We're not? There have been more kids and teenagers who died of H1N1 just in October than the usual number for an entire flu season. [link] Every website that I look at seems to have different numbers for the total number of deaths, but with the rate that this is growing, I think it could pretty easily reach the projected numbers by the time flu season is over. Usually, peak flu season is November through March or April. We're not there yet.

Remember the school closings? Kristin's school was going to close for two weeks and get the place decontaminated if they had a single case. The initial freak-out was disproportionate.

The initial freak-out was disproportionate.

I agree, but the inital media-fueled distortion is a separate issue from whether or not people should get vaccinated.

Which is to say, just because it was blown out of proportion then doesn't mean that it isn't of massive proportions now.

ION, I'm still watching Buffy S2, and Passion is on right now, and I'm up to the Flaming Baseball Bat of Vengeance. Fuck, I love this episode.

A whole bunch of universities have set up swine flu dorms. Anyone who gets H1N1 goes to live in a special quarantine area until they get better, to avoid it spreading around the regular dorms. Most schools had one or two confirmed cases in the spring, and a few hundred in the fall. [link] I remember everyone at my university getting freaked out when there were three confirmed cases here in the spring. No one actually seems to be counting anymore, but as of October 1, there were 500 possible cases (people who had flu symptoms but hadn't been tested.)

I agree, but the inital media-fueled distortion is a separate issue from whether or not people should get vaccinated.

I wish it could be seperate, but I suspect its why a lot of people who don't get vaccinated choose that route.

Earlier today, a pregnant friend posted on facebook asking if she should get the vaccine. Nearly all of the "no" responses were because "we don't know enough about it" or worries about mercury.

No one actually seems to be counting anymore, but as of October 1, there were 500 possible cases (people who had flu symptoms but hadn't been tested.)

That's another thing... who's getting tested? People with health insurance and sick days. People without those things are going to spend whatever time they can scrape together resting (rather than sitting in a clinic all day to get a test and be told 'rest and fluids'), get out of bed far sooner than they should in order to make rent and keep their jobs in a POS economy, and infect plenty of people in the process. They're simultaneously screwing up the statistics and spreading the thing.

If we were to be thoughtful and serious about these things we'd have to go and do things comprehensively. And nobody wants that - we're 'murricans and someone brown might get somtehin' free. Much better to go with the hysteria policy that characterizes so much of our healthcare.

The whole thing is so discouraging.

On that facebook thread, a few people are citing Dr. Marcola about why to not get vaccinated. [link] The friend who posted the question says that her OB said to get it, her mother (who is a nurse) said to get it, a few of her facebook friends who are nurses (including one who's been taking care of some H1N1-infected pregnant women in the ICU) say to get it, but she's still unsure because of worries that the vaccine could be dangerous.

I wish teachers were considered high risk. I swear we get exposed to just as many germs as the average health care worker. I mean, totally wouldn't take one from a pregnant woman, but I am exposed to a lot of illness and have the chance to expose it to a lot more people, many with young immune systems.

I'm also biased right now because I'm sick and worried about what the sick is. I took a sick day today but don't want to take more if possible. I wish I knew it this were just a simple cold.

Hil, re your friend and Dr. Mercola's advice, if you felt up to the potential stomach quease of a Facebook kerfuffle, you could always post Science-Based Medicine's brutal takedown of Mercola from a few days ago.

Cindy, that's fabulous, fantastic news!

Yay, Cindy! I'm so relieved for you!