So tired of the Piggy Panic

 Posted by on 7 November 2009  Modern Life
Nov 072009
 

DISCLAIMER:  This is me venting.  I listen to CBC radio almost exclusively and not a show can go by – sports, entertainment, news, whatever without some inclusion of a mention of H1N1 (or the Swine Flu, if you prefer) – and I’m simply tired of it.

Yes, some readers (or fellow posters) will likely chastise me about some aspect of this rant, but that’s to be expected.  I’m going to vent nonetheless.  Keep in mind this isn’t personal.  If you want to get vaccinated, all the power to you.  I’m not.

Statistics, people.  Learn math.  It is your friend.  Let’s work through the numbers together:

  • How many people will die from it (H1N1)?

As of November 5, there have been 115 deaths in Canada attributed to H1N1 in all of 2009.  Or, if you prefer these kinds of statistics: 0.28 deaths for every 100,000 cases.  Those aren’t numbers that cause me any degree of concern.

  • How many people will die from smoking?

About 45,000 Canadians die each year from smoking – a number that continues to rise annually.  (Don’t worry – this isn’t a rant against smoking – just like H1N1 vaccinations, it’s up to you what you put in your body.  I don’t really care.)   As a comparative statistic, I hope this puts things a little bit in perspective.

  • How much will the vaccination program cost?

CBC is reporting that the H1N1 vaccination program will cost Ottawa and the provinces over $400 million.

  • How much is being spent on reducing the number of deaths due to smoking?

The Federal Tobacco Control Strategy has a budget of $361 million, over 5 years.  So, if my very rough math is correct, the federal government is spending about 20% the amount of money on something that is responsible for about 400 times as many deaths.

Don’t get me wrong, the deaths of anyone before their time is tragic.  Whether they are adults, children or ferrets.  I feel for them, I really do.  At the same time, I feel bad for people who have had family members die in traffic accidents, but that isn’t going to make me stop driving.

I feel better.  End rant.

T. Keith Edmunds

  • thebanana

    Today there was a panicked report stating that people all over the country should now be concerned that their pets could be the next victims. The report ended with a vet from Calgary stating that he knows of one cat somewhere in North America that has H1N1, along with 2 or 3 ferrets. Clearly the sky is falling.

  • Matt Goerzen

    Ugh. Couldn’t agree more Keith. No public health official should ever have been surprised by the number of people lining up for an H1N1 flu shot, (love the piggy panic title by the way), because it was so over-hyped by media and government. It’s a flu. Those in the “priority list” will perpetually be subject to worse bouts of sickness, whether it’s this version of the flu or another. That’s the nature of having weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions.

    I do wish people would calm down and smarten up.