How a global swine flu pandemic could actually be LESS dangerous than the annual flu season

Daily Mail
Friday, May 1, 2009

Scientists are coming to the conclusion that the new strain of swine flu that has killed at least ten people around the world may actually be less dangerous than the average annual flu season.

The World Health Organisation is expected to move quickly to designate a full pandemic – at level 6 of its 6-point scale – within days to reflect the continuing spread of swine flu among people who have not been to Mexico, including in Europe.

But, though some people have died, the most common complaint from sufferers infected with the virus has been diarrhoea – and, despite the hype, the rate of infection appears to be more of a trickle than a deluge.

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Between 3 and 5 million people experience severe illness due to regular, seasonal flu around the world each year, and between 250,000 and 500,000 die as a result.

In the United States annually between five per cent and 20 per cent of the population becomes ill from the flu and 36,000 people die —a mortality rate of between 0.24 per cent and 0.96 per cent, reports have claimed.

The current mortality rate for swine flu is between 0.06 per cent and 0.24 per cent, the Los Angeles Times has reported – making it less lethal than the yearly bout of influenza.

Full story here.

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