Swine Flu and the Power of Public Policy

The White Man has been vaccinated for the flu--most recently in the fall of 1991. The White Man has suffered severely from the flu--most recently in late December of 1991. So you can see that the White Man doesn't put much stock in flu scare stories, other than the political angle. I have even checked closely into my family history, and found no relatives that died even in the 1918-19 Spanish Flu pandemic. So if there is any genetic immunity to getting sick from the flu, I already have it. And if there's anything that can suppress that immunity, getting a flu shot seems to be about it.

I really don't have much to say about the current Flu Scare. The government seems to be handling it in a fairly rational way; vaccinations are neither required nor even being offered; and so far my life hasn't been inconvenienced in any way by the fact that a few dozen people thousands of miles away have gotten sick and died.

If that changes, I'll be sure to have more to say. Meanwhile, read the thought-provoking link in the title of this post.