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Only a few shopping days left until Christmas and instead of lining
up at crowded stores to purchase those last minute gifts we are
lining up in our doctors offices to purchase what is left of the
flu vaccine. Instead of rolling up our sleeves to bake some holiday
cookies we are rolling up our sleeves to get the shot. The media
has managed to convince most of us that the flu this year is going
to kill us all if we are not vaccinated. We hear the dire warning
that this is going to be the deadliest flu season yet. Every sniffle,
cough, and sneeze from our children has us in a panic and rushing
off to the ER.
Once again the media has used its might to distort the facts and
spread its propaganda. In fact, the death rate for flu related deaths
this season is actually less than the previous 4 years during the
same time frame. According to the CDC’s mortality reporting system,
a system based on the total number of deaths reported by the vital
statistics offices of 122 U.S. cities, the percentages of deaths
due to influenza or pneumonia this season has remained below epidemic
levels so far. The same cannot be said for the 1999-2000 season
whereby this time there were 9 weeks that exceeded epidemic levels.
The CDC reports that we currently have had zero weeks that reach
or exceed epidemic levels. When the media refers to this flu season
as an epidemic it is factually incorrect. Below is the percentage
of deaths from influenza and pneumonia for weeks 40 to 49 (our current
week) for this and the past four years. Compare the numbers and
you will see the deaths for this year are not extreme. This information
is taken directly from the CDC statistical reports. This is public
information and can be accessed at www.cdc.gov.
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2003
|
2002
|
2001
|
2000
|
1999
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Week 49 |
7.0%
|
7.1%
|
6.7%
|
7.2%
|
7.1%
|
| Week 48 |
6.5%
|
7.1%
|
6.4%
|
7.2%
|
6.7%
|
| Week 47 |
6.4%
|
7.1%
|
6.1%
|
6.5%
|
7.0%
|
| Week 46 |
6.1%
|
6.8%
|
6.6%
|
6.6%
|
6.4%
|
| Week 45 |
6.2%
|
6.5%
|
6.7%
|
6.5%
|
6.6%
|
| Week 44 |
6.3%
|
6.7%
|
6.5%
|
6.3%
|
7.4%
|
| Week 43 |
6.1%
|
--
|
--
|
6.8%
|
6.7%
|
| Week 42 |
6.3%
|
--
|
--
|
6.8%
|
6.7%
|
| Week 41 |
6.3%
|
--
|
--
|
6.7%
|
6.5%
|
| Week 40 |
6.0%
|
--
|
--
|
6.4%
|
6.5%
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As you can see with a week-to-week comparison this year’s mortality
rate is relatively average, low even, in most weeks. The only weeks
that reported lower incidents of death than in this current season
is weeks 49, 48, and 47 of the 2001 flu season. All other weeks
for the previous four years had higher rates of influenza related
deaths.
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