I admire some bloggers. Particularly those with more than one child who manage to blog more frequently than me. I mean, I love blogging, but sometimes, even for as long as a whole week, there's no energy left in me at all. Ok, there were nights with little sleep (which I can only in part blame on Cubling). There was a girlie night in watching Sex in the City (what utter rubbish!) and a fabulous gig by the amazing Duke Special.
Apart from that, I was too tired to blog, knit, make cards for two imminent weddings which I won't be able to attend. Lethargy took over, and all I could manage was browse the internet until my eyes fell shut.
My mind was rather occupied by the flu. Not in the sense that I had it, but the media coverage of the (swine) flu. It seemed clear to me way before the official announcement that something in the reporting wasn't right. As someone who needs to evidence anything I do in my day job, with facts, numbers and analysis, the information didn't add up. Expected, suspected prefixed to infections and deaths in Mexico, and numbers going up then down, to me sent out warning signals that really, nobody seemed to know a thing. I was sceptical of the danger, and didn't quite believe that there was a real threat. Still, better cautious than not. The best thing in my view that came out of the whole pandemic shebang is that antiviral drugs are now available and health services take the flu seriously. I can't see how the pandemic is more of a threat to us than seasonal flu. However, I kid you not, seasonal flu is a threat to us. Especially if health professionals underestimate symptoms reported to them and by negligence cause devastating and unspeakable loss. So, as ever, we interpret big stories from personal perspectives. And all I can say is that it's a good thing we learn about watching flu, and to have a health system on alert. I don't want to go into numbers, but flu kills lots of people every single year. I hope never to have to see the adverts before Christmas again that tell us not to contact the doctor if we have the flu and rather just to get on with it.
And our Christmas will never be the same again.
4 comments:
I saw a figure that it kills an average of 36,000 people in the US every year. Not a small figure by any means.
It really makes you wonder why then, is flu in general taken so easy. Niamh, any info in Mexico about the profile of those who died of the swine flu? Does it match the profile for seasonal flu, or are more young adults affected than would be exptected?
I guess the problem in this country is that a good many people state they have the 'flu when really its a severe cold. (One collegue springs to mind)
I've had 'flu twice in my life and I was in bed a fortnight - nothing was ever prescribed. thankfully nowadays the young and old can get medication , but they seem to forget that it can kill at any age.
You are right when you say that nobody has a good grasps of the facts and figures - my thoughts exactly.
Mhairi, I know what you mean - people love to call a cold the flu. Don't know why really, to boast with how ill they are? It would be good for people to be better informed so as to not cry wolf, and then also for serious cases to get medical attention rather than making little of them.
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