YOUR COMMENTS

The smallpox vaccination hysteria of the early 2000's comes to mind. Have they tested these flu vaccines on sheep?
- Jen, Manchester

this whole vaccination hype is BULL!!!! my 12 year old son and 3 year old daughter couldnt get an appointment for the shot until dec 29th! even though they are in constant contact with my 5 month old son! so needless to say we have ALL had this h1n1 and luckily my infant didnt! they knew we needed it and couldnt produce it fast enough, so we had to suffer. if you get it its not all that terrible for us adults but it is aweful for the children! children should have these shot readily available to them!
- george, hillsborough

Jason, from Hooksett, I doubt that people feared they would themselves be killed by terrorists. I'm guessing my chances of it are much, much lower than the 9.3M to 1. I don't live in terroristy areas.

The fear is that a terrorist attack will hit somewhere in the US. That has huge ramifications for the nation as a whole, and I bet the chances of a terrorist attack in the US are probably a little less than the chances of an avalanche somewhere in the US. I'm a little more worried of the terrorist thing.

However ... I am not "petrified" at all of a terrorist attack, as so far our defense seems to be doing a good job preventing them.

But neither am I worried about H1N1. I do agree with many here that this is blown way out of proportion. Not just by the gov't, but also, and even more so, by the media. Bad news sells. Panic drives people to their TVs to watch the news to stay on top of the "situation". I may stock up on chicken soup, but that's about as far as I'll go.
- Marc, Derry

HA...yeah you may stop hearing about it if the health care bill gets passed.

Anyone with intellect should be pushing to have that propaganda stopped immediately!

Worrying about H1N1? How about worrying about the fact your new public option may not pay for your annual exams, ladies! Good god...are people really this dense?!
- Royce, Manchester

Comparing worrying about terrorist attacks and H1N1? Are you serious?

Here's the thing...you can try and avoid the flu. You can (if you can find it) get a vaccination.

You can't avoid terrorists. This year so far FBI has arrested 40 something individuals (all Muslim, btw) in the process of setting up huge terrorist attacks. 40 something may not sound like much...but it only took one...a handful of terrorists to cause 9/11.?

Please compare apples to oranges. I'm actually more afraid of the people in my backyard causing me harm then H1N1...because I take proper precautions to try and not get sick. But if I step on a plane and there is someone on there planning something...I'd never know.

So laugh away Don...terrorist attacks have been on the rise in the last several years and it's becoming more clear that there are still people out there that forgot abotu 9/11 and are naive to believe it probably won't happen again.
- Rachel, Manchester

The H1N1 mania, global warming BS, weapons of mass destruction, stimulus to prevent financial Armageddon, Healthcare, ETC...Do you get the picture people?

The government and its minions are constantly trying to keep us in a state of fear so that we rollover and give up our essential rights and liberties. The recent exposure of hundreds of emails documenting scientific fraud in relation to global warming is just another example of this.

From the immortal words of Ronald Reagan, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language, I'm from the government and I'm here to help!"

Runaway, RUNAWAY! - Monty Python
- Kyle, Bedford

Good point Don. It would appear that hysteria is trendy on both sides of the isle. Google turned this up:

Terrorist attack: With the recent London bombings and September 11th not too far behind, death by terrorist attack is fresh in many people's minds. A poll in Conde Nast Traveler in February 2003 found that one-third of respondents feared a terrorist attack. What are your real odds of dying this way? Historically speaking, it's a one in 9.3 million chance--which is a slightly greater risk than you have of dying in an avalanche.
- Jason, Hooksett

"Its funny to see that the people who are so non chalant about H1N1 are the same people who are petrified of terrorists knocking at their door. Anyone have the stats on being killed by a terrorist in the USA?"
- Don, Manchester

Don, it isn't about being nonchalant but it is about the media whipping people up into a frenzy. WMUR has that ominous music playing every night and then they update the viewers on the H1N1 and say...You need to get vaccinated. Problem is: THere isn't enough vaccination to go around.
I was at the ER for an injury and there were 4 people with yellow masks in the waiting room. One guy wearing a yellow mask was also drinking a coffee coolata. I heard him telling his friend he thinks he has H1N1. People are flooding the emergency rooms for head colds thinking they have H1N1 and if they don't get treated they will die. This is all due to the media hype that has blown this whole flu outbreak out of proportion.
- Mike, Manchester

Don: Anyone have the stats on getting killed by a terrorist in the USA?--- Sad part is the terrorist events are not labeled as such and are increasing on American soil now. Just remember that these shots will become mandatory under a government run health care system. They will deny coverage if you fail to take your "preventive" measures.
- Joel, New Boston

Its funny to see that the people who are so non chalant about H1N1 are the same people who are petrified of terrorists knocking at their door. Anyone have the stats on being killed by a terrorist in the USA?
- Don, Manchester

H1NI is nothing more than media and government spin

If G.W.B. we still in office this would 10 times worse, because he wouldn't be doing enough and Americans are dying as a result of Republicans negligence.
- Harry, Atkinson

Here's your reality check: H1N1 is not serious but it is worse than the seasonal flu:

H1N1 is more infectious and kept infecting people over the summer, CDC estimates that up to 60% of the population will get H1N1 this winter compared to 5-15% of people for a regular flu season. H1H1 does not however kill a higher percentage of the people it infects.

