Swine Flu - In perspective

In a typical year in the United States 36,000 people die of flu related illness. Here.

The over-reaction by the press and the scare-mongering / poorly qualified information is unbelievable. There are even conspiracy theorists in the States wondering why the National Guard has recently purchased a lot of body bags. Others wondering if this 'event' is a means of disposing of the excess manufacture of the Tamiflu vaccine produced in response to the bird flu outbreak that has a fixed shelf life... apparently. Others are more extreme; distraction from the poor state of the economy, give people something to worry about, a means of forcing control on the populace, a result of excessive use of anti-biotics, a form of population control withotu the need of a war... the list goes on and on.

The doom merchants are clearly having a field day.

All this aside, the outbreak is of a particularly virulent form. Mexico City is a tad crowded. Similarly, the trend for people to move and live in urban areas will heighten the likelihood of any infection spreading.