Blogtrek

Flu Hype

It's flu season and some flu bugs are going around that are different from usual. So what does the media do? They hype it up. But this is a case where the hypermedia could be doing harm.

Some flu bugs are around early this fall. This is a potential danger, so perhaps people should be given the option of taking flu shots. The media hypes it up, however, and says that everyone should get one as soon as possible, even though the most dangerous strain is so recent that the vaccine does not protect against it. So what happens? A huge herd of people stream into doctors' offices and clinics and request the flu shots. So what happens? Naturally. It runs out. Now the people who may need it now won't get it. And there is another danger with this hyping it up. Many people are getting flu shots that probably don't need it. They don't get the flu often or they will have only mild or moderate symptoms if they do get it. I remember back in the 1970s that the hypermedia hyped up the Swine Flu to the level of a Major Scare. Everyone went out and got the swine flu shots, including myself. Turns out the epidemic was a bust. Only two or three people got the swine flu, and many more than that got a really dangerous side effect: Guillian-Barre syndrome, an inflammation of the nerves that can cause paralysis.

So I am both skeptical and apprehensive about this hypering of the flu this season. I hope we don't have any Guillain-Barre syndromes this time around.