More Flu

A week has passed, and the news about the flu is both reassuring and worrisome. The H1N1 virus appears to be no worse than any other seasonal flu, so the fears about a new "super-flu" have receded. It does not appear that we are back in 1918, when millions worldwide died of a new type of influenza.

However, there are as of today (May 10, 2009) 2254 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in the United States, and the death toll in Mexico has been raised to 48, according to Reuters. That fits with the toll from a seasonal flu, but if this had been a "super-flu," then mortality would no doubt have been much higher. And with this being a new type of flu, it is a trial run for the real thing if (when) it comes along.

Most authorities think that we are overdue for a severe form of flu, by about 20-30 years. The appearance of severe pandemics of influenza has followed a pattern of one about every 30 years, and our last extreme flu was in 1968, when the Hong Kong flu took 70,000 lives in the U. S. Even that epidemic was not as severe as some others, including the Asian flu in the 1957-8. Much of the decrease in severity may be the result of better medical care, better sanitation, and immunization.

One wag on the radio said that there was concern about the swine flu combining with avian flu, such that pigs would indeed fly....

So, if you think you've got the flu, stay home. Watch daytime TV. That alone will be enough to make you love your job when you return to it.