The latest announcement here is that the government is distributing leaflets about swine flu today to everyone in the UK. Thinking about person-hours, cost of production and postage, you're talking millions. They're also spending millions in preparing for the 2012 Olympics, and of course they've bailed out the banks. We're looking at a national debt in the trillions now.

Also, sadly, one of my favourite alt med sources, Dr. Mercola, is slamming another, Mike Adams (the "health ranger"), for his stance on swine flu, though in the past they'd supported each other. Mercola hasn't simply said "I think he's wrong" -- he's really gone for a whole character assassination. That reflects badly on him IMO, especially since in some instances it's a little like the pot calling the kettle black. (He accuses Adams of fear-mongering in order to get people to buy products he endorses, but Mercola does the same thing.)

I also hear that all students and staff at at least one school here have been given Tamiflu. I don't think they can lawfully coerce someone to take it. But if I were ever under pressure to do so, I would give the school information from peer-reviewed journals showing why the stuff is ineffective. The fact that governments are stockpiling it, and people believe it's going to be helpful, is testament to the big PR machine that seems to be operating.

I suppose people have also heard of the 300,000 pigs slaughtered in Egypt, although not a single case has been reported there, and there's not a shred of proof that this would do any good in the instance of an outbreak?

Let's hope people start seeing some sense sometime soon.