The Return of H1N1 Options

[badbart]

It's not making many headlines in the US anymore, but as many have predicted, the Swine flu has been much more dangerous to people in the Southern Hemisphere (where it has been winter) than it was in the Northern Hemisphere this past spring - which makes the upcoming winter pretty scary for us Northern Hemispherians.

Meanwhile, countries in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is winter, are already seeing a sharp increase in their death tolls from the pandemic flu strain. So far, 137 have died in Argentina, 33 in Chile and 15 in Uruguay. More than 10,000 confirmed cases have been reported in Australia, and health officials there warn that the country could face up to 6,000 deaths this year.

The spike in fatalities, some say, may be a grim preview of what lies ahead for public health efforts in the Northern Hemisphere nations later this year, Gerberding said.

Cases in European countries are also on the rise. Britain has estimated 55,000 new cases in the last week alone, including that of Cherie Blair, the wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. More than two dozen people have died from the virus in the United Kingdom, including a 6-year-old girl.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/...8039&page=1

And who will be the most at risk this winter? Blacks and Hispanics.

Racial and ethnic disparities in rates of obesity among U.S. adults remain, with blacks and Hispanics recording considerably higher obesity rates than Hispanic whites, the CDC reported.

From 2006 to 2008, non-Hispanic blacks had the highest prevalence of obesity (35.7%), followed by Hispanics (28.7%) and non-Hispanic whites (23.7%), according to Liping Pan, MD, MPH, of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, and colleagues.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/15130

So what does having a big, giant, fat ass have to do with getting Swine Flu?

People who are obese but otherwise healthy may be at special risk of severe complications and death from the new H1N1 swine flu virus, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

They described the cases of 10 patients at a Michigan hospital who were so ill they had to be put on ventilators. Three died. Nine of the 10 were obese, seven were severely obese, including two of the three who died.

The study, published in advance in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on death and disease, also suggests doctors can safely double the usual dose of oseltamivir, Roche AG's antiviral drug sold under the Tamiflu brand name.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/...053710520090711

I won't be surprised when I start hearing about civil unrest due to secret government conspiracies that are somehow targeting non-whites this winter as the most susceptible demographic - the obese black and Hispanic poor - start dropping like flies.


I think this is just more proof that God hates brown people and fatties.