Swine Flu: The Numbers and Facts

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/health/11flu.html?scp=7&sq=h1n1&st=cse

The article “Swine Flu Death Toll at 10,000 Since April” by Donald G. McNeil Jr. was published on December 10, 2009 by the New York Times. The article pertains to the “swine flu,” also known as h1n1, and how the number of deaths has been more than the 4,000 the CDC had previously estimated in mid-October. It is informative because it gives us the actual numbers and the facts rather than rates or predictions; “Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, agreed that trying to guess how many would die by spring was “calling the score at halftime.”” This particular article pertains to the disease nationally although the disease does effect people world-wide. The impact of the disease and how many people have been and will be affected by it is clearly stated by Osterholm in the article, “So the C.D.C. says 50 million have been infected so far,” he said. “Another 50 million have been vaccinated. And maybe 20 million have got innate immunity because of their age. You do the math — that’s 120 million who are immune out of 320 million, so two-thirds of the population is still not immune. It’s amazing how many people are acting as if this is all wrapped up. The numbers could still go up dramatically.”
The author of this article is trying to get across that the numbers are still rising and people are almost not realizing how this is still going to have a major effect on the population, which includes themselves. He has given us a comparison in numbers from the deaths of the swine flu and also the regular flu, which in a 2003 study, is known to be 36,000. The author is unbiased for he is only giving out the facts and his article isn’t opinionated. “How many will ultimately die of the H1N1 flu depends heavily on whether there is a third wave in January, as happened in the 1918 and 1957 pandemics, and on whether the virus changes to be more lethal or drug-resistant.”, this shows that the results are dependent on what actually happens and that’s what he believes. He isn’t jumping to any conclusions or making any predictions. He seems pretty neutral throughout the article; he isn’t being negative about the effects of the flu, although the results themselves are negative. The author, Donald G. McNeil is a reliable source; there is a link that can be followed on the page that the article is found on that tells us that he is a science and health reporter specializing in plagues and pestilences, what types of plagues he has covered, about his background, awards he has won, and when he joined the New York Times. The author also provides different quotes and statistics throughout his article from, the director of the CDC, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Lone Simonsen of George Washington University’s School of Public Health, Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Arnold S. Monto, a flu expert at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and Dr. Beth P. Bell, associate director of science in the respiratory disease division of the disease control agency. These sources aren’t really different in their viewpoint because they are all suggesting the dangers and facts of the swine flu and the effect that is has had and will have on the United States. I believe that the article is very informative and reliable and also provides you with reliable resources that convince you that this is real and happening.
The connection made between this article and the History of Epidemic Disease class is that the swine flu is infecting people throughout the country and that it comes in waves, or ‘phases’. I can also make a connection to this article because I am one of the 50 million people that have been vaccinated. I think the article is informative and brings you to reality and causes you to believe the information given because it isn’t just thrown out to you; the author presented a handful of reliable resources in the information throughout the article.