Is the Swine Flu Really a National Emergency?
by Vin Miller
As you most likely already know, on October 24th, President Obama declared the swine flu a national emergency. Despite how frightening this sounds, the reasoning behind the declaration is not what most people are likely to think.
Swine flu has been a hot topic since last spring and was predicted to spread during this year’s flu season. Although the prediction is holding true and it seems that more people than normal are sick right now, the swine flu is still not the deadly pandemic that the media warned us about over the summer, and this is not what President Obama’s emergency declaration was meant to suggest.
The Reason Behind the Declaration
According to the official statement released by the White House, the intention behind the declaration of swine flu as a national emergency is to lessen restrictions on health care facilities and government run health insurance programs. This is expected to minimize the possibility of health care facilities being overwhelmed and sick people being denied treatment as a result.
In this news release from the Associated Press, Dr. Peter Hotez, a microbiology professor and chairman at George Washington University, is quoted as saying “I think the term emergency declaration sounds more dramatic than it really is. … It’s largely an administrative move that’s more preemptive …” Despite this, the thought of a national emergency is probably causing a lot of people to panic even though the swine flu isn’t any more dangerous now than it was prior to the President’s announcement.
CBS News Tells a Much Different Story
CBS News conducted a three month investigation on swine flu and concluded that the majority of people who’ve been diagnosed without being tested probably never had the swine flu and may not have even had the flu at all. Based on this, the prevalence of the swine flu is likely to have been overstated. In fact, CBS asked 50 states for their statistics on lab confirmed cases of swine flu, and to the surprise of many, the vast majority of test results were negative, even for the seasonal flu.
Back in July, the CDC stopped counting individual cases of swine flu and hastily advised that all states stop testing. According to the CDC, since the swine flu was already recognized as a pandemic, this would save resources. However, the CDC has since advised that people who were diagnosed without being tested should be vaccinated due to the uncertainty. Apparently, the CDC is more concerned about conserving resources than the welfare of the people who’ve developed natural immunity to the swine flu and will be risking their health with a potentially dangerous vaccination that they have no need for. Fortunately, it seems that some doctors’ offices have been continuing to test despite the CDC’s recommendation.
According to this old 60 Minutes episode, the 1976 swine flu outbreak was surrounded by quite a bit of misleading propaganda. Perhaps we’re facing more of the same.
The Best Defense Against Swine Flu is Still Being Neglected
Despite the safety concerns regarding the swine flu vaccine and the fact that many health care professionals are refusing to take it themselves, it’s still being perceived as the best defense.
What most people already know but are apparently unwilling to embrace is that they have a much lower risk of catching any type of flu if they’re healthy and have a strong immune system. By today’s standards, it doesn’t take much for the average person to assume that they’re healthier than they really are, and some people would rather accept the risks associated with vaccination than make an effort to get more sleep, reduce their stress, and eat healthier food. Ironically, these are things that we should all be doing anyway to promote optimal health and live better lives.
I’m probably tempting fate by saying this, but many of the people around me have already been sick this fall and I haven’t even had so much as a sniffle. I didn’t catch any of the common illnesses being passed around last year either and can’t remember the last time that I did. This is despite my history with chronic fatigue syndrome which is closely associated with immune deficiency. I certainly don’t think that I’m invincible to the swine flu or any other illness, but I know that the odds are strongly in my favor. I’d much rather error on the side of trusting my immune system and healthy lifestyle habits than expose myself to the unnatural and potentially dangerous ingredients of a vaccination.
Where do You Stand?
Now that the swine flu has been declared as a national emergency, it will undoubtedly have more people thinking about vaccination. In addition, it seems that a lot of children are catching the swine flu, at least where I live, and I’m sure this is a significant concern for many parents. Before you choose to have yourself or your family vaccinated, learn about the risks and weigh them against the benefits so that you can make an informed decision. You can start by visiting the National Vaccine Information Center, which is an excellent resource. In addition, Dr. Mercola has written extensively about this topic and has an entire section of his website dedicated to swine flu articles.
If you’d like to learn more about strengthening your immune system with healthy lifestyle habits, sign up for my free course, 7 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Happier, and Healthier You.
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Another great article Vin! It is so important to educate people about this topic. You’re right….the term “national emergency” has thrown many people into a panic about this issue and when you really look at the research and statistics, you can easily see that it’s not the “emergency” that the media and government (and pharmaceutical industry!) want us to believe. Taking a vaccination is NOT the best defense. Keeping your immune system strong and having optimal health, is the best defense. Thanks for sharing those great resources too!
Hi Melissa, thanks for your comment! It’s too bad the government can’t find a more subtle way to make health care more accessible than to declare a “national emergency” and make a big media event out of it. Although, not much surprises me in regard to politics anymore and I suppose it may very well be that some organizations prefer it this way.
