Wolf! Wolf!

Being a blog about the happenings in Auburn House I rarely step outside the boundaries I've made for myself about topics to cover. However, recently there has been an enormous amount of news coverage on the recent "Swine Flu Pandemic". I figured I would interject...

Growing up I simply assumed the "news" was a show about what is going on in the world. If it happened, and it is important, they will let us know about it... right? My question is why is the "pending pandemic" is getting so much attention? Ever single year, around 36,000 people die from normal, everyday flu and flu related complications. That is a little less than 100 people per day. News coverage? Nope. Last year alone, 13,000 new cases of TB were reported. News coverage? Nope. By the way, 435,000 people die of tobacco use every year without a blink of an eye. Where is all the attention for that pandemic?

I am glad to see the media doing their job, letting us know what is going on in the world. I am sure they think they are doing good by preparing us for what might come. However with the way they turn a blind eye to 90% of the horrors in our world today, its frightening how much attention this is getting. We now have WHO Alert Levels, I think were at level 4 right now and are thinking about jumping to 5. I'm flashing back to 2002 with color coded terror charts.

Something really stuck me last night while browsing through a few news stations. A news anchor, talking about the current happenings with the "Swine Flu Outbreak" said "There has been about 100 deaths in Mexico, but no one in America has been killed yet." Yet? Yet?! What happened to "luckily, no deaths have been reported." Why is the news media so sure people will be dying? This kind of fear mongering is why I rarely watch mainstream news outlets anymore. I know, let's duct tape our houses up so the killer flu won't get us!

I say don't worry about it. Don't let the mainstream news get in your head. They know fear means ratings and ratings means money. It's sad that it has come to that. The latest, currently the worldwide number of swine flu cases has jumped to 90. 90?! There is about 190 countries in the entire world. Do the math folks. I am sure after this is all over Swine Flu will go hang out with SARS and will get made fun of by the bubonic plague and typhoid fever.