Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Sheila, New York on October 9, 2009:

You said, "frankly, it's very difficult to get people to stop and pay attention to the important stuff without freaking them out."

Yet that's exactly what you did. I learned plenty, even though I have been keeping up with the media on this issue, and was fascinated by it all, not frightened. You proved that it simply takes a talent for explaining complex topics, which most journalists don't seem to have anymore.

Posted by Luis, Mexico on October 9, 2009:

Well, you can't blame the pork industry, one can imagine how the sales will drop if people keep the idea that "swine flu" can be transmitted from eating pork.

I actually didn't know what the letters and numbers in the "flying swine flu" mean (that's the way I'm going to call it since now), at least most people know the name of the virus here in Mexico. Elba Esther Gordillo Morales, leader of the National Educational Workers Union, called it the HLNL flu.

Anyway you convinced me to get the vaccine as fast as I can, but then it seems that here the vaccine will be offered till November.

BTW Hope you're getting better now.

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I definitely don't blame the pork industry, I just refuse to kowtow to their pulling a curtain over the reality of the problem. Did their mass production practices contribute to the problem? I don't know, but wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that's the case. -rc

Posted by Mark - Indiana on October 10, 2009:

I live in the midwest, and the news media calling "H1N1" something it is not (swine flu) has torn thru the ag economy. I'm surprised that you - a person who has medical training and took the time to write one of the clearest, most concise explanations of the disease - would take pride calling it something it is not. From my point of view, you've become your own "This is True" story.

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You're too close to this to see it clearly, Mark. You think it's being called "something it is not." Yet look at the origins of the disease. Most of it is from pigs. There's a reason it's called "Swine Flu", and it's certainly more accurate than the still-accepted tag for the 1918 pandemic, "Spanish Flu", which first appeared in the U.S. and swept into the rest of Europe before getting to Spain. The cure for the problems facing the pork industry isn't to pander to ignorance and rename the flu something else when it is from swine, but to educate the public -- which is what I did. Why isn't the pork industry at least as proactive on this as I am?! -rc

Posted by Nick in the UK on October 10, 2009:

Another point to make is that "pandemic" does not necessarily mean "deadly", which is what most people seem to think... The media is not helping at all (like with the housing market and the economy, they seem to be more interesting in carrying fuel to the fire than to enlighten).

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Excellent point. -rc

Posted by Jim (Texas) on October 10, 2009:

You have the best description of pandemic vs. epidemic I've seen anywhere. And thank you for defining H1N1.

But you left out the single most important defense to avoid the flu - wash your hands often. That simple advice will do more to prevent catching the flu than the flu shot will. (And yes, I received my flu shot yesterday. And no, the doctor was not truthful when he said I would barely feel it.)

And I've learned, when attending events where there are lots of people with hand shaking going on (like conventions), carry hand sanitizer and use it after every handshake.

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Frankly, the kids have it right: fistbumps are better than handshakes. I wasn't trying to cover every base, so thanks for covering that one: hand washing is critical. -rc

Posted by Lynn Ratcliffe - Las Vegas, NV on October 10, 2009:

The UK study was based on the MMR vaccine, not ALL vaccines. Note that I did NOT say that I think vaccines cause autism.

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Alarmists took that one flawed "study" (based, by the way, on only 12 kids) and extrapolated it to all vaccines being "dangerous". The fact: the lack of vaccines is what's dangerous. That faked study led to lower vaccination rates in U.K. children, and led to more disease that truly did harm children. That's the tragedy of it all. -rc

Posted by John, Texas on October 10, 2009:

Pigasus flu! Randi will be so proud!

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John refers to magician and skeptic James "The Amazing" Randi and his Pigasus Award. -rc

Posted by Dan, Virginia on October 10, 2009:

One thing to add, in the interest of education, is that there are meds now to shorten the duration of the flu if you get it, and as prophylaxis for those around you to keep them from catching it from you. Tamiflu (the best known and apparently harder to get) has been working against swine flu (a.k.a., novel H1N1) but not against the seasonal H1N1 virus. Relenza works against both. Either requires a prescription and you do need to start within 48 hours of showing symptoms if you're the sick one.

Key points are: you can do something other than suffer, and those around you need not catch the flu just because you did.

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True, but like antibiotics do with bacteria, such meds will increase the strength of the viruses over time. -rc

Posted by Ben of Houston on October 10, 2009:

I like your analysis, but I disagree with you on the naming. People are panicky, and mass pig slaughters have occurred due to swine flu. In Egypt, the government slaughtered all pigs within their borders, though Muslim bureaucrats don't need much excuse to rid themselves of the "unclean", it's still a frightening image to the pork producers.

Furthermore, many people use the precautionary principle to extremes, especially with food health. Not a single salmonella infected tomato was ever found in 2007, but it devastated the tomato industry with unsold produce and unnecessary recalls. Even tomato sauce was avoided, though salmonella cannot survive cooking.

Back onto diseases, would you ever say that someone is infected with GRID? Gay Related Immunodeficiency Disorder was renamed to AIDS in order to make it clear that straight people could be (and were becoming) infected. Renaming diseases to prevent bad actions by the populace has historical precedent.

I would consider the agricultural and medical industries foolish to NOT call it H1N1. Calling it swine flu has no benefits, and causes actions that harm industries to no benefit.

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We can pander to ignorance, like Egypt's, or we can fight it. The fact is, the public knows it better as Swine Flu than "H1N1". GRID isn't the same: that's simply incorrect since, as you point out, straight people can get it. Swine Flu did come from swine; the name accurate reflects its main points of origin. -rc

Posted by David, Israel on October 11, 2009:

In Israel, the first order of business for the Deputy Minister of Health (there is no Minister) when Swine Flu started making headlines was to find an alternate name for it.

Why? Because swine/pig isn't Kosher and the ultra-orthodox Deputy Minister was uncomfortable with the repeated mention of unclean pigs and swine in the media!

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I did hear about that, but then I pay unnatural attention to odd things in the news.... -rc