UK: 2 swine flu cases confirmed.

[£3.73]

According to the BBC news, there was a lot of concern expressed by MP's & heated exchanges during today's Westminster debate ... many backbench Labour MP's choosing to side with the opposition.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8020332.stm

[Govangirl]

There's nothing like an epidemic to make people forget a recession. When a government's in trouble, they can rely on a good old health scare to give them a new fear.

[LANDROVER ROGER]

I ran put of petrol yesterday.I thought the outbreak was at Texaco.Must get me hearing aid sorted.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

"Worldwide, the annual death toll from the flu is estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000." In the United States it is 36,000 yearly. The regular seasonal flu has killed 13,000 people so far this year in the United States. Swine flu has killed approximately 150 in the weeks that it has been around and that number hasn't changed drastically, and they are all in the same general location.

"According to the Chief Medical Officer's publication 'Explaining Pandemic Flu'(1 March 2005):
"Ordinary flu occurs every year during the winter months in the UK. It affects 10-15% of the UK population, causing around 12,000 deaths every year." [1]

The only death to have gone outside Mexico was a little child from Mexico who came to the US specifically for medical care. The flu bug is the new "terrorist."

Not being a conspiracy theorist myself (for the most part), it seems that either "they" want us to panic when there is no basis for it for whatever reasons "they" may have, or .....

[chad bonesteele]

I quite agree with you Bobbi, a whole lot of panic mongering for very little. Now if we are to have a pandemic killer flu, I would like to get it now so that if it changes from what it is now to a killer at least i might have some immunity.
I would be concerned about this joining forces with the H5N1 avian flu and that becoming a killer. Anyway it works out I really dont belive we can stop these things, Mother Nature has her ways and we are nowhere intelligent enough to stop it.

[ionnsaigh]

It seems we are about to raise the level up to Pandemic - a couple of Tamiflu distribution centres have been set up in Glasgow only yesterday. I notice that it is deemed necessary to close any schools college's that has come into contact with the virus.
Interesting to note that at least two institutions where folk have been positively diagnosed with the virus - remain open Catterick Army camp and Barlinnie Prison. The former gives rise to a number of concerns - here is one that I've pasted from today's Halifax Evening Courier.

Students get a taste of Army life at Catterick barracks

Published Date: 18 June 2008
STUDENTS are getting first-hand experience of Army life this week.
Calderdale schools will deploy pupils into Army barracks at Catterick, North Yorkshire, as they attend the Army Careers Exhibition for the 10th year running.

Students from Park Lane High, Brooksbank School, The Ridings, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe, St Catherine's and Calderdale College will be among 18,000 teenagers attending the exhibition.

Visitors will be able to find out about bursaries and sports sponsorship as well as watching daredevil performances from the Royal Signals Motorcycle display team and freefalling parachute displays from the Red Devils Freefall Display Team.

The event runs until tomorrow and is then open to the public on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

It seems strange that 18,000 youngsters and thousands of guests are being unnecessarily exposed by what ? corruption greed incompetence - who knows.
The other concerns national security - Catterick houses 10,000 soldiers - sorry we can't fight this week type scenario - springs to mind.

[Govangirl]

I just heard breaking news on the radio that the first UK death has been confirmed in Glasgow.