A Little Pandemic Perspective, If You Please, Joe
In yet another case of his candor and off-the-cuff remarks coming back to haunt him, Vice President Joe Biden has inadvertently tossed fuel on the growing fires of fear sweeping the globe far faster than the swine flu pandemic that sparked the emotional firestorm in the first place.
Speaking on NBC's "Today" show this morning, when asked about whether he would advise family members to take public transportation, Biden replied, "I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now."
Biden appeared on the morning news-talk show the day after public health officials confirmed the first domestic - though alien - death from the flu that has now spread to 10 states nationally.
The perpetually-verbose VP went on to tell show host Matt Lauer, "I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now. It's not that it's going to Mexico, it's you're in a confined aircraft when one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. That's me. I would not be, at this point, if they had another way of transportation suggesting they ride the subway. "
As tens of thousands of children were off from school in the wake of isolated outbreaks in New York, Texas, California and other states, the Vice President implied more widespread school closures may be necessary in the near future.
"If you're out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes that's one thing. If you're in a closed aircraft or a closed container or closed car or closed classroom it's a different thing."
Borrowing a line from the Vice President's beguilingly bespectacled Republican counterpart in the fall campaign, "Say it ain't so, Joe."
However unintentional it may have been, Biden's comments added to a growing sense of anxiety and fear sweeping across the nation; particularly in large metropolitan areas where public mass transit is an integral part of daily life. While his office later issued a clarification of his remarks, the damage had already been done. Sort of like closing the gate after the swine has already gotten out of the pen, as it were.
Though I am admittedly the farthest thing from a public health expert you'll find and don't have an MD after my name, I'm going to go out on a limb and write you a prescription for a prophylactic in response to the spreading contagion of virulent fear.
Take one healthy dose of perspective and supplement it with frequent applications of common sense. Repeat daily until symptoms subside, panic and paranoia passes and the press moves on to the next big headline-grabbing crisis.
Being a good physician, I'll be more than happy to give you a couple of free samples before I send you on your merry and hopefully healthful way. Here goes....
- In 2007, there were 5,488 work-related deaths in the US. That works out to 15 a day.
- In an average year, 13,322 Americans die from falls of one sort or another. Those are accidental, not intentional and suicidal, mind you. That's 36 a day. And be sure to watch your step on your way out.
- Each year, more than 40,000 of our fellow countrymen die in car accidents. In 2005, 43,443 were killed on our highways, byways, sundry roads and thoroughfares. That's 119 a day.
Those unfortunate 119 souls that will die in auto accidents today outnumber the total amount of currently confirmed cases of swine flu across the country.
Let me repeat that, just to be sure we're all on the same page.
More people will die today in car accidents than there are total confirmed cases of the dreaded, fear-inspiring swine flu in our nation of over 300 million. Moreover, out of those more than 300 million happy souls, not a single American citizen - either born or naturalized - has died in the US. The lone death on American soil was a Mexican infant visiting relatives in Texas.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) says we're on the verge of a global pandemic, you say! They've raised their pandemic alert level to Phase 5!
Fair enough. WHO has indeed raised the pandemic alert level to Phase 5. But what really is the threshold for this? Let's take a look at both Phase 5 and Phase 6, shall we?
WHO's site states -
Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.
Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.
Using WHO's own exceedingly low threshold criteria with confirmed cases of swine flu in 11 countries worldwide, we are either in or on the verge of a pandemic. The key here, however, is the low threshold that triggers this designation.
From that pool of 11 countries with confirmed infections, there is a total of 257 officially reported cases. Granted, the US has the largest share with 109. Yet, to put this into an even broader context, WHO currently places the global death toll at seven - yes, seven out of a total global population of 6 billion-plus. All of those seven either occurred in or can be traced back to Mexico.
Is it possible the virus may mutate into a true global menace, resulting in thousands or even tens of thousands of deaths, of course. Bear in mind, though, on average more than 30,000 Americans die each year from the flu strain de jour.
So, take your daily dose of perspective, apply common sense liberally, wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and anti-bacterial soap and go about your daily routine. And rest assured, there'll be something else the media wants you to loose sleep over next week. Don't worry, though. Just give me a call and I'll be more than happy to refill your prescription and adjust your meds as needed.
Don't forget to stop by the payment window on your way out, faithful readers. We accept all major insurance plans and credit cards; no checks, though, please.
Stay tuned for further updates as events warrant and Vice President Biden performs a guest quadruple bypass and kidney transplant after successfully separating conjoined twins on the next episode of "The Doctors".
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