[BagCamAddict]

My best friend got a call last night from her friend who works at CDC. Said we are intentionally not being told the true numbers. Said it is much worse than we are hearing from media or from CDC itself. In addition to the lag time you mentioned, this disinformation is intentional to try to control panic. Also, so they can “manage” things in the early stages (make preps for flooded emergency rooms, free up funding, prep for quarantine, you name it).

My friend lives in Wash DC... People riding the Metro (train) stop near a large Govt complex were wearing masks.

[penelopesire]

Thanks for the info. Very scary.

[BunnySlippers]

Who to believe. This is front and center on the LA Times website:

Scientists See This Flu Strain As Relatively Mild

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3606923.story

Dr. Christopher Olsen a molecular virologist who studies swine flu says to keep this outbreak in perspective. Remember the annual flu kills 10s of thousands.

Richard Webbey, a leading influenza virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says “This virus doesn’t have anywhere near the capacity to kill like the 1918 virus”.

Peter Palese, a microbiologist and influenza expert at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in NY says, “There are certain characterists, molecular signatures, that this virus lacks”. In short it lacks an amino acid that would make the virus deadly.

I’m inclined to believe these quoted sources rather than a friend of a friend who knows someone at the CDC. No offense to anyone here.

Let’s be prepared but get facts before getting carried away.

[AmericanInTokyo]

MANY Japanese tonight on the subway were wearing such masks. It is unprecedented for late April or early May. A nearby shop (I spoke to the salesgirl within the last four hours) told me they sold out, she sold 50 in one hour, so about one a minute. I think the media here in Japan is being a lot more realistic and getting people ready, than what Americans are being told by their brain dead, happy talking, empty suit, shallow MSM talking down to dumbed down people (so they treat us).

But it is no secret, lots of this news is right here on on the Internet, in Japanese. You dont have to dig very deep to find it. US Government officials, Obama, Biden, etc. cannot keep a lid on this much longer. However, Biden's comments just a few hours ago would confirm what your CDC contact is intimating about this bugger of a virus. I found his big, oafish mouth this morning to be very instructive.