Posted on 05/03/2009 5:12:54 PM PDT by neverdem
ALL epidemics are different in their own way, and the current swine flu outbreak — which by Friday had sickened 141 people in 19 states, and caused deaths and illness in Mexico and 13 other countries — is no exception. Yet, as you can see from the chart below, which provides details on a selected handful of epidemics in American history, all outbreaks share certain themes. While some of these events killed many thousands and others affected only a few, in each case public health officials felt a grave threat was imminent and did what they could using the science of the day.
History also shows us, unfortunately, that epidemics lead to reflexive scapegoating of those thought to have caused the problem. Just as European immigrants were blamed for importing cholera in the late 19th century, we are now seeing reports of American politicians saying that Mexican migrant workers should be turned away from hospitals and a rash of scurrilous posts on the Internet attributing the outbreak to their “dirty” ways of life. Another common feature is misinformation. There are now boycotts around the world of Mexican pork, despite well-established science that humans do not contract swine flu from eating pork...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
micro ping
I've done extensive vaccinations for measles, TB and polio in the cattle camps of semi-nomadic tribes in Uganda. While these people have very little in the way of possessions, education or technological progress, they did have enough wisdom to isolate & quarantine their measles cases.
Perhaps we should have a few Karamajong warriors over to educate the NY Times.
Which of the liars numbers are we supposed to believe? They all seem to be trying to out-do each other.
Is everything, no matter how serious or silly, going to be a crisis for the next four years?
Gimme a friggin break, ok, Obama? This ole fart has been through Scarlet Fever epidemics, Polio epidemics, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, epidemics, not to mention bird flu from china, HIV from monkeys - or was it goats - whatever (it was going to kill us all, 'member?). I'm starting to catch on to the panic BS that seems to drive the 'Bama administration.
Make it a crises, raise taxes and spending!
Yeah! That will fix our troubles!
Gimme a friggin break! (But I repeat myself).
“going to be a crisis the nest four years?”
It depends on which ball 0 wants you to watch on any given day/week. Since he has the media sensationalizing the “swine flu” in the last couple of weeks, he has nationalized Chrysler, passed the “brown shirt”(paid mandatory volunteer) bill, dismissed the million angry taxpayers, etc, with a minimum of scrutiny because he WANTS the US public focused on the flu”crisis” while he performs other and numerous sleight of hand (dirty) tricks.
Well said.
There were a series of flu epidemics in the 19th century.
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