Let me recap. Six months ago I reviewed the latest bit of terrorism to emerge from the government's Cobra bunker, courtesy of Alan Johnson, home secretary. Swine flu was allegedly ravaging the nation. The BBC was intoning nightly statistics on what "could" happen as "the deadly virus" took hold. The chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, bandied about any figure that came into his head, settling on "65,000 could die", peaking at 350 corpses a day.
Donaldson knew exactly what would happen. The media went berserk. The World Health Organisation declared a "six-level alert" so as to "prepare the world for an imminent attack". The happy-go-lucky virologist, John Oxford, said half the population could be infected, and that his lowest estimate was 6,000 dead.
The "Andromeda strain" was stalking the earth, and its first victims were clearly scientists. Drugs were frantically stockpiled and key workers identified as vital to be saved for humanity's future. Cobra alerted the army. Morgues were told to stand ready. The Green party blamed intensive pig farming. The Guardian listed "the top 10 plague books".
If anyone dared question this drivel, they were dismissed by Donaldson as "extremists".'
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ReplyDeleteSorry, I just realised I had some errors and omissions in my last comment.
ReplyDeleteIsn't funny how the swine flu mass hysteria has suddenly died down just like the mad cow disease and avian flu pandemic "suddenly" died down and became virtually non-existent and rarely talked about these days?
That's why I don't fall for these hoaxes, although I feel that advertising good hygiene practice does make sense. I've been getting 'normal' flu for a while now and I find that wrapping up warm, some lemon tea with honey, plenty of fluids and good food always gets me back on the mend.
Additionally, I had the "normal" flu jab once, about 11 years ago, and it nearly killed me (first and last time). I was ill with cold sweats and flu for a long time after I had the vaccination. I had thick mucous secretion for about 2 years afterwards. Another guy who used to live in my halls of residence while I was at University at the time told me that he couldn't stop spitting after he had the flu vaccination because he had the same mucous secretions (I only knew this because he used to spit all over the floor constantly and I asked him why he did it as I felt it was unhygienic)...Isn't that weird?
Besides, a few random people I met on my travels while out and about told me that they felt that the swine flu was a hoax.