The regular flu does not kill the often quoted 36,000 Americans every year. That number comes from a Government study released in 2000. The 36,000 refers to deaths per year categorized as "underlying respiratory and circulatory". The same study lists total "underlying pneumonia and influenza" deaths at 8,097 per year and H1N1 deaths at 382 per year.

For comparison, the CDC just stopped releasing "underlying pneumonia and influenza" death figures (allegedly because they were causing confusion), the last number they released was 3,446 in just 7 weeks over the early fall (a time when such a death is normally unusual because seasonal flu isn't circulating). Of those deaths an unusually high percentage were in younger age brackets (under 65) whereas in a typical year the vast majority of influenza/pneumonia deaths are in the 65+ age brackets.

There also aren't more people dying of seasonal flu than H1N1 at the moment: Since August 30th the CDC has received over 55,000 positive flu tests, of those only 178 were influenza B or A1H3 (seasonal flu).

Bottom line: they call it a pandemic because of the unusual spread not the lethality. It will not kill millions like the Spanish flu unless an extremely unlikely mutation happens. I will be surprised if it kills more than 25,000 in the US and I have no plans to take the vaccine.
- Mark, Windham

WOW! Flu clinics! Has anyone TRIED to get a flu shot in NH? Of either kind? I've tried all the major hospitals in the southern tier; no one has any, nor are they expecting any. I'm 65 years old, and I can't find a flu shot in the state I was born and raised in to, let's hope this is a pun, "to save my life". Maybe we should just be frugal and wait to see if any MORE people die before we go around spending money to provide flu shots for our residents.
- aldo, manchester

Hallelujah! I am so happy to see others asking to this news in context. The newsline of "5 deaths" do not help anyone without putting it into context by providing an approximate number of deaths attributed to the seasonal influenza virus.

I volunteer to become infected with H1N1 to calm irrational fears stoked by media sensationilism. If the H1N1 virus where really so bad why are we giving away vaccine to Candian citizens and to the prisoners still at Gitmo? Is it really a national emergency like obama declared?
The reason we have a declared pandemic is likely political. The H1N1 vaccines are not approved by the FDA except in a declared pandemic. Well guess what, the government spent over a billion of our dollars on the vaccine to give it away. There is no way they would buy that much vaccine and not make it legal (by declaring a pandemic) to use. The clinical studies of the H1N1 vaccine were all done in healthy volunteers over 18 years of age, yet the government agencies reccomend administering the vaccine to those under 18. The efficacy is nearly doubled with two doses, yet the government says you only need one.

This is the same government some want to be in charge of all aspects of your healthcare.

The vaccine was purchased by the federal government, yet our representaives to the federal government, shea-porter and hodes have done nothing to educate us on what they know about the H1N1 virus.
- Michael Layon, Derry

What's in the seasonal and swine flu vaccines?

Egg proteins: including avian contaminant viruses

Gelatin: known to cause allergic reactions and anaphylaxis are usually associated with sensitivity to egg or gelatin

Polysorbate 80 (Tween80™): can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis

Formaldehyde: a known carcinogen

Triton X100: a strong detergent

Sucrose: table sugar Resin: known to cause allergic reactions

Gentamycin: an antibiotic

Thimerosal: mercury, a known neurotoxin. Thimerosal is 50% mercury

And keep in mind that all these toxins are not being ingested where the the digestive system would filter or remove some of these poisons. This mix of body destroying chemicals is being injected directly into the blood stream where they have a direct path to the brain and other vital organs!
- James Longfellow, Hooksett

First off, my deep condolences to those families who have lost someone.


Pandemic---: occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.

Really?

I must say it does warm my heart to see my fellow NHerites not be herded along like sheep. While we may disagree on what the reason is for this media/gov/ins co etc farce, we can agree that if walks like duck and quacks like a duck...............
- Kevin, Bennington

I believe that these articles should be written with the caveat that it is frequently 'presumptive' H1N1, and not 'confirmed' H1N1.
- JB, NB, NH

The flu, including the swine flu, is not a typically deadly diseases. The vast majority of people will weather it just as they would a cold. The people who develop complications from the flu are people who's immune system is already compromised. The health care authorities conveniently leave that out of the story. Yet when someone develops an adverse reaction or dies from the vaccine they always include that information, so as to blame it on the underlying condition rather than the vaccine. Ironically, these people in the "high risk" group, who the authorities are recommending vaccination for, are also the ones most likely to have adverse reactions to the vaccine. So make sense out of that recommendation!

