Friday February 17, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Swine flu virus starting to look less threatening

World May. 02, 2009 - 04:00AM JST ( 12 )

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12 Comments

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tigerguyMay. 02, 2009 - 08:13AM JST

That's definitely great newss to hear. What a relief! I'm still going to take all the extra precautions and care like wearing a mask on the crowded and germ-filled trains.
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KnowBetterMay. 02, 2009 - 08:17AM JST
"The swine flu virus that has frightened the world is beginning to look a little less ominous."

Funny considering it was the media that made it SO FRIGHTENING!!!

I think that media outlets should be fined for their part in damaging an already frail world economy with such self serving stories. The fines collected should go to repairing the damage caused by loss of business due to over hyping a common flu by making it into the "end of the world scenario live at 5 story".

Just in case you missed it here are some simple facts I found to put things into perspective about this “swine flu”.
- In Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter, new cases and the death rate were leveling off, the country's top medical officer said. Health authorities there have confirmed 343 swine flu cases and 15 deaths from the virus. ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/ )
- Mexico has a population of around 107 to 111 million people depending on where you get your facts from.
- The U.S. has a population of just over 306 million people.
- About 36,000 Americans die on average per year from the complications of flu. ( http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm )
- There are 6.776 billion people on this planet so using a 1st world nation's death rate ( the U.S. ) for the common flu is a fairly conservative way to figure out how many would die worldwide from the common flu EVERY YEAR which would be 797,200 DEAD ( pretty sure the number is WAY higher) and that is the normal FLU not this FANCY Swine flu that they claim is far worse because CNN and NHK scare you into believing the hype.
- Remember SARS During November 2002 through July 2003, a total of 8,098 people worldwide became sick with severe acute respiratory syndrome that was accompanied by either pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome (probable cases), according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Of these, 774 died. By late July 2003, no new cases were being reported, and WHO declared the global outbreak to be over. ( http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/faq.htm )
- Remember the how the world almost stopped traveling because of all the hype? Remember the fear created by the media and how Japan went right off the deep end?
- Now if you really want to worry about something that you can prevent think about this: Around 1.5 million people die each year worldwide due to smoking-related diseases, a rate of one death every 13 seconds. ( http://www.emro.who.int/Publications/HealthEdReligion/Smoking/QA.htm )
- For Japan, over 336,000 people die in that country from cancer and most of these have lung cancer. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Many-People-Die-From-Cancer-Each-Year?&id=2038102
Some Mexicans interviewed claim it came from Canada because they saw one Canadian that was sick and then everyone else became ill. Yes, that is how misinformed people can get if someone lets their mouth run off 'stories' that are just that, stories, because they have NO actual FACTS!!!
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medievaltimesMay. 02, 2009 - 08:44AM JST

Japanese people talk to me about this flu thing on a daily basis. By the way they talk, you would think the world is coming to an end.
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pawatanMay. 02, 2009 - 09:18AM JST

Funny considering it was the media that made it SO FRIGHTENING!!!

They're just reporting what the governments are feeding them. I think its all these public health institutions that are to blame for the hysteria.
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IvanCoughalotMay. 02, 2009 - 09:46AM JST

Next distraction will arrive about Thursday.
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OssanAmericaMay. 02, 2009 - 09:52AM JST

Personally I have held the view that is expressed in the article for a while now. It was public knowledge pretty early on that the symptoms of this swine flu were essentially the same as the average annual flu. In no way was it as frightening as the dreaded avian flu that can take a young adult from flu symproms to severe pneumonia to death in a matter of weeks. It seems pretty clear that the media are creating a near panic over this issue,
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knackerzMay. 02, 2009 - 11:31AM JST

Flu pandemics come in waves, wait until next winter and then people in the northern hemisphere will see it coming round again.
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likeitisMay. 02, 2009 - 12:01PM JST

Swine flu? Somebody did not get the memo. Its H1N1 now. LOL
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bobbafettMay. 02, 2009 - 12:25PM JST

the only thing that needs to be quarantined is the media. swines!
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suebe36dMay. 02, 2009 - 02:19PM JST

Outbreak caused by overcrowding, stress, polluted air ...? Poor, old, weak, stressed succumbed? Avoid crowds, stress and unhealthy conditions the answer in this case too?
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WilliBMay. 02, 2009 - 06:49PM JST

The great distraction fades away. I wondered from the start what this idiotic brouhaha was about.