Amidst the Swine Flu Panic: A Voice of Reason

While the media and internet focus on hype over concern of a pending pandemic of Swine Flu, many are calmly awaiting to see how severe the cases increase in numbers.

Possibly many more people, however, will buy into protecting themselves with a vaccination, touted by pharma giants as the answer to protecting their health. Personally, I would be very dubious of taking such action.

Why?

Do you recall the Hong Kong Flu fright in 1968 and later in 1976 when we had been alerted of a pending Swine Flu pandemic resulting in millions of people in the USA participating in a mass campaign for a vaccination?  I recall reading several months later about the results of that campaign:

• over $1 million in claims were filed by victims who had suffered paralysis
  
• Twenty five deaths were blamed on the vaccine itself
  
• hundreds of people developed Guillain-Barré Syndrom, including healthy younger people who ended up as paraplegics.

The saddest and most horrific aspect of this was that the Swine Flu vaccine killed more people than the Swine Flu itself. And of course, the pandemic never came to be.

That’s not to say that a Swine Flu couldn’t happen on a global scale (although from what I’ve read, it is highly unlikely) but I would encourage anyone to read and research about what is being suggested as insurance against Swine Flu before standing in line for an inoculation.

There is a thought provoking and fact-based article offered by a Dr. Mercola which I recommend for anyone who is starting to feel the grip of fear over this pending Swine Flu pandemic; it is a well researched piece, a voice of reason amidst the hype and fear mongering over an infectious disease that has only 82 reported cases world wide (as of April 27).

Also, to keep abreast of the actual cases being confirmed in the USA, Goolge has a Swine Flu tracking map available.

For now,  I’ll keep away from airports and airline travel. And I’m not likely to buy into any mass vaccination campaign. The rest of my daily life will continue without the panic of “what if.”  I really have little control anyways and it serves no purpose to worry.

Be Healthy!

~ Rebe