Some of you may find this to be a big surprise, but a Harvard study shows that the great swine flu pandemic was oversold. Shocking I know, as one doctor points out, “The H1N1 pandemic was a pandemic that never materialized.” Then I guess you could call the swine flu pandemic oversold, wouldn’t you think?
The Harvard study uses the deaths from H1N1 back in the spring and projecting what they would have been in the fall suggests that the swine flu pandemic was indeed oversold by a government willing to allow its citizens to be in a constant state of fear. Some had suggested all along that the government was using the news of a possible swine flu pandemic as a means of fear mongering. Hard to believe, huh? A fear mongering government, who would have thought?
This is in no way intended to make light of those who did die from the disease, but let’s think back to all of the reports telling us that small children, older people, and pregnant women were dying by the thousands and the pandemic had reached biblical proportions. Perhaps swine flu was oversold. But why?
The CDC had previously estimated that nearly 100,000 people would die from the swine flu. We haven’t yet reached 10,000 and most flu activity has leveled off. The CDC now reports that just 11 states have widespread flu activity. The government was at one time in full throated vaccination mode. Joe Biden himself said he wouldn’t ride the subway. Once again, why?
At one time, it was feared the swine flu pandemic would cause there to be worldwide shortage of the much needed swine flu vaccine. Now, just a few months later, with swine flu oversold to the degree it has been, a surplus of vaccinations looks to be the order. Nice call governments of the world.
Is there likely to be more flu cases before springtime? Most definitely, but I’m no doctor. The fact is the swine flu pandemic was oversold to a public that sometimes seems to feed on doom and gloom. A perfect situation for a fear mongering government. Is it possible the pandemic was touted to take the public’s mind off of more serious subjects like the war, economy, terrorism, the government takeover of well, everything? I’m not generally into conspiracy theories but the swine flu oversell makes you wonder.
January 3rd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
i guess you didnt get the memo, Saddam is dead! now maybe you can tell me why we are still at war?
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Joe.
Thats has nothing to do with the levels and means of fear mongering certain administrations have employed or why we originally went in or the comparisons I posted.
That buddy is the crux of the debate here.
Our troops are and have been making reparations to the infrastructure and unfortunatley there are still elements that want to hinder that process.
Go buy a newspaper or something.
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
yeah thats are responsibility! to take care of the world! why do you keep avoiding the fact the your drug out banter has no substance! im actually a builder and know quite well how we have been taking advantage of the situation, and contractors doing unacceptable work overseas. hmm, can u say halliburton? ur a real piece of work micky! i feel sorry for you! keep talking in circles jackass!
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Cont. from #74
Sorry, I forgot to include the list.
…Part of this report was issued by the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Its contributors were…
Former CIA director James Woolsey.
Nobel laureate Thomas Schelling.
National Academy of Sciences President Ralph Cicerone.
President Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff John Podesta.
Vice President Al Gore’s security adviser Leon Fuerth.
By the way Joe, I plagurize nothing buddy. Credit is always given to all contributors or its noted in quotations that I am not doing the talking.
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Halliburton ?
Are you serious ?
Please tell me JOE what the hell any of that has to do with the level of techniques governments have used to encite fear ?
Just for the record.
During wartime its perfectly acdeptable for the fed to give out no bid contracts.
“your drug out banter has no substance!”
really ? and your constant attempts to obfuscate from the issue do ?
Please tell me what it is about what part of my banter has no substance ?
Did I not give reputable examples of how the left promotes fear ?
Sorry bub, but its you whos talking in circles and being a jackass bringing nothing to the table but more stupid questions irrelevant to the topic
Terrorism is an existential threat till this day. It has killed thousands.
Saddams regime and his tactice were proven threats to the point even Clinton and the majority of the liberal congress agreed.
Your piddly a$$ global warming is only a theory.
Are we more justified in scaring people to heed the warnings of terror or drummed up fictional futuristic weather ?
Get it ?
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:59 pm
first of all my name isnt joe, and i am not ur buddy! second, i never said anything about global warming? youre so transparent! f the fear, and let us talk about how this country was founded shall we? you got some hairbrain scheme on how we didnt steal the country out from under indigenous people? and initially this all stemmed from h1n1 vaccine. which you being a member of the sheeple prob received! this world will self-destruct with or without our help!
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:01 pm
theyre makin money micky! MONEY!
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Hey a$$wipe, your moniker says “JOE”
“i never said anything about global warming? ”
Since the subject here is “fear mongering” and the justifications behind its use global warming alarmism provides the perfect example.
“youre so transparent!”
You need all the help you can get if you dont even know your own name.
” f the fear, and let us talk about how this country was founded shall we? ”
No.
“theyre makin money micky! MONEY”
“which you being a member of the sheeple prob received! this world will self-destruct with or without our help!”
Havent recived one yet as I’m not a member of a qualifying risk group. But then again, I’ve been so busy I havent even recieved my yearly flu shot either.
“this world will self-destruct with or without our help!”
Thats not what global warming alarmists on the left would have you believe.
