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The latest update from the Centers for Disease Control about the H1N1 strain of the swine 'flu was the Story of the Day. All three newscasts led with the statistic that the majority of hospitalized patients are under the age of 25. A typical seasonal influenza outbreak kills the elderly--90% of fatalities are at least 65 years of age; this strain leaves old folks alone--89% of fatalities are younger than 65. NBC has made the 'flu its specialty since the beginning of August (98 min v ABC 75, CBS 72) yet unusually it was CBS that found it most newsworthy, kicking off with a trio of reports.

NBC's Robert Bazell tried to reassure us--"severe cases continue to be a small minority of all those who are infected"--but the extensive coverage of those few who do end up in hospital with H1N1 left a contradictory impression. CBS' in-house physician Jon LaPook told us that the infections continue "to confound health officials" and warned that the outbreak might follow the pattern of the Asian 'flu in 1957--a tapering off in December followed by a second springtime wave. LaPook's worrying tone belied his statistic that only 292 people have been killed by H1N1 nationwide in the past six weeks. CBS' Don Teague inquired whether there is a vaccine shortage and concluded that the problem is uneven distribution instead--unmet demand in Dallas and the Pacific NW; unused supply in Las Vegas and Miami.

ABC's John McKenzie advised us to be on the lookout for an infection in children who "seem to be getting better only to get suddenly worse." That might be a sign of bacteria infecting lungs already weakened by the virus. CBS' Jeff Glor looked into how the virus is transmitted. Despite bans on touching in schools and churches and an emphasis on hygiene, Glor was told that the influenza virus mostly travels through the air, not skin to skin. He teased the handshakophobic billionaire Donald Trump: "While this wave of worry likely will not end a tradition that began in the C2nd BC, it is doing wonders for the hand sanitizing business--sales up 41% in the last six months."

Andrew Tyndall 10/21/09 9:44:35 pm

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