So I just got a big influenza warning letter from my employment hospital infection control department. Her letter reported, This [recent] tragic event [of a county flu-related death] emphasizes the need for everyone to take precautions, including getting a flu vaccination,” said Jeff Lee, PHD epidemiologist. “The flu is a serious illness and kills up to 30,000-40,000 Americans every year.” I knew something suspicious was up as soon as I saw that way overinflated number. In a Canadian Huffington Post article (which agrees with other research Ive found), [According to] Vital Statistics System in the U.S., for example, annual flu deaths in 2010 amounted to just 500 per year -- fewer than deaths from ulcers (2,977), hernias (1,832) and pregnancy and childbirth (825), and a far cry from the big killers such as heart disease (597,689) and cancers (574,743). Even that 500 figure for the U.S. could be too high, according to analyses in authoritative journals such as the American Journal of Public Health and the British Medical Journal. Only about 15-20 per cent of people who come down with flu-like symptoms have the influenza virus -- the other 80-85 per cent actually caught rhinovirus or other germs that are indistinguishable from the true flu without laboratory tests, which are rarely done. Sigh. Why are hospitals so stupid about this?
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 02:34:52 +0000
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