Media may be fueling H1N1 craze
Stacy Litz
Issue date: 10/30/09 Section: Ed-Op
Swine flu, or H1N1, has killed about 6,000 people since the pandemic began in April 2009. The common flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people per year worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So, why is the world in panic over an already "deadly" seasonal influenza? What makes swine flu so scary?
On Oct. 25, 2009, President Barack Obama declared H1N1 a national emergency-which allows doctors in an emergency situation to administer a new, experimental antiviral drug called Peramivir into patients without their consent. Currently it is being used once someone has contracted H1N1, and other methods of treatment are ineffective. This treatment is different from the regular inhaled Relenza, but is equally as untested.
While it usually takes a drug a bare minimum of six years to be approved, the H1N1 drug was approved within months. Many vaccines are already being developed and administered with very little testing and no long term effects documented. In 1918, the vaccine for typhoid fever ended up creating a more powerful typhoid and another vaccine created one more powerful than that. Not long after, the "Spanish Influenza" began, which killed 20 to 100 million people and wrongly put the blame on those of Spanish heritage when it should have been on the doctors who created the outbreak. There are many other examples of vaccines gone wrong in history, such as the smallpox vaccine causing syphilis, leprosy and cancer, or the polio shot causing blindness, tuberculosis and inflammation to the brain. Concerned?
The United States government has set up a Web site, www.flu.gov, that answers the question that scares many Americans: the question of whether the vaccines are mandatory and forced upon U.S. citizens. The Web site states that "the federal vaccination program for H1N1 flu is voluntary, just like the seasonal flu vaccination program. The vaccine will be available to anyone who wants it, and the decision to get vaccinated is up to each individual, parent or guardian."
Honestly, I am not sure how much to trust that statement, with all the mass media panic and frenzy that I see on 24-hour news programs. When I hear that "millions are affected by H1N1" or "thousands upon thousands are dead," I know the truth and ignore such statements, but my fear is that the average viewer actually believes these far-fetched facts. Due to this unease of the general population, I worry that the government and even certain areas of the private sector may use the vaccine as an ultimatum-for example, if you seek to go to college or work in a certain job, the vaccine might be mandatory in order to enroll or accept the job position.
President Obama has already put aside over $8.5 billion for the treatment's supply and testing, but I am sure that cost will skyrocket since the declaration of a national emergency. "As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," he said Oct. 23.
Next to government intervention, I blame the mass media for this hysteria being linked with swine flu. When one hears statistics like "millions infected with swine flu" or "thousands upon thousands dead from the deadly virus," it instills fear in the hearts of viewers. But it's time we start reporting the truth-and it's time that viewers start doing research for themselves before choosing the "easy fix" of vaccination.
Stacy Litz is a pre-junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org.
Editor's note: In print it was reported that Peramivir is a vaccine, but it is an anti-viral treatment. This article has been corrected to reflect that fact. Thank you to our readers for pointing out this mistake.
On Oct. 25, 2009, President Barack Obama declared H1N1 a national emergency-which allows doctors in an emergency situation to administer a new, experimental antiviral drug called Peramivir into patients without their consent. Currently it is being used once someone has contracted H1N1, and other methods of treatment are ineffective. This treatment is different from the regular inhaled Relenza, but is equally as untested.
While it usually takes a drug a bare minimum of six years to be approved, the H1N1 drug was approved within months. Many vaccines are already being developed and administered with very little testing and no long term effects documented. In 1918, the vaccine for typhoid fever ended up creating a more powerful typhoid and another vaccine created one more powerful than that. Not long after, the "Spanish Influenza" began, which killed 20 to 100 million people and wrongly put the blame on those of Spanish heritage when it should have been on the doctors who created the outbreak. There are many other examples of vaccines gone wrong in history, such as the smallpox vaccine causing syphilis, leprosy and cancer, or the polio shot causing blindness, tuberculosis and inflammation to the brain. Concerned?
