The Count Doesn't Count

As children we loved the Slide game where the numbers are jumbled and you have to unscramble them in the right order. That sort of what we feel like when we try to verify the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) numbers for our region. And it's no where near as much fun.

When you fudge the facts its hard to get all the numbers straight and sometimes everybody doesn't get the notice. We've tried to keep you updated with the facts but we seem to be the only ones locally who are. Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia will tell you there are no H1N1 deaths even if you ask them about flu or pneumonia so Pennsylvania and West Virginia's numbers seem evasive. Maryland and Virginia say they've had ONLY one pediatric death to swine flu. Only Washington DC doesn't respond but their site says they've had no death to date. As the news stations continue to report the number of students growing to the hundreds infected with the flu the site proudly proclaims one (1) confirmed case.

Officially the count doesn't count. According to the tally given by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that we know this is an under count. Their own numbers can't be verified even with a "reset." That the CDC claims will "allow jurisdictions to implement the new case definition, counts were reset to zero on August 30, 2009." While their website claims that in Region 3 there were ten (10) pediatric deaths.

Internally we have the full count and will continue to use the CDC internal memos to report the full figures for our jurisdictions that the departments of health legally are required to report to the CDC. Obviously the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has no legal obligation to tell us the citizens the real numbers. We can't even confirm the ten (10) deaths that the website claims occurred in the Region officially with the various jurisdictions.

With that in mind and the latest report from the "Children's Hospital Boston" published in PEDIATRICS magazine for October 1st and reported in the news: Associated Press (AP), Atlantic Journal Constitution (AJC), HealthDay which states: "More than half a million kids a year are treated for medication side effects in American outpatient clinics and emergency rooms, according to new data."

Should we as parents be concerned for our children about the H1N1 virus when we rush them to our emergency rooms? That's the question we posed to the remaining authors of the study.

"Parents should pay close attention when their children are started on medicines since "first-time medication exposures may reveal an allergic reaction," said lead author Dr. Florence Bourgeois, a pediatrician with Children's Hospital in Boston."

What they tell us we'll report to you. Our feelings are that there is little with which to be concerned. What the non-pediatric death of the Miami University student from Ohio lets us know that there is three (3) weeks between the time a healthy adult succumbs to the virus.

On September 5 the doctor's notified his "parents that they did not expect him to survive the night" yet "he held on for three weeks." There is a vaccine meant to revive and save a dying H1N1 patient. Demand it and if necessary call your congress/senator and get it yourself from the United Kingdom. DO whatever it takes.

Should parents be concerned about the H1N1 vaccinations or have enough testing be done to convince you that such ADE's won't be of significant concern? We don't think so. Just pay attention and ignore the "official" word.

There is a vaccine meant to revive and save a dying H1N1 patient. Demand it and if necessary call your congressman/senator or get it yourself from the United Kingdom. DO whatever it takes. Fight. Fight like hell for the ones you love - always even when you think the doctors are on your side.

Why aren't the real numbers published by the CDC and Prevention we asked AttorneyAtLaw.com. Maybe its a legal thing. If so we suggest every victim "get to suing." The facts are the facts and truth counts.