by James Johnson

Created on: April 10, 2010

Is the H1N1 flu pandemic over?  It would be a better question to ask did it really occur or was it just a hyped media that sold vaccines and detracted attention away from the economy while focusing on health issues. Over the past year, from April  2009 until April 2010, according to the CDC there were 280 pediatric deaths attributed to H1N1 in the United States, and no adult deaths listed in the

current report.  There are more deaths from auto accidents in any given week than from this virus, and most people did not get vaccinated.  it is interesting to note that they also reported that the incidence was below normal for the flu.

Pandemic is defined for medicine as "Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population: pandemic influenza" by the Free Dictionary.  

By this definition, the H1N1 could have been considered pandemic. There where literally millions exposed to H1N1 virus all around the world, so it was spread over a wide geographical area, but was it devastating and the cause of millions of deaths or illness?  Was it any different from any other form of influenza?  Actually it was, it caused less illness and deaths than most other outbreaks (The CDC report says levels below National baseline and average)!

Why was H1N1 on the news so much?  Because of politics.   It distracted people away from worrying about the banks, job situation, and wars currently around the world.  It was "an act of nature" that man could control, and get press while controlling it!  It showed a need in the press for more health care and strong government, and health services could also make a nice profit promoting it!

So numbers were no worse than a normal flu year and they appear to be decreasing as of April 9th, 2010 with the that report. This means that the H1N1 pandemic does appear to be over, but could it flare back up?  If it does come back will it be more severe?  Those are question that even scientists and doctors would like to know the answers.  Any disease can come back, but are usually not as bad the second time around as many people are immune from the first exposure.  Though with politics and finance, it might get a very big surge!

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