"Johnny, can you use the word 'influenza' in a sentence?"
Johnny: "I had a little bird, his name was Enza; I opened the window and in flew Enza."
---Childrens joke, 1918 (Hat tip: my late Mom)
The Spanish Flu killed millions. There seems to be some question as to whether the "Swine Flu" has killed 150 or a relative handful. Many people around the world are coming down with the flu, but it is hard to see how the disease qualifies for the hysterical reactions in certain quarters. After all, flu strains of all kinds kill about 36,000 people a year in a normal year in the United States alone. So far, one person in the U.S. has died of the new flu strain.
Right now, the over-reaction will probably do tremendous and unnecessary economic damage. Some say it might better be called the Mexican Flu, since it has almost nothing to do with pigs. Swine get it, but they don't convey it to humans through pork products. Still, Egypt has ordered the destruction of all pigs. Various countries are announcing boycotts of pig products from Mexico, the U.S. or wherever.
Come to think, it probably should not be called Mexican Flu, either. A boycott of Mexico and Mexican products is about the worst thing to do to that struggling country right now. And the flu already has spread to the U.S. and Europe. Should we stop airplane flights to everywhere?
The disease is seldom fatal and is not airborne. It is carried by droplets--people coughing or sneezing in your face or on objects you touch before putting your fingers to your mouth. It's a form of the flu, folks, one of life's familiar risks, not the end of the world.
