What they bring up is selected information, like "hundreds of people die from flu every year". Yes, hundreds of old people in Sweden. They don't show statistics explaining that this flu seems to hit younger people. I think it is a big difference. A very old weak person might not be possible to treat successfully, but a younger person may need intensive care.
They take the figure of how many people have died from the flu so far and compare it with the total number of known cases. Between 400 000 maybe up to 3 million Swedish people is expected to get sick. How many would then die if the current level of death from flu in the world is maintained? It is said to be 0.4-0.5 % in the same article. What annoys me is that they don't mention the real figures.
It actually means between 1600 and 15000 people just in Sweden. Even if it only turns out to be a tenth of that figure, it is still a lot of lives. (The tsunami in Thailand killed around 550 Swedes on vacation. Just to compare the figures.)
The flu is described as a light desease with a few days of flu-like sympthoms. It is mentioned very briefly that the risk of getting serious complications is increased for people with lung diseases or other serious "underlying" diseases. The conclusion is made that we shouldn't worry.
What they seem to forget that a large number of people in Sweden (and probably other countries too) suffer from "underlying" diseases. Many people have asthma in Sweden. What are we supposed to do?
We can also read (elsewhere) that the specialists believe that they will be able to handle eventual complications at our largest hospitals. Let's hope so. Let's hope that the ones responsible don't read one of the large Swedish newspapers without thinking twice. Let's hope they don't manage to stop the plans to vaccinate people just because it will cost money and some large corporations will make a profit.
I am willing to pay 100 SEK to become vaccinated and decrease the risk of getting the flu and possible complication because of my underlying asthma. Instead of selected "basic facts", I would rather get some advice on what I can do to prevent getting the flu, or rather surviving the flu. Thank you.
