My H1N1 Rant

Don't worry, this rant will be short and sweet...

So the world is up in a frenzy about the H1N1 flu... why? Media, media, media. Like everything else, the media likes to make the most of everything. Because H1N1 is an influenza strain not previously found in humans, there has been generalized panic and the media feeds on this. And in my opinion, societal panic can be worse than the pandemic itself. The surge in utilization of health care resources by those with a simple cold, in an already over-taxed health care system, can be devastating to those who are truly sick and need help the most. And the surge has begun.

Having said that, I do feel the health care industry and CDC treated this pandemic appropriately... with caution and respect. People are being educated, vaccines are being produced as rapidly as possible, hospitals and clinics are taking precautions, and we move on.

The truth is that the H1N1 virus is no worse, and generally produces a milder illness, than the regular influenza strains we live with each year. H1N1 does seem to spread somewhat faster, and therefore we will probably see a larger number of people contracting the disease, but otherwise it's generally unimpressive. Like regular influenza, the very young and the very old, and those with comprimised immune systems, are most at risk.

Please take a few minutes to become educated on the facts and myths of H1N1... check out the CDC's info page at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ Also click on the Flu.gov widget on the side of our blog. The better we educate ourselves about H1N1, the better we serve ourselves, our families, our healthcare system, and our society as a whole. May you all stay healthy and have a wonderful flu season!