The United States government has set up a Web site, www.flu.gov, that answers the question that scares many Americans: the question of whether the vaccines are mandatory and forced upon U.S. citizens. The Web site states that "the federal vaccination program for H1N1 flu is voluntary, just like the seasonal flu vaccination program. The vaccine will be available to anyone who wants it, and the decision to get vaccinated is up to each individual, parent or guardian."
Honestly, I am not sure how much to trust that statement, with all the mass media panic and frenzy that I see on 24-hour news programs. When I hear that "millions are affected by H1N1" or "thousands upon thousands are dead," I know the truth and ignore such statements, but my fear is that the average viewer actually believes these far-fetched facts. Due to this unease of the general population, I worry that the government and even certain areas of the private sector may use the vaccine as an ultimatum-for example, if you seek to go to college or work in a certain job, the vaccine might be mandatory in order to enroll or accept the job position.
President Obama has already put aside over $8.5 billion for the treatment's supply and testing, but I am sure that cost will skyrocket since the declaration of a national emergency. "As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," he said Oct. 23.
Next to government intervention, I blame the mass media for this hysteria being linked with swine flu. When one hears statistics like "millions infected with swine flu" or "thousands upon thousands dead from the deadly virus," it instills fear in the hearts of viewers. But it's time we start reporting the truth-and it's time that viewers start doing research for themselves before choosing the "easy fix" of vaccination.
Stacy Litz is a pre-junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org.
Editor's note: In print it was reported that Peramivir is a vaccine, but it is an anti-viral treatment. This article has been corrected to reflect that fact. Thank you to our readers for pointing out this mistake.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 20
Dr. carrotbanana
posted 10/30/09 @ 6:59 AM EST
Hi. N?ce unbiased article madam. Thanx. I was wondering if you had any statistics on the currently reported side-effects of the H1N1 vaccine? If yes, could you kindly share it with me. (Continued…)
David Roberts
posted 10/30/09 @ 9:02 AM EST
Why would you make such uninformed, inflammatory comments regarding a treatment for what has turned into a pandemic worldwide?
Have you bothered to read any of the trial results. (Continued…)
David Roberts
posted 10/30/09 @ 9:05 AM EST
In addition Peramivir is not a vaccine it is an anti-viral drug.
This statement alone shows you are making inflammatory statements in an area you clearly know nothing about. (Continued…)
Rob
posted 10/30/09 @ 9:59 AM EST
Stacy,
After reading your article, I'm certain of one thing. You are not a journalism major. This story is so flawed and full of errors, I can't help but feel sorry for you. (Continued…)
naomi
posted 10/30/09 @ 11:22 AM EST
do you have children ?
because i am sure if your children got infected with the H1N1 and past away your story would be different. There is always going to be a risk with any vaccination but you have got to weigh out the positives and negatives. (Continued…)
William Klawonn
posted 10/30/09 @ 11:47 AM EST
Stacy: you are mixing apples an oranges a bit. Both peramivir and Relenza are antivirals, not vaccines. Antivirals are drugs used to treat people who already sick with viral infections, such as H1N1, while a vaccine is a preventative. (Continued…)
Van
posted 10/30/09 @ 1:06 PM EST
Stacy Litz,
I appreciate your article expressing your concerns about vaccines, but I think you have a few facts wrong.
• Peramivir is NOT a vaccine. (Continued…)
Roger V.
posted 10/30/09 @ 2:37 PM EST
Well written article, it is a relief that others are realizing this is yet another media driven panic, for what reason perhaps the lack of real news.
There are a number of other cases where vaccines have negatively affected the health and safety of myriad of individuals in many cases ending with fatality. (Continued…)
Meli
posted 10/30/09 @ 4:43 PM EST
I have to add to what others have said here about Peramivir and your highly irresponsible comments regarding it. One of the reasons patients in the ICU are being given Peramivir is that many doctors are putting those with severe H1N1 into medically induced comas to slow the progression of the virus, therefore they cannot be told to inhale deeply when a nurse wants to adminster a dose of Relenza. (Continued…)
Brian
posted 10/30/09 @ 5:57 PM EST
I think when you guys say that she is full of conspiracy theories, you are not thinking that she just isn't following the panic of the mainstream media. (Continued…)
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