Swine Flu

If it wasn't so very sad, I'd laugh about all this.

Last week we came to the topic of swine flu during class and my teacher said that she was convinced that this whole swine flu thing was a simple normal flu that was used by the pharma industry to make money out of the vaccines. She continued like "Just like the avian flu last year. Did ANY of you guys even know anyone who had it? (Of course, none of us had.) They just took some photographs from dead birds and made a huge story about all of this. Honestly, dead birds in winter, like this wasn't something that happens every year because of perfectly natural reasons. It was just a very ordinary flu, but they wanted to make more cash by making it sound like a pandemy."

While I thought that maybe this was a little too much conspiracy I still thought that she did have a point. Even with this year's swine flu, it was agreed that the "normal" flu was much more dangerous. Of course many people died from the swine flu, but that's just because in those countries many people die anyway, for they simply have no health systems and are in a bad condition.
My teacher continued saying "I don't see the point in giving vaccination for babies. Honestly, if they are weak and sick, that might make them much worse, and if they are in a good health condition they won't die from the flu anyway."
She said that in a matter-of-fact-voice, and we laughed about it. I'm sure she's right about it, but it still is strange to hear people talk about dying babies in that casual tone. Anyway, these days al the media agreed on the fact that it was highly suspicious that
a) The vaccine for the ordinary people had hardly been tested before, and
b) The "important" people were supposed to get a different vaccine.

The newspapers agreed that this sounded very much like a 2-class-system. They also wrote how many experts said that it was hardly worth the effort making all those vaccines for a flu that was not even that dangerous, and that it was much more risky to think about the fact that this new product was tested on the common people without any knowledge of the long-term consequences. They wrote about many doctors sharing that opinion, who refused to give out this vaccination to their patients.


Now, one week later, the media have made a 180° turn. As the number of swine flu cases more or less "exploded" during the last days and the number of dead has doubled (from 3 to 6, with just one victim who really died because of the swine flu and had, as far as they know yet, not been severely ill before) ALL the media, be it newspapers, tv or radio, warn the people about the highly dangerous swine flu that might hit up to 10% of all Germans - if they wouldn't get the vaccination. Even if that vaccination might cause side effects those are absolutely out of all proportion to the damages the swine flu will cause. Even famous German tennis player Tommy Haas was infected, so even the VIPs are not safe!
Unfortunately there are still too few practices who will give out the vaccine, so it is hoped that that number will increase so that starting from next week, the highly advisable vaccination can be taken by as many Germans as possible. We are all told to remember that not being immunized will not only put ourselves in danger, but also WE are responsible for the further spreading of the virus.


And that's what makes me laugh. Pharma Lobby anyone?
I am perfectly sure that all the health professionals do not know more about the swine flu this week than they knew last week. So it has not suddenly become more dangerous than before. Still, now there are suddenly "many experts who strongly advise the vaccination"?

I'll tell you what I think about it: With all the meds being sure that this vaccine was a simple profit machine that would bring the people far more damage than good, the pharma industry saw their beautiful profit gone and lost forever. What were they supposed to do with some millions of vaccines if no one would want to buy them?
Never mind, honey. They've got their friends everywhere. So they talked to some of the politicians who are on their paylist and did some "convincing". The government then STRONGLY ADVISED the media to spread the news that this vaccine was good and to be taken by as many people as possible. Make the people freak out from fear if you must. Bring out the "responsibility not for yourself, but for others" card to promote some peer pressure.

Isn't it sad how very much our media are controlled? How they all tell the opposite from what they said last week? This can't be a coincidence. I have not even read one article today that stated something "Although several experts say that the swine flu is very dangerous and the immunisation strongly recommended there are still many professionals stating that the swine flu was relatively harmless and point out the fact that the vaccine has not been tested properly." No. They just don't mention that part in their articles anymore.

I don't like that. I really don't.


Update: I just read about a 30-year-old man who had an anaphylactic shock after receiving the immunization. Lucky guy, he had not yet left the doctor so they were able to save him.
I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how many cases like that will follow.