OK, but think about this-
The real swine behind swine flu?
Lest you worry too much about the swine flu, here’s a link to a short huffingtonpost piece that presents hysteric media coverage of swine flu as viral marketing on behalf of Tamiflu...made by former defense secretary Don Rumsfeld’s pharmaceutical company Gilead/Roche. The piece links to a story about an identical marketing campaign by Tamiflu during the avian flu outbreak in 2005. Also links to an onion article “Powerful Rest And Fluids Industry Influencing Doctors' Treatment Of Coldsâ€
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-gordon/tamiflurumsfeldh1n1-redux_b_191606.html And here’s proof that the tactic is working...
From Monday’s BusinessWeek....
Drug stocks help world markets weather swine flu
Pharmaceutical companies enjoyed solid gains amid expectations that demand for anti-viral drugs would rise.
In Europe, Switzerland's Roche Holding AG -- the maker of Tamiflu -- saw its share price rise around 4 percent while GlaxoSmithkline PLC, which manufactures the Relenza drug, spiked 6 percent.
"The share prices of major European pharmaceutical companies have jumped in a generally weak market in anticipation of increased orders for vaccine-related products and it is estimated that the average earnings uplift from such an event could amount to around 0.5 percent in both 2009 and 2010," said Jeremy Batstone-Carr, director of private client research at stockbrokers Charles Stanley in London.
The gains weren't just confined to Europe though. In the U.S., a whole host of drug companies like Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. were in demand too.
As the media coverage of swine flu reaches a fevered pitch, Jon Stewart wants you to know that at 149 deaths in Mexico, it still ranks last on the "list of things that can kill you in Mexico."
Fear is deeply primal, one can't fully evolve away from fight or flight. Suppressing the urge is what really confounds those of us who trust our instincts. Who does Chicken Little work for?