Swine flu alert! News/Death ratio: 8176

During the last 13 days, up to May 6, WHO has confirmed that 25 countries are affected by Swine flu and 31 persons have died from Swine flu. WHO data indicates that about 60 000 persons died from TB during the same period. By a rough comparison with the number of news reports found by Google news search, Hans Rosling calculates a News/Death ratio and issue an alert for a media hype on Swine flu and a neglect of tuberculosis.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• swine flu
• tuberculosis
• influenza
• media
• hype
• hans rosling
• who
• news/death ratio

[TheFallibleFiend]

Good video. I would like to confirm the TB numbers. I went to WHO page, but latest stats I find are for 2007.  Can you direct us to the exact page on WHO where I can get the TB #s for 2009?

[Gapcast]

Thanks a lot for your comments. Our estimation of TB deaths is based on the mortality data from WHO 2007 stats, which is the latest available data source for world TB (published by WHO 6 weeks ago).

[dodgyhingst]

The Swine Flu *pandemic* in the 1970's was fake.

This one will be as well.

Vitamin D and common sense hygiene are the true vaccine for the flu.

[tenzvideos]

A recent internal CDC briefing noted, "20,000 people die from novel 2009-H1N1 and everybody wants to wear a mask. 9 million people die from AIDS and no one wants to wear a condom."

[xGotheDistancex]

@dodgyhingst My God, so true...

[breannakeefauver]

aww i hope i am not going to be affected

[Lazzzyeye]

Is that really so surprising? Tuberculosis is understood and accepted as a virus. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis Tuberculosis, Going on and on about it won't make it go away. Swine flu, on the other hand, had just swept through the world in a matter of days. No one was quite sure what would happen and the potential for Apocalypse has been a favorite human talking point since time immemorial; and Media's is an industry of talking. Hypothesis: Do the comparison now and there won't be such a disparity.

[Anjohl]

Tell people something long enough, and it *becomes* truth. The key word is *becomes*.

[clabbe77]

There are misses in this. Not at the same year did these diseases break out, therefore I believe that we have 250 000 more media-reporting-companies now then back when tuberculosis was at it's peak. You have to see how many of all media that reported and not how many reports there are/were. Back in the days there weren't many different papers but lots more people read the only ones available. -> I do agree with you on the matter though, the media today is quite terrible.

[erikssonjonas10]

You seem to miss the facts that

1) this was a take on the media coverage

2) This was posted back in May in the very very early stages of the new flu.

Ignorance? Ignorance of what? This is statistics that should make you see the bigger picture.

[SwePianoholic]

The Swin flu is utterly contageous but Tubeculosis is much less. You do not give any vaccine for Tuberculosis because the decease barely exist in Sweden but you do for swine flu, because it is an emerging decease and that is the big difference. This Guy leaves out some of the most important information. Ignorance? Yes!

[Poofykatoob]

Also - Take a look at the geographical locations of these conditions and which countries they pose a threat to....

The "west" cares about tubercolosis.... yeah right

[Keeban3]

The reason H1N1 is reported on a lot is that it is emerging. The reason that TB is not is because its the same as it was roughly a year ago.

News reports change, not relevance.