H1N1: The Facts

The other half mentioned something about H1N1, thanks to his subscription with Stratfor, that caught my attention..it is definitely an article worth reading..

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that hospitalization rates and mortality rates for Influenza A(H1N1) are similar to or lower than they are for more traditional influenza strains.

Global data is sketchy to say the least, but as of Sept. 4, the World Health Organization (WHO) had linked only 3,199 deaths globally to A(H1N1). In the United States, where data is more reliable, the figure is 593, a far cry from the 402,000 to 675,000 American deaths of the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic.

The virus seems to have an affinity for the younger population, with higher infection rates than normal for those 24 years of age and younger, particularly those less than two years old and pregnant women.

At present, neither the WHO nor the CDC appears to suspect that A(H1N1) is any more deadly than any other seasonal flu. Bottom line: While A(H1N1) is as communicable as the traditional flu strains, it has shown no inclination to be more deadly. In fact, from what can be discerned from the New York City data, the mortality rate lingers on the edge of the statistically insignificant.

The critical factor to bear in mind is that all strains of influenza claim thousands of lives every year. In the United States, on average, some 36,000 people die of flu every year – 1,100 in New York alone. Globally, deaths related to influenza are estimated to range from 250,000 to 500,000 people per year. So far this year, only about 3,000 people have died worldwide in relation to the A(H1N1) outbreak, and most of those deaths occurred during the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere. From a statistical perspective, at present, A(H1N1) nearly falls into the range of background noise.

credit to Stratfor, excerpts taken from them. Please visit their website for the full article via free publication or subscription.


Surprising facts, yeah?! ;)