ACH NEIN!! DIE SCHWEINEGRIPPE!!!

I was planning on writing a typical blog today that started out with this article I found on Spiegel online but once I started writing, I couldn't stop. So today we now have a very special Swine Flu edition of my blog.

~cue lights and dramatic music~

I finally found a swine flu article worthy of sharing. I found this article on Spiegel Online (don't worry, it's in English). The article is an interview with epidemiologist Tom Jefferson. Jefferson's thoughts about the Swine flu are very similar to my own. I have been skeptical of the swine flu "pandemic" since it came about earlier this spring. This is mostly because WHO and many scientists have been crying flu-wolf for quite awhile now. They terrified everyone with the bird flu a few years ago and that ended up just being silly. They have been telling us for years now that we are over-due for an influenza pandemic. I find this statement ridiculous. If we had control over when pandemics hit, then they wouldn't be a problem. How can we say when we're supposed to have pandemics? We can estimate from past pandemics, but they aren't an orderly occurrence, pandemics aren't migrating geese.

When Jefferson was asked why he thought scientists paid so much attention to the influenza viruses when there are so many others out there, he responded the same way I would: Money. There is money for the scientists and for the pharmaceutical companies in influenza. I'm not saying that there is not going to be a huge problem with the swine flu, but I'm not convinced that there will be either. Jefferson also mentioned in the article that WHO had changed the definition of pandemic so Swine flu could be declared as one. They changed the definition by dropping two major qualifying features: high morbidity and mortality rates . . . okkkkkkk. This pretty much says to me that the Swine Flu is not a pandemic. It just needed the name to scare people. I did not previously know about this change and I figure most people are also unaware which adds to their growing fear of the swine flu. People hear the word "Pandemic" and they think of an uncontrollable virus that kills most everyone it infects. Now it apparently means a virus that spreads a lot . . . but that sounds much less dramatic and won't convince everyone and their mother to buy certain anti-flu drugs (which Jefferson also mentioned seems to have some major psychological side-affects) and get a flu shot (which typically don't even work for the regular flu). Speaking of the seasonal flu, Jefferson mentions in this article that only about 7% of cases involving influenza-like symptoms caused by actual influenza viruses. There are tons of infections that can cause the same symptoms of an influenza virus that all get grouped together and raise the numbers for influenza cases each year making it look far worse than it should.

The swine flu issue bothers me for a number of reasons. First of all, I don't think all this flu-hysteria is really healthy for the world. There are sooo many bigger problems that could be dealt with, but everyone is super paranoid about the swine flu. I read a headline somewhere that the WHO recommended that countries start closing schools to slow the spread of the virus. That may sound awesome if you're in the third grade and you get to stay home and watch power rangers all day but what about high school seniors that want to celebrate senior year and go on to college in a year, they would have to wait around another year? What about people in college? I DO NOT want to stick around until 2012 to graduate, I can hardly wait until 2011! I am supposed to study in Germany next spring, now I have to think about what if they won't let me go over there? That screws up my entire schedule of completing my degree. What if I get there and they won't let me go home? That sucks. What if I can go there and get home but I have to stay in the Germany the whole time or that one town the whole time? I love Germany, but I have plans to visit some other places while I'm there. This only adds stress that I do not need. Thanks WHO.

This adds stress to everyone. When people hear that schools are being closed, then they are going to get even more paranoid. This makes it sound like it is spreading like lice and killing everyone who gets it. This could lead to people not traveling which will hurt everyone's already fragile economy. People may start locking themselves and their families up in their houses and stopping all human contact. Mass hysteria can break out over something that might not even be that big of a deal.

I also have a big problem with the way that they have "advertised" (for the lack of a better word) the swine flu. It began in Mexico, ok. It killed people there, ok. When this first began it was a huge story that this new influenza virus was killing Mexicans and was going to come to the US and kill us too. During this time, shortly after people in the US started getting infected as well, I heard a phrase on the news that said "We are still trying to figure out why the Swine Flu is killing people in Mexico but not in the US." My response was " . . . . . really? really? . . . you really don't know? Do you know anything about Mexico? . . .rrrrrright." Of course this is going to kill more people in an unfortunate country like Mexico, they don't have the same standard of living as we do. Of course now it is killing people in the US, but they are not your average healthy person. It is known to hit younger people more than the seasonal flu, but it's not killing perfectly healthy people. When you read further into the cases of people who died, then you find that they had other underlying problems. They had heart problems or lung problems or they already had pneumonia. The seasonal flu could have killed these people as well.

Another major reason the swine flu hype doesn't sit well with me is the involvement of the pharmaceutical companies. I would need another special pharmaceudical edition blog to express my huge problem with this but I will try and sum it up. A short disclaimer first: I do not have a problem with all Pharmaceutical companies. Some make wonderful drugs that help people and some very nice people can work for them (like my father). However, some pharmaceutical companies feed on this fear that spreads quicker than any pandemic can. This recently happened when a certain company introduced their cervical cancer vaccine which supposedly prevents cervical cancer (but not all types if you listen to the end of the commercial). This vaccine took off and some states even require girls to get the vaccine. However, when further researched, you find out that it was fast tracked and the long term side affects are absolutely unknown. I refused to get the vaccine even though my doctor pressured me for about 10 minutes because I do not trust that it is really worth it. It does not prevent all types of cervical cancer and who knows what affects it will have later on in life. A few months later I read an article that this company had begun researching to see if they could expand the HPV diseases they could advertise this drug as preventing. This is mostly because not enough girls were willing to get the vaccine. If they could prove that it would prevent other HPV diseases then they could also begin marketing to boys and older people as well. I then read an article about some pretty bad side-affects that were popping up. But as I thought I would be, I am WAY off track.

Anyway, Jefferson mentioned in his article his skepticism over flu shots because they really only seem to work on healthy young people but they are marketed for really young and really old people in which studies have found the flu shot rather ineffective. I have never gotten a flu shot because I really see no need. I hear a lot about people who have never had the flu, get the shot and then get the flu that year. Companies are also coming out with drugs that are supposed to lessen and shorten flu symptoms. I have read that they do work if taken correctly but they can have some nasty side-affects and recently the swine flu seems to be building a resistance to these drugs. Lucky for these companies, people who are being misinformed about Swine flu and subsequently terrified, will likely hand over their money in exchange for a falsely guided piece of mind. (I'm pretty sure this blog just made it impossible for me to ever work for a pharmaceutical company)

I think I'm going to stop my ranting here since my hands are getting tired and your eyes are probably killing you. I apologize for the epic length of this blog but I hope that you did read it and took a look at the Spiegel article. I think the entire thing was probably good enough for PSA of the day but here's a good pork recipe from my mom's collection in case I'm wrong and the swine flu wipes out the majority of our population ;-)

Pork in Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
2 T olive oil
2/3 C dry white wine

1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 C cider vinegar
3 T dried rosemary
2 T dried sage
1 T dried parsley
2/3 C balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 375.
Simmer onion and cider vinegar until soft.
Add rosemary, sage, parsley, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. set aside
Dry the meat and rub with 1 T olive oil. Brown on all sides in remaining oil. Transfer to roasting pan and add 1/3 C wine. Roast 15 minutes, add remaining wine and roast 15 minutes more.
Allow to cool and transfer to large zip-lock bag. Add marinade mixture and marinate 8 hours in refrigerator. serve warm or at room temperature.

That'll teach those pigs to mess with us!

Feel free to comment with your opinions if you agree or disagree with what I said.

♥