A more obvious headline (and a more panic-inducing one for already homormonally deranged pregnant women) could not have been crafted.
What was more eye-rolling however, were the less-than-newsworthy tidbits the article provided, including:
- So far, the swine flu has not proven to be much more dangerous than seasonal influenza, and it’s not clear whether or not pregnant women catch swine flu more often than other people.
- In general, flu poses added risks for pregnant women
- Pregnancy weakens a woman’s immune system, so that she’s more likely to suffer pneumonia when she catches the flu
- Pregnant women with asthma and some other health conditions are particularly at risk for complications.
The entire rest of the article goes on to talk about how Swine Flu does or doesn't differ from the regular flu virus, fears of it mutating and how the antiviral drugs are a good idea to lessen it's effects.
I can (sort of) understand the inital fear - an unknown virus, proving to be rather strong in Mexico, begins spreading worldwide. But I am at a total loss how it is STILL warranting fear-mongering headlines in the media. It's far less deadly than the regular flu (thus far), obviously is going to be more dangerous for certain groups and people do need to take stock of their personal hygiene, but does any of that warrant the crazy headlines/updates that are still going on? A simple "don't forget to keep washing your hands" PSA ought to suffice.
Signed,
Pregnant Woman with Asthma (who washes her hands and is healthy and sees no reason for publishing obvious "news" that is just meant to scare people)
1 comment:
I saw that headline and thought exactly the same thing. For heaven's sake, pregnancy makes you more vulnerable to any illness - a fact which is well-known and totally not newsworthy.
This swine flu hysteria is getting ridiculous! The way the media is going on and on you would think we are all mere seconds from dropping dead. I can't wait till we can move on to another topic.
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