we shared about the H1N1 flu at prayer meeting tonite. my worldly-wise colleague B8 proposed his conspiracy theory - that although there is a real epidemic going on, it's been played up beyond its true severity by......get this....the manufacturers of N95 masks & pharmaceutical companies that produce tamiflu & flu vaccines.
it's possible, isn't it? remember when SARS raged in 2003 & how bottles of vitamin C & N95 masks were rapidly bought off the shelves in pharmacies?
it may or may not be true but have a look at the stock price of 3M, one of the manufacturers of N95 masks....
**source**
..which is showing an uptrend starting May (& also note the rise in 2003 at the peak of SARS). the stock of Roche, the producer of tamiflu, however, behaves differently....
**source**
err...it's still at a 5-year low!! ok, never mind, but good try, B8!!
anyway, before you rush off to buy those N95 masks...
..costing RM100 per box of 20, check out this myth-busting report.
remember guys, back to basics & take care!
4 comments:
I think conspiracy of pharmaceutical companies is a bit of a stretch. Of course their stocks went up because of demand for their products as well as expectation of the market that drive up stock prices. Like you said "Back to basic" is the best.
AT,
by nature, a conspiracy theory requires some degree of (bizarre?) imagination, & i think B8's proposal is not really far-fetched.
as christians, back to basics would include trust in God.
take care!
With so many other infectious diseases and serious illness, the hype on FLU is mind boggling. Why must there be press conferences every day by Min of Health, DG Health etc? Heavily masked medical personnel checking people as if Aliens has landed. In the beginning, I was glued to tv, internet just to get updates. The flu bug is wearing me out but I'm determined to go off somewhere for holiday life has to go on.
msforty5,
we've yet to face the full wrath of current H1N1 flu. precautions we must exercise but not to the extend that it would constrain our normal lives.
part of the anxiety is perhaps caused by memories of SARS, but this flu is a different disease altogether, affecting mainly those are have pre-existing medical problems, eg. diabetes, kidney disease, etc.
yeah, you go ahead & live LIFE fully!
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