Since January of this year over 13,000 people in the US have died from from the flu. The swine flu? Nope – the regular flu. Finally, a mainstream media outlet is talking about the facts, and not the hype. CNN posted a story yesterday about the regular old flu -and in the process provided a bit more realistic perspective about the virus and it’s various cousins. Take for example L.A. County, where the CDC has reported 10 cases of the swine flu; They see more than 1,000 deaths a year related to the regular flu. All types of influenza mutate and can only be ‘treated’ – not prevented. By the time the flu season comes around, vaccines for the regular flu are often already outdated and ineffective. And just like swine flu, the regular flu is treated with the same antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. (PS – can you say marketing scam? Do a little research and you might find some alarming facts about the two drugs.)

Yes, the ‘outbreak’ of swine flu is reason for concern, as is any viral spread. And yes, it’s variation in Mexcio  has caused many illnesses and in some cases death in relatively healthy persons (Note that it’s been found to be a much weaker strand here in the US and in other countries). But the fact is it’s no reason to freak out, and the numbers aren’t anything to panic about either.