Dear CDC

I know the type is a little small.. Here's the original (link)

via Bloomberg:

The fast-moving pandemic spread to 177 countries in four months, yet causes little more than a fever and a cough in the majority of cases. Flu activity is now widespread in 46 U.S., states in a second, fall wave, the CDC said on Oct. 23.

Visits to doctors for influenza-like illness are “increasing steeply and are now higher than what is seen at the peak of many regular flu seasons,” the agency in Atlanta said.

Using their so-called multiplier model, Reed and colleagues estimated that every reported case of pandemic H1N1 flu may represent 79 total cases, for a median estimate of 3 million symptomatic cases and 14,000 hospitalizations in the U.S.

I knew that this day was coming. In all honesty, I also knew I'd have a hearty laugh when it came. CDC, since you identified the H1N1 strain of influenza, you've had half of the free world rocking surgeon masks and bathing themselves in Purell. Not to say that cleanliness is a bad thing, but don't we have to look at the writing on the wall at some point? In 300 days, swine flu has killed 5,850 people. Compare that to the 50,182,850 deaths during that same period of time. That evens out to about 0.01%. Umm, something about that doesn't scream epidemic or pandemic, does it? I suppose your highly paid 'experts' forgot to inform the public about that, though.

This is the exact mode of thinking that led to the views of Arabs after September 11th. CDC, you've fed into the same sensationalism that causes unneeded panic. A somewhat alarming (obviously not the case for 9/11) event occurs and everyone just buys into whoever is providing the most info, no matter how skewed it is. Let's be honest guys. Most people are uninformed and easily-led. Why then, do you deem it necessary to incite fear and misinformation among them? Every time I think of how you guys are making waves for nothing, I picture the scene in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, where The Umbrella Corporation closes off Raccoon City to be nuked, with it's residents still there. Not to say that you guys are a military weapons company fronting as a medical corporation, but something about how you guys conveniently 'release' information and vaccines and health advice when nobody is looking is SHADY. Transparency is my number one caveat when dealing with 'the Man', and you guys have always looked like a brick wall since the emergence of AIDS. Swine flu might very well be passing over us, but I really hope you guys shore up your priorities. Lord knows swine flu will never compare in mortality to cardiovascular failure. Maybe you should treat it as such and stop trying to shock us into buying into your 'research'...