If this doctor is really testing for the swine flu in his officer after July, he’s unique because state labs stopped testing for swine flu in July. What is happening now is that doctors test for regular flu and if you come up positive they assume you have the swine flu. Only those hospitalized and the dead are tested in this country for swine flu.
The other thing is that he’s using that bogus number of 36,000 dying from regular flu every year. That was a number made up by CDC on the fly in April and it was way off. Usually one to two thousand people die from regular flu each year.
I agree we don’t want to panic people. But giving out real data and the truth is the best way to not panic people. Knowledge is safety with our health.
Sarah, the CDC made those guestimates regarding mortality because not all hospitals report inflenza, and not everyone with influenza goes to a hospital in the first place.
Nursing homes don’t file reports with the CDC.
The CDC is trying to make it’s best guess. It is not trying to participate in some grand conspiracy.
People who think there are only 2000 influenza deaths each year scare the hell out of me. It’s like the group of people out there who think Obama is great because he has to be, he’s black.
Both are equally rational... or should I say irrational.
I spent 35 years working in the medical filed, 26 of those years in a major hospital and another nine years in some of the largest closed door pharmacies in the nation.
Massive numbers of people die each year from influenza. I don’t care if you want to believe it or not, but quit trying to foist off your ignorance on others.