It has been a while since we heard anything about the H1N1 virus. Based on last winter’s reports, it appears that the end of the world was neigh. If you believed the press (any version, CNN, MSNBC or FOX) then catastrophe was impending. I saw reports on potential body counts, the impact of deadly bugs on history, and just how dramatically viruses have adapted to modern medicine. According to the “news,” all of these indicators would lead to the super-bug science has been warning the world about for years.
Not so.
In fact, the H1N1 hysteria has been replaced with tacit acknowledgment of news room missteps. The panic is gone and the end of the world appears to be in the hand of another supreme being or calendar. However, the worst may not be over. According to this Washington Post article, the H1N1 vaccine may do more damage than the actual virus itself. In recent findings, the vaccine may be responsible for a higher rate of other diseases, some much more dangerous than the flu. Studies are ongoing but time will tell if the “crisis” of H1N1 lead to poorly executed and rushed-to-market vaccines that may continue to disable or kill.