of dengue fever annually according to the WHO(World Health Organization)
In the United States alone, an estimated 20,000 people die from the flu annually. The Rotavirus virus is responsible for more than 600,000 children in developing countries annually. The worst flu epidemic in the United States was the Spanish flu in 1918 that killed some 500,000 people.
I haven’t touched on the millions of deaths caused by sheer poverty and hunger worldwide. And don’t get me started on the loss of human lives as a direct result of wars, civil and others. But what does this all have to do with the Swine Flu? You probably figured it out already.
We have come a long way since the Spanish flu of 1918, and North America and Europe have made great advances in the medical arena. So should we be in panic mode right now as a result of the Swine flu scare? The fact is that there have been reports of sporadic swine flu infections in humans over the years but there was never a widespread outbreak. So the swine flu is by no means a new flu strain.
The WHO has raised the pandemic alert as cases of infection in the US reached the near hundred mark and has warned that the virus could spread at an alarming rate.
Should we be concerned? The answer is yes. Should we panic? The answer is no. I urge you, rather, to look at the big picture. The Swine flu or H1N1 may be nearing pandemic status with 100 plus infections in the United States but there are pandemics occurring right now in different parts of the world as the statistics above show. Do we care? Should we care?
Fortunately, in North America, we can do something to protect ourselves – washing our hands is critical to preventing the spread of any flu viruses. Unfortunately for millions around the world, they do not even have the luxury of clean, available water for washing hands.
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