The Center for Drug Companies(CDC) and the Fast Drug Approval(FDA) agency have become nothing more than salesmen for the pharmaceutical companies. And they are happily aided by the media who derive a significant portion of their ad revenue from pharmaceutical companies. They are not about to bite the hand that feeds them.
They are peddling fear because fear sells security.

Children who don't get vaccinated get sick less often because they have stronger immune systems. Our two children have had no vaccinations whatsoever and our kids are rarely sick, much less than the kids of family and friends around us. You would be better off putting your trust in nature rather than in these mad scientists and their toxic concoctions. A healthy body is the best way to prevent all disease.
- James Longfellow, Hooksett

Thanks Mike from Manchester, I thought I had missed some small tid-bit of news describing what the "underlying medical issue" was.
We are in a "pandemic" yet all deaths revolve around an undisclosed medical situation. Did they have Chicken Pox, a heart murmer, mumps, a previous cold? Suffer from obesity or smoking? Small Pox, maybe Whooping Cough??
Enough with the panic first and get answers later. How about disclosing the underlying cause that these people have died from so then we can protect ourselves from the potential real culprit. I bet it doesn't even require a vaccination.
- Maggie, New Boston

Bill from Deerfield

My question exactly Bill.

Hey Union Leader why isn't this part of the story. If people had contracted regular flue would they have died from complications as well?

How many people die because of regular flu complications.

People in NH aren't stupid you know. Well except when it comes to voting for Democrats.
- Bob, Salem

My son had it, for 5 days....it was MUCH less serious as the regular flu...I understand some with underlying issues are at much higher risk, but what I dealt with wasn't bad with him.

How many will die from the seasonal flu? Many more than 5-7 (depending on what reports) people just in NH.

Why all the hype with this....and how many billionaires are being made in the process and WHO in our government is having their bank accounts padded?

I've had the flu....and got the flu once, the same year I had a flu shot...I have not had a flu shot since, and have not had the flu....I'm not blaming it on the vaccine.....it's a dead virus if injected, but I got it just the same.
- just me, claremont, nh

WMUR 6 o'clock just reported that there have been 6 deaths from H1N1. Doesn't matter because the virus wasn't what killed them anyway. They all hav conditions that were goingto be fatal anyway. Just another distraction from political corruption going on behind the scenes.
- Paul, Londonderry

We'll stop hearing about H!N1 once the health care bill gets passed.
- Bill, Andover

5 people out of 1.1 million in the state. It is a pandemic, hurry everyone, go get your shots before you die!
- Mike, Manchester, NH

The big question is: how does this compare to seasonal flu deaths for the same time period?
- bill, deerfield

I know many more people who have had complications from the swine flu vaccine than the flu itself.
- John, Dover

I agree that the media is overhyping this. Having said that, my family is just getting over what must have been h1n1. It is taking the two healthy adults more than two weeks to get rid of the coughing and congestion. The six-year-old had such a high temperature (we all had high temps for four days) that she was hallucinating. It was a frightening time, and if you do get ill, good luck getting a dr. to see you. They do not want sick people in the office. If you have the chance to get the vaccine for your family, it may well be worth it. My daughter had gotten the first half of the vaccine, but only about a week before she became ill---too little too late. Don't dismiss the vaccine without giving it some serious thought.
- Natalie, Epping

Ok, enough is enough. Between the Union Leader and WMUR constantly beating the H1N1 drum you would think the world was ending. Ok, the swine flu is contagious, just as any other flu.

The reason this entire situation is hyped up is because media outlets just love to whip up the public into a frenzy to sell their story. This H1N1 is all about a news story to you people. Why not give in full detail any underlying illness people had when they contracted H1N1?

the media is scaring people into pandemonium. Enough already. We get it. It is a flu. It is bad. People should be smart, stay home, drink lots of fluids and call a doctor if they are having additional issues. this is not newsworthy any longer.
- Mike, Manchester

And how many seasonal-flu deaths, maybe 10x that? Is this going to be an All Swine All the Time sensationalist winter reporting season regardless how many more people die from seasonal-flu than the swine variety ?
- Mike Duggins, Londonderry

One word, scare tactic. Flu shots net money for insurance companies. The people that have died did so from complications that "may" have been from factors related to the swine flu. There is no concrete evidence all of these people have died specifically from the flu like the headline suggests. There are people all over the world who die everday from complications possibly related to an infinite amount of circumstances. For instance someone could have died from an infection that was caused by a dirty wound which was caused by a splinter. By the logic ehibited in this article and the general public we should ban wood all together to make sure no one ever gets a splinter again, because they could or "may" die from it. It is called evolution. If your body cannot handle a modern day flu then you were meant to die. It sounds cruel and unthoughtful, but it is simple science. Wake up little sheep and pull the blanket from your scared eyes, because the world is not the big scary place people in power want you to think it is. Also, UL if you have any journalistic integrity you will change the headline. You do not even have to show my comment, just change the article title so it is accurate and representative of the truth because that is your job.
- Brian, Manchester

Typo.... "The clinics will continue or three weeks."
- Peter, Amherst