Valuable insights from the New York Times. The real extent of the problem will become clear in about a week.
To evaluate outbreaks, they need, among other things, accurate information about the numbers of cases; where they are occurring; the age distribution of those infected; and what contact they might have had with one another. At this stage of the swine flu investigation, such data are sorely lacking. Most mystifying are why reported deaths have occurred only in Mexico so far and why confirmed cases reported elsewhere are mild. The disparity cannot be explained by any apparent biological factors. Could it instead reflect reporting bias? For example, Mexican authorities may be more likely to look for swine flu in hospitals than authorities in other countries — who may be focusing on less vulnerable populations, like travelers. By contrast, those other countries might not have had time to concentrate on deaths in hospitals.
via The Doctor’s World – Sound the Alarm? A Swine Flu Bind – NYTimes.com.