H1N1 scares overblown by vaccine makers

It seems that there has been a disproportionate amount of attention placed on a virus, H1N1, that has not performed much differently than other strains of influenza.

Studies and investigations by the New England Journal of Medicine and even CBS News are showing that H1N1 is not what many in the media and health care institutions have claimed it to be

The Gazette's Nov. 5 article (“4 more Iowa adults die from H1N1”) admits that three of the four deaths were influenced by other medical conditions. So, what caused the deaths?

The vaccine craze is a symptom of the fears that such articles promote. However, there is also evidence that the vaccines sometimes don't help and even have adverse effects. So, what is going on here?

In my opinion, the vaccine manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank, and certain members of Congress may not mind all the attention on a large health-care issue. Perhaps the politics of fear has proved helpful. Check your facts, wash your hands and forget the vaccine.

Joseph Brinkmann

Cedar Rapids