Fear Monger Says:
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:00 pm
“A right-winger, Bush supporter, calling ANY other government fear mongering is the most amazing irony I’ve ever seen ”
This is where my debate began dear buddy, Please try to keep up. If I choose to refute the accusations of Mr. Fear Monger I will do just that with no concern for your likes or dislikes whatsoever and if I so choose at any intermittent opportunity to slap down the stupid sht you interjectingly blurb I will also do so at my own leisure.
The discussion has moved on from the vaccine and H1N1 to how the government used fear to motivate.
Note the title of the post and how at some point it refers to “Fear mongering to blame”?
Is fear mongering to blame?
Yes, I believe so, and so here we go with the examples. Examples of when and where and what the justifications were.
Get it Joe buddy ?
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:30 pm
I think the gov. gave us its risk assessment which said h1n1 could prove moderately pandemic, not super vicious, but something worth protecting yourself from to prevent the pneumonia and icu for at risk groups at the very least. personally I find that good ole flu feeling of being hit by a truck plenty of fear incentive to get the 20 bux vaccine and since I have been doing it, guess what, no flu! what a deal! thankyou for some kind of risk assesment government. you did your job.
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:32 pm
do you guyz honestly think someoone like me would ever(evah) turn to ones like you for a vaccine risk assessment? your mere peasant with pitch forks and burning kitchen rags. got me laughing thar!
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:33 pm
that is why we have a government, where we can hire specialists to give us their best assessments, if they are honest, and save our ouiji boards form other forms of entertainment. that is what a government is for.
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:43 pm
“do you guyz honestly think someoone like me would ever(evah) turn to ones like you for a vaccine risk assessment? ”
Nah, was actually a little more concerned with your lying.
“I think the gov. gave us its risk assessment which said h1n1 could prove moderately pandemic, not super vicious, ”
Maybe you dont own a television and missed the peak exposure H1N1 was getting, especially around the time Sibilis was scolding reporters for not sneezing into their elbows.
Of course it all backfired on them when it came to be known that this massive wave of illness that could hit never could of been handled in the first place.
“hey everyone, you’re in real danger ! But guess what ? We got it covered, dont worry, Obama and team will save the day” !
Today we still dont have the required doses needed or what we were told we would have.
True, the pandemic expected never happened (yet) but we did get to see what failure in motion looks like… again
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:38 pm
@Brian @43
You didn’t add much to the discussion, called me a no-nothing and closed with the ever curious valedictory of “I am sure you’;; feel welcomed.” Good for you Brian, Good for you!
@ Jed @71
No I am not asking whether the immune system works and I am well aware that contracting a viral disease leads to an increased level of subsequent immunity. It is worth keeping end-points in mind, While it may be reasonable that seeing an immune response to an injection might also provide increased immunity to disease one can not be certain of this (it is not the same thing as contracting the disease in the wild). What one needs to show is that the injection decreased disease, which is the goal, not that it stimulated an immune response. The best way to do this is prospective controlled trials (i.e. give some people the shot, give some people placebo and in future see which group gets more disease) This has not been done with the influenza vaccine. And as I pointed out population based studies have found that after the introduction of influenza vaccination there has not been a decline in deaths or hospitalizations from influenza disease. You’re welcome to search PubMed and I’d be delighted to be proved wrong, It is not “conspiratorial” to discuss the research in the published literature.
Happy New Year to all
http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/
January 4th, 2010 at 1:13 am
there use to be 50k or more deaths from pneumonia each year, now with higher vaccination prevalance rates in the general population that number has been decreased to 30k. this is over two decades. so, thats 200,000 lives saved and this is just the ballpark figures. plus another million people benificially impacted who were related or depended on these people. not bad. by the way do you believe in asphalt yet?
January 4th, 2010 at 2:53 am
Hi Brian,
Thanks for replying. Two things 1) Influenza is a subset of pneumonia and more importantly 2) please cite your referenced research I am happy to cite mine.
I don’t know what there is to believe about asphalt but I’ve become convinced about holes in asphalt.
January 4th, 2010 at 3:11 am
“I find that good ole flu feeling of being hit by a truck plenty of fear incentive to get the 20 bux vaccine and since I have been doing it, guess what, no flu!”
I’ve never had a flu shot in my life. Guess what, no flu.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
@ Philip.
Hey Philip, welcome to R Pundits.
I feel its neccessary to inform you that when it comes to Brian you’re wasting your time.
Not only does Brian never present sources to back his asinine claims, in refutale he will simply go to make more unsubstantiated asinine claims against the validity of your sources.
Brian;
“what a deal! thankyou for some kind of risk assesment government. you did your job.”
You mean the same government whos assesments allowed radical Islam to finally after 7 1/2 years resume their attacks on US soil ?
Or the same government that issued homeland security briefings containing assesments of the threat from conservative protestors while the above attacks were being planned ?
Or the same government assesment that resulted in a pledged X amount of vaccinations only to produce 1/2 that amount and are still behind schedule ?
Or the same governt assesment that led to us to close our embassy in Yemen while simultaneously letting Abdulmutallab lawyer up resulting in us losing valuable interrogation opportunities ?
Yes, they’ve been full of some rather wonderful “ASS”esments, havent they ?