Doug's Blog

Today I was quoted in the paper as saying, "This sort of pandemic hysteria is, is - I don't understand why people are doing it. Its the flu."

Yes, I said those words.  I said them in reference to a couple of people who seemed to be in a state of hysteria over the situation with H1N1.  I was never referring to the general public because from what I have seen and heard, the majority of the public is very calm and handling the situation very well.

But, since I have your attention let's review a few facts:

First, the general seasonal flu causes an average of 5000 deaths in Canada per year.  The Canadian Lung Association says the range of deaths in Canada from the seasonal flu, from which many of us get vaccinated every year, ranges from 4000 to 8000 deaths.  If we assume Alberta gets its share based on population then we can assume that we average over 500 seasonal flu related deaths a year.  Health officials have forecast that the worst case scenario from the H1N1 flu virus will cause between 130 and 400 deaths in Alberta.  So, that is less than what we normally expect from the regular seasonal flu.

Second, do you all remember the SARS, which spread so rapidly and would kill thousands upon thousands of people, but resulted in 44 deaths in Canada.  Remember the bird (Avian) flu that was in B.C. and was going to spread fast and kill so many, which resulted in not one single death in Canada.  And how about West Nile, which had now entered Canada and would kill so many people . . . which has actually resulted in 42 deaths since 2002.  Of course we can't forget about BSE and how eating meat was going to spell death . . . and yet I can only find one case since 1979 of a victim of CJD that was possibly BSE related.

Stop.  Before you criticize, please know that I do believe every single death is tragic and should be prevented.  My point however is that every single one of these incidents, much like today's newspaper headlines, do not live up to the hype.

Lets also keep in mind that the most severe flu pandemic in history occured in 1918-19 and it resulted in between 40 and 50 million deaths around the world.  Today, the worst case scenario according to the world health organization is 7 million deaths globally.  Now, with a global population that is 3 times larger than it was in 1918 and thousands of times more connected than 1918, that number if remarkable.  (Again, I am not saying that the deaths aren't significant.  Indeed they are, but the fact they can be so much less is a great testament to the achievements of the human race.) 

In short, we have come a remarkable distance in preventing the spread of disease.  How?  We have improved our diet, our healthcare, and our hygiene.  So, just as I said to the reporter we should remember that the best way to combat the flu is to wash you hands often, drink plenty of healthy fluids, and stay rested.  After  that we know you should get a flu shot so that you won't actually wind up with the flu.

I understand people elevated concerns, I understand they have questions, I understand they have fears.  I take no issue with that, and I am happy to answer any questions that come my way, and will do my best always to alleviate concerns and fears with facts and information, and encourage people to stay calm and not panic.

What I do not understand is when people don't care about the information, don't care about the facts, and demand unreasonable and impossible solutions from me and follow it up with threats that range from suing the government to physically harming me.  When someone ignores facts and information and resorts to threats I conclude they are in a state of hysteria, a state of hysteria caused by the flu. 

The reported suggested I seemed a little frustrated.  I clearly indicated that a few people were frustrating because they were in a state of pandemic hysteria, and I didn't understand why . . . and you can go back and read the quote above.  I got so frustrated I even took it out on a couple of people I normally have great public debates with.  So . . . my comments were about a few people who ARE experiencing hysteria, NOT about the general public that is handling this evolving situation with incredible ease and understanding.