Mexico calmly addressed the issue of a spreading disease with actions that would have had American businesses and the Republicans in a state of fury. Mexico had essentially shut down their most major city to contain the disease. Can you imagine telling everyone in New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago to stay home? There are over 22 million people living in the Mexico City metropolitan area making it is one of the largest cities in the world. Depending on the area included that would be even larger than metropolitan New York.
This past week we all read that trials on Swine Flu vaccines would be starting very shortly throughout the United States. Strangely we then read that there is the possibility that 40% of the American population could become ill from this disease. Today European nations are on a fast track to start the use of the new vaccine as early as next month despite possible side effects.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control) reported that of 21,449 cases that the number of deaths has nearly doubled to 87. That is a small number when you consider that thousands of people die each year from flu. CDC reports that annual flu deaths (excluding Swine Flu) average 36,000 have been challenged but clearly annual deaths from various flu strains is in the thousands.
So why the panic? It is not clear to me that the accelerated and possibly dangerous vaccination process is the right thing to do.
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