The deadly flu has always been here

Today's headline, "The flu is here," puzzled me because the flu has always been here. In the last flu season of record, 2007-2008, in the U.S there were several million cases of flu, at least 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 confirmed deaths. Worldwide deaths were probably a quarter of a million.

There was no media hysteria. no talk of a pandemic, no fear mongering by politicians and other publicity seekers.

If the present scare fizzles out will we receive apologies from the media and especially the copy writers who dreamt up much of the sesationalism including the invention of the term "swine flu" based only on the possibility that the virus might contain three components from pig, bird and human viruses.

James Hanrahan

Arlington Heights