What a brilliant way to earn money!

It’s just like the difference between a recession and a depression. A recession is when your neighbour loses his job while a depression is one when you lose yours.

Well written & informative.

The only reason why the H1N1 vaccine is not recommended for those under 18 years old is because the clinical trials for this age-group has not yet completed.

Once the trial has confirmed that it is safe for use in children, it will be recommended for those under three as well, like the influenza flu vaccine.

[[So the question remains, why are people so scared? Have we not learnt anything from history?]]

It’s a two-edged sword. If you do not warn people of dangers, and if many died, then you carry the death of people in your hands.

If you warn people of dangers, and no one dies, then people will say you are a fear mongerer.

We have to put things into perspective. H1N1 is a new virus, albeit it is part of the family of flu virus. People have died because of it, albeit these people are those already with medical condition in the first place.

When it comes to new diseases, sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry. At the same time, we should also not go too far, like slaughtering pigs for nothing.

Information and appropriate balance is key.

It is ironic we are so afraid of this new disease and want vaccination but we still have bad social habits of coughing into people’s face, not wearing a mask when having flu and worse, going to work even though doctor gives MC to rest at home.

Is your medical personnel a doctor then?

As mentioned before, all medical advice, even given by a medical doctor, should always end with the caveat that one should consult one’s physician.

For your information, the vaccine is not suitable for children under 3 years. So while it is recommended for the “very young”, children under 3 should not go for the vaccine.

the sticking point with me is that the govt tries to shove the burden of healthcare to the citizens as usual. a lot of countries are offering foc. singapore is especially vulnerable given our high density and openness. singapoire is also darned rich, and yet citizens are “encouraged” to pay out of their own pockets.

i’m not comfortable with the trend of pushing healthcare costs onto the citizens. i see this firmly in place, the last example being the compulsory pneumoccal vaccination to be borne by citizens. it’s like singapore is getting more and more expensive, and you just have to pay up and shut up (= it’s for your own good)

The media likes remind us about the Spanish flu in 1918 which killed millions and then try to insinuate that it could happen again. What they conveniently forget is that many of those who died in 1918 were due to a secondary pneumonia infection. And they died because penicillin WAS NOT discovered yet! We have antibiotics today to combat secondary infections. Often times, it is not the virus that kills but a secondary infection. But this they don’t tell you.

Another thing they don’t bring up in the media is that in 1976, swine flu broke out in an army camp in USA. A national campaign was started for mass vaccination. People bought into the media hype and as many as 40 million were vaccinated. As it turned out it was a mild strain of flu but because of the vaccinations, as many as 4000 people came down with Gullian-Barre syndrome, a paralyzing neurological disease. The vaccine did more harm than good.

What’s happening today is more akin to what happened in 1976 than what happened in 1918.

So the question remains, why are people so scared? Have we not learnt anything from history?

Locally, those who are attending this year’s Haj will be given priority to take the vaccine.