Am I the only one disgusted by the media exploitation of the current flu scare? One of the news channels, I don't know which one, was saying things like "Tens of millions could die from this". Really? Where are they getting their information? Do they realize that this "Swine flu" still has a LONG way to go before it's death toll equals that of the average winter flu? According to Wikipedia, the average death toll associated with the flu in America alone, is 36,000, with up to 500,000 worldwide. Right now, as of this writing, there has been ONE reported death attributed to the swine flu in the U.S. And we've got, what, 200 some worldwide?

I just want news sources to give me facts, and not try to compete for my attention with ever escalating sensationalistic headlines. On another channel, they have a big world map up on their screen, and their color coding countries to indicate where this strain of the flu has appeared. There was no scale of color coding, it was bright, blood red, or white. They then went on to say that "there have been 6 cases of mild flu reported in Canada" and they turned Canada red, just as red as Mexico which has reported thousands of cases and hundreds of death (although only 20 have been confirmed as the swine flu so far). This is like they're saying, "Uh Oh! Stay away from Canada! Somewhere in that 4.5 million square mile expanse, there are 6 people with mild flu symptoms, and they're out to get you and your children!". Now I, myself, have been experiencing mild flu symptoms since Saturday. I don't believe I have the flu. But, if I do have the flu, and it is the Swine Flu, then people really need to chill out because it's the mildest flue I've ever experienced. I haven't even felt sick enough to call out of work. I think it's just a cold, though. Granted, it will effect everyone differently.

That being said, about 3 times per century there is a flu Pandemic. If a strain with similar virulence to the one that struck in 1918, there very well could be deaths in the tens of millions. I'm not here to say this isn't something to be concerned about, it is. I'm just here to say that the media needs to be more realistic in their portrayal, instead of presenting the worst case scenario as being inevitable. If they continue in their wolf-crying sensationalism, eventually people will stop paying attention, or being alarmed. And, if it comes to the point when people genuinely need to be alarmed, they will no longer take the news seriously.

This reminds me of a volcano I once read about. Scientists had foreseen a major eruption coming, but couldn't place exactly when it would happen. So, they proceeded to issue evacuation orders every time seismic activity in the area suggested that an eruption was imminent. After multiple false alarms, the residents started ignoring the warnings. Of course, the volcano did eventually erupt, and many of the residents perished after having ignored the evacuation call.

But, in these days of "news entertainment" and the importance of the almighty ratings, we are stuck with competing headlines of increasing direness. Say you are flipping through the channels, and station A is reporting facts about the epidemic and what we can reasonably expect to happen based on events. Station B is flashing a headline proclaiming that tens of millions are going to die. Which station are you going to tune in to?