Green: Swine flu over the cuckoo’s nest

Over the past seven months, we have been treated to story after story elaborating on the horrors… Over the past seven months, we have been treated to story after story elaborating on the horrors of the “dreaded” H1N1 virus.

We have been informed of the virus’ frightening body count, and we have been instructed in proper prevention tips ad nauseum, leaving the public swirling with aggrandized — and incorrect — images of sickly green pigs spewing the virus out of grubby, mucus-and-mud-encrusted snouts one contagious oink after the next.

The initial coverage on H1N1, in particular, exaggerated the virus’ threat level.

Based on the virus’ early news exposure, one might have thought the little oinkers had mutated into some monstrous dinosaur-pig hybrid and we all had only a few days to live. Of course, the situation was not nearly this dire. Not even close.

This overblown coverage created two opposite, yet equally problematic, public reactions: those who wholeheartedly bought into the hype and those who had an adverse, “boy who cried swine” reaction.

Recently, this division has manifested itself into a public outcry for or against the newly released H1N1 vaccine.

On one hand, I haven’t seen many people keen to get their hands on drugs since watching the movie “Blow” twice in one weekend.

While the first 11 million doses have been released, there is currently a massive shortage of vaccines available.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had originally hoped to distribute 29 million doses by the end of October — a goal that seems rather unlikely now — and millions of Americans continue to wait anxiously for their H1N1 vaccine fix.

In response, President Obama has declared the H1N1 virus outbreak a national emergency — a move that gives U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius the power to move emergency rooms offsite and thus speed distribution of the vaccines, according to an article by MSNBC.

Particularly, I’ve noticed an agitated urgency among my adult family members, as well as my friends, to become vaccinated.

My father, who has taken to driving around with a face mask “just in case,” has reminded me repeatedly to become vaccinated as soon as a shot becomes available.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, of course. But then there are the thousands of people who have altered their daily routines for fear of the virus — those who stood in line through the night to obtain the vaccine, those who canceled sporting events, school days and trick-or-treating, those who walk around with giant containers of hand sanitizer and make suspicious, McCarthian comments to anyone who so much as sneezes in a nearby room.

These are the people around which you should avoid using the term “national emergency.” It’s kind of like telling someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder that you spat on his food while he wasn’t looking.

More than 1,000 people have died from H1N1 — and without a doubt, we will have a safer, healthier nation if every American were vaccinated as soon as possible. But this death toll is small when considered in the proper context.

Consider, for example, that approximately 36,000 people die of seasonal flu-related causes each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yet it receives much less hype.

Many pharmaceutical manufacturers have delayed or reduced the number of seasonal flu vaccine doses because of the pressure to produce millions of doses of swine flu vaccine, according to MSNBC.

In short, get the shot when you can, but until then, it’s not worth spending your days double-fisting Purell bottles.

On the other, more alarming — and probably germ-ridden — hand, a disturbing amount of people would refuse the vaccine under any circumstances.

According to a Pew Research Center poll, 47 percent of Americans said they would not get the vaccine even if it were available to them.

Some of these people simply think the media reaction to the virus is overblown and thus don’t see it as a threat.

Others, like a friend of mine, say they don’t believe the virus actually exists. Rather, they believe “it’s a conspiracy of the liberal media to propagandize the masses in favor of socialized health care reform.”

But the majority, according to the Pew poll, think the vaccine is too risky or that it has not been thoroughly tested.

This is largely because of misinformation spread through word-of-mouth, as well as online blogs and chain e-mails.

“We’ve seen e-mails stating that the vaccine is tainted with antifreeze or Agent Orange, causes Gulf War syndrome or has killed U.S. Navy sailors,” according to FactCheck.com.

One such e-mail read: “Their EVIL DEPOPULATION plan is in full swing! Do the right thing … get this story out. The seasonal flu shot ALSO contains H1N! and H3N2 and one other deadly flu. DO NOT TAKE ANY VACCINE. NONE … NONE … NONE.”

While the government certainly can’t force these people to get the vaccine, there are risks involved in refusing the vaccine, not only to the non-vaccine taker, but also to others.

For every person infected, another 1.4 will contract the H1N1 virus, according to an article in The New Scientist.

Obviously, what we seek here is a healthy medium. Personally, I think every American should receive the vaccine.

By vaccinating as many people as possible, we can contain the spread of the virus and therefore curb fatalities, limit money spent on medical bills and spare your fellow world citizens the delightful experience of quivering in bed for three days straight.

However, remember that H1N1 is not the bubonic plague. Be patient while waiting for the vaccine. Chances are, you’ll survive.

E-mail Molly at mog4@pitt.edu.