Frustrating though. In the period of a year people have lost all perspective on the issue and the reality is that- where is the voice of a level-headed doctor to point out the real risks from flu season, which has never bothered anyone before, and yet now if I obviously have a cold I can’t reach out to give someone a handshake without them looking at me like I bear the plague. Perhaps this is happening because not enough of you guys who disagree with public health policy are speaking up- does that argument have some merit? We should not be living in a society where most of us are paranoid about the flu.

I think your judgement on this issue is too harsh. Swine flu was originally a concern because of poor data from Mexico. Initially, it sounded like this flu might be as dangerous as the 1918 pandemic variety. It was perfectly reasonable at the time to sound a warning.

As usual, the medical profession was then promptly waylaid by the media and the story was utterly overhyped. It has subsequently been next to impossible to play this down, despite every single announcement from the department of public health containing the words “this is a very mild disease in most people” or some variation.

Although mutation is not a serious worry, your statement none of which have EVER shown any evidence of mutating into new strains. is not correct. Viral geneticists have shown conclusively that influenza viruses have swapped genetic material with each other in the past. That there has not been a new strain of the virus since we have been tracking flu viruses is merely fortunate, rather than definitive proof that this is not going to happen at all.

Dr. Barnes is correct in saying that the previous swine flu in 1975 is providing immunity (and is virtually identical with the current version). This is why I find the recommendations concerning nursing homes to be a bit puzzling, but then, I never claimed to be able to understand the public health guys.

In supporting the MOH’s decision to make swine flu notifiable, you guys are culpable for spreading unwarranted paranoia among NZers…

Do you know any doctor beside the public health ones who supported this? I don’t. As you point out (which was obvious to all of us “normal” doctors) this makes all influenza effectively notifiable. The public health docs tell us that this is so they can get accurate stats on the prevalence of flu. As I have pointed out above, this is not really telling them anything useful or easily interpretable.

Your profession has a lot to answer for for not stepping in to make it as plain as daylight that this is just another flu strain, and that is deserves no more attention than any other strain of flu. The doctors who do are like lone voices in the wilderness.

This is exactly the case that Dr William Beech (hope I got the name right) made as guest speaker at the recent Bioceuticals conference in Wellington (promoting their product line & the new research behind it), that swine flu is just another of the 300 or so common strains of flu that have existed since time eternal- none of which have EVER shown any evidence of mutating into new strains. He also said that that is why no swine flu cases have been seen in adults over about 40- because we have had this exact strain in NZ before, and NZers around then have natural immunity- they will never get swine flu again.

In supporting the MOH’s decision to make swine flu notifiable, you guys are culpable for spreading unwarranted paranoia among NZers with regard to how serious they perceive the ordinary flu to be, with negative flow-on effects for social interactions with people who are sick IN THE LONG TERM. As a result, we shut down businesses, can’t worship in church until we are well, and can’t earn a working wage- all because of the common cold.

To be afraid of not being able to earn a living because of a common cold I think is an appalling state of affairs in our country, and shows a blanket disregard from the medical profession as to your role in society, and the role of illness in society- flu viruses should not be feared by the masses as they are a normal part of life. They even have an upside by testing our immune systems of the healthy so as to make them more capable of fighting SERIOUS diseases.

Thanks, Ben. Most of that would be explained by the natural inclination to be concerned about the thing you see the most. And we are seeing a great deal of flu at the moment. Much more than usual.