This, like all your other posts, is dead on! I haven’t gotten any vaccinations and don’t plan to! And some people in my office have been sick twice and I’ve been fine! I follow a low-carb diet, and I’ve read in multiple sources that a typical American diet of high-carbs has been shown to reduce the immune system’s efficency. I also make sure to get plenty of rest, water, and exercise too- I know this helps too!
Why is it that everyone is so quick to get a vaccination when it’s much better for you to just have healthy habits? Oh right, because that’s the “quick and easy” way to do it…
Love your blog!
Hi April, thanks for your comment! I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying the blog.
There are so many problems that can be caused by consuming excessive amounts of carbohydrates, which is exactly what many Americans are doing, that I think it’s one of the most important lifestyle habits to address, with or without a concern for immunity.
I think H1N1’s potential for disaster is much greater than it’s currently manifested, but still very real. If you look back at the Spanish Influenze of the early 1920’s, it came in two waves–one in the early summer, and then the lethal killer wave in the late fall. It’s the flu’s ability to mutate and gain traction that’s frightening, as well as it’s ability to transcend normal healthy immune system’s abilities to fight it off. The Spanish Influenza was the most lethal amongst the healthiest people, because it triggered their own immune systems to kill them in what’s called a cytokine storm. Were the H1N1 flu to develop that ability, we would be well and truly in trouble.
However! It doesn’t seem to be, so maybe we dodged that bullet.
Hi Phil, thanks for your comment!
I agree, the swine flu should definitely not be taken lightly. However, it won’t do anyone any good to panic over it (which will weaken immunity) or jump to conclusions about the need for vaccination. If H1N1 does mutate into a more dangerous strain, and let’s all hope that it doesn’t, the vaccinations that are being made now probably won’t be effective against it.
If a mutation of H1N1 developed that was expected to cause the cytokine storm, and an effective vaccine existed for it, perhaps this would be one case in which vaccination would be a more reasonable option.
Hey Vin,
I’m glad you addressed the H1N1 issue. There is a lot of controversy surrounding whether or not people should get the vaccine. The media tends to use scare tactics to persuade ignorant Americans that they MUST rush out there and get this vaccine. I recently read that 35,000 people die a year from the regular ‘run of the mill’ strain of influenza each year and only about 1154 people have died from H1N1 this year. So I think there is no need to cause hysteria. I also thought it was interesting that there is only 1 treatment ‘Tamiflu’ which is owned by 1 company – Gilead Science Inc– to which Donald Rumsfeld was chairman. Hummmm? Each month about 50,000 people die from AIDS in Africa but we are focusing more on the ‘Swine Flu.’ It seems like this is because of power at be don’t make money from treating issues like AIDS… makes me think.
Hi Jocelyn, thanks for your comment!
Yes, the CDC reports on their website that about 36,000 people die every year from ordinary strains of influenza. I mentioned this myself in an article back in May, but if you take a closer look, the large majority of these deaths are apparently caused by secondary infections such as pneumonia. However, they seem to be using the same standard for swine flu deaths, so it’s still a valid comparison, and it still doesn’t mean that the swine flu should be regarded with a panic stricken frenzy.
Ironically, I think this inflated number is used to push regular flu shots, but it’s backfired a bit this year.
I absolutely agree that we have bigger issues to worry about. Even right here in the United States, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are much more of a problem than swine flu.
Hi Vin. I’m not going to get vaccinated even though I’m allegedly high risk with my asthma. Like you I seldom catch viruses of any kind, even the common cold. I consider myself very logical and I seldom even react to any of the media hype about anything. I’ve been pooh poohing the swine flu since I first heard about it. Even so I think deep down I am reacting to all this. I find myself just a wee bit more worried about the swine flu than I should be. I think it is fear of the unknown. Now if a hardened skeptic like me can be affected, even a little bit, by all of this, imagine how it is impacting your average gullible frightened citizen.
Hi Stephen, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree, it’s difficult to not be influenced by what is going on, but I also think it’s healthy for us to have a respectful fear of the unknown as long as it doesn’t influence our decisions without a rational interpretation of the situation.
Hey Vin, I don’t plan on getting any vaccination anytime soon! My plan of attack is to eat an abundance of apples, raw garlic, get plenty of exercise and Vitamin D, and plenty of rest. I’ve been flying quite a bit lately, and it seems to be working just fine! Thanks for the article buddy.
Hey Paul, thanks for your comment! Sounds like a great plan, but don’t forget about the importance of a good overall diet. Keep up the good work!
Same hysteria here in Germany and other parts of Europe. Don’t take the shot unless you understand the medical reasons that put you in the “risk group”…