It's hard to blame the media for 24/7 coverage of the so-called "Swine Flu".
They're in a competitive market for 'eyeballs', the number of which, tuned in to
their programming, determine the price they charge for ads. They're only
catering to our own morbid fascination with life and death drama. Thus, the
media has a vested interest in maintain viewer ship by sensationalizing topics.
The virus' name is 'H1N1", but it's "Swine Flu" that keeps people glued to their
TV sets.

To keep the excitement up and our eyes glued to TV, very few stories provide
context. If they did, viewers would soon tire of the novelty and stop watching.
Here's the missing context.

H1N1 flu

As of today (May 5): 403 cases in the U.S. (1 death), 908 cases worldwide
(CDC/WHO data)

Ordinary Seasonal Flu:

(Since January, 2009) 13,000 deaths (U.S.) 250,000 - 500,000 deaths
(worldwide)

linda who is now in San Diego and who read this elsewhere
Moderator