Why do we come tops in the wrong things?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/18/sw ine-flu-china-quarantine-british

The UK has registered 66% of all swine flu cases in the EU � an estimated 55,000 cases � and has had 29 deaths.

Should we have taken a leaf out of China's book in the first instance, by quarantining those early travellers that arrived from Mexico?

[ZXR]

Lets get some perspective here.

Worldwide deaths attributed to swine flu since April is 700.

Over the same period of time 245 people per month have died in road accidents in the UK alone (2943 deaths p.a. averages 245 per month)
And that's the lowest figure since 1928 when records started.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/27/trans port1

Do we ban travel by car, bike, motorcycle etc because it's dangerous?
Tell people to stay at home since travelling around is risky?
Nope cos life goes on and the risks are small.
Same goes for swine flu. Stop worrying about it and live your life.

[Davethedog]

Deaths as a direct result of flu infection are often under-reported2 because flu is not documented as the cause of death on the death certificate. Instead, the death may be attributed to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or pneumonia.
Even in non-epidemic years as many as 3,000 to 4,000 excess deaths are attributable to flu in the UK.3 During epidemics this level is much higher - for example during the epidemic of 1989-90 there were almost 30,000 excess deaths in Great Britain attributable to flu4
The UK experienced the seventh consecutive year of low levels of influenza activity during the 2006/07 season with a peak of 44.8 cases per 100,000 reported in mid-February.5 The highest rates in recent times were in the winter of 1989/90 when a peak of 583 cases per 100,000 population was seen.3

http://www.uvig.org/faqsheets/flu.asp

Chances are that the European media aren't as scare mongering as ours.

[Quinlad]

We don't always come top in the wrong things. Stop doing us down.

We invented the world wide web.
We discovered DNA.
We consistently produce among the best music, novels, and actors in the world.
Sir Norman Foster is regarded as one of the if not the foremost architects in the world.
Our armed forces are, for my money, the fifth or sixth best in the world.

There's plenty we excel at.

[leyaenda]

I do recalll a lot of users on nhere posting how swine flu was nothing to worry about and itw as all a big hoo haa.

Now theres a different view.


I say listen to the WHO when they tell you its a pandemic then believe them.


I told you so doesnt really help but its true.

[craft1948]

I still have...

[sqad617]

layanda....spot on and just wait until the end of December and then have a count up of deaths and remember the majority of deaths will be in children and young adults not the aged as the seasonal variety.

Of course we should have quarantines ALL contacts after the first case was confirmed in Scotland.

Many on AB "joked about swine flu in April and many are still playing the danger down or blaming the media.

MADNESS.......total ...MADNESS.

[DaisyMae]

And we invented cricket.

[anotheoldgit]

quinlad I didn't say we don't come top in some good things.

What I did say was 'why do we always come top in the wrong things' do you follow my meaning?

I could list some of them, but that would only open up other arguments, but I think most right minded people could also make their own lists.

Some on your list I would agree with except the discovery of DNA this was by the Swiss physician and biologist, Johann Friedrich Miescher and I also disagree that our armed forces are, the fifth or sixth best in the world.

They are in fact the very best in the World.

[Quinlad]

Hmmm, they're certainly top 5. And out of 195 countries, that's something we should all be proud of.