# 5196
Although I’ve certainly felt the story has been worthy of coverage numerous times over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been doing my level best not to oversell the flu `crisis’ in the UK.
I know it won’t sell newspapers, or draw hordes of readers to this blog, but the plain facts are – so far, anyway – the number of deaths and ICU admissions attributed to this year’s flu outbreak in the UK fall far short of constituting a viral Armageddon.
But you wouldn’t know that by reading the newspaper headlines.
Which is not to say the UK isn’t being impacted by a serious outbreak of influenza (and other respiratory illnesses). It is.
Some hospitals, ICUs, and GPs are heavily stressed, and there are a number of tragic stories regarding children and young adults impacted by the flu.
But influenza exacts a heavy toll almost every year. Most of the time – since its victims are generally elderly – this goes largely unnoticed by the public and the press.
As the H1N1 virus has shown a predilection for younger victims, this year and last, we are seeing far more media coverage – and public concern – regarding influenza.
Fergus Walsh, the BBC’s well known medical correspondent, brings a little bit of sanity to the coverage in a New Year’s Eve blog post called:
Keeping a sense of proportion about swine flu
Fergus Walsh | 14:14 UK time, Friday, 31 December 2010
A highly recommended dose of reality for this first morning of the new year.
Related Post:
- Canada: FluWatch Week 52
- CDC Statement On This Year’s Flu Activity
- FluView Week 49
- Early Flu Cases Begin To Emerge
- Global Flu Surveillance Updates
- ISDH Statement On H3N2v
- The 2012 Flu Season Down Under
- Hong Kong’s Extended Flu Season
- WER: Reviewing The 2011-2012 Northern Hemisphere Flu Season
- Northern Hemisphere Flu Activity Declines
- CDC: FluView Week 14
- CDC: FluView Week 10
- CDC Telebriefing On Influenza
- CDC: On The Slow Start To The Flu Season
- CDC FluView & ECDC WISO: Flu Activity Remains Low
- The `Flu Near You’ Survey
- Week 41 Flu Activity & Flu Shot Finder
- The Flu Season Down Under
- Australia: Flu Season Nearing Peak - ISG
- WHO: Influenza Update Week 24
- The WHO’s Flu Review
- Portrait Of A Flu Season In Decline
- North America Flu Surveillance Week 8
- North American Flu Surveillance: Week 7
- ECDC: European Flu Surveillance Week 6
- Branswell On Flu Vaccine Matches
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- Referral: A Summary Of Worldwide H5N1 Cases in 2011
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- Nature: Special Influenza Supplement
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