Photo Credit: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Perhaps like me, you were vaccinated last year against H1N1, partly because of the hype generated by the World Health Organization (WHO). I don't begrudge getting the vaccination - it is called preventive medicine.
There are others though, that claim WHO may have Overrated H1N1 Pandemic. Particularly troubling is the allegation that some experts who advised WHO were also paid consultants to pharmaceutical companies. A report jointly issued by the British Medical Journal and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism concludes there is tension between big Pharma and world health officials.
But WHO Says H1N1 Flu Pandemic Continues explains there were more than 18,000 confirmed deaths from the virus. It appears the virus stayed relatively benign for the past year instead of mutating into something more dangerous.
Also, State Gears Up to Tackle Monsoon Wave of H1N1 tells that mid-western India, (which includes Mumbai - most of us knew it as Bombay) is about to experience the rainy season. It begins in June and peaks in July, with Mumbai receiving about 1/3 of its yearly rainfall in that month. The region has already experienced an increase in flu activity. Five have died and 28 tested positive for H1N1 in the last ten days.
The Times of India article explains that temperatures drop during the monsoons, and curiously, it increases flu activity. Health officials caution the virus has remained since its peak last year, and there have been two or three identified cases everyday since the beginning of the month.
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