Just Heard this on CBC Radio 2

[mbarrick]

Apparently the federal government has preemptively sent extra body-bags out to remote native communities in anticipation of swine flu making the rounds this winter.

Somewhere in Ottawa, someone thought this was a good idea and the best course of action.

Comments

[ladyvermath.livejournal.com]

Yup, that was all over the news as of 2 days ago.

Makes you wonder what their motives truly are considering one hand is stipulating that the "Most At Risk" the natives, elderly & children will receive the vaccine first... And then on the other hand they ship out extra body bags, hand sanitizers & face masks to the remote northern reserve that was hardest hit by swine flu last spring?

A small part of me thinks... Sure this is just being prepared after all they are in a very remote area and if the winter is as harsh as our summer was, they are going to be stuck out there alone. Best to have the materials to care for them in the worst case scenarios.

But then I also feel that an underlying message of "You are on your own, this is all you are going to get." Makes me think of the smallpox epidemic that was transmitted by HBC's blankets.

Only time will tell. Personally I think this whole H1N1 flu is bent WAY out of proportion. The standard flu takes out roughly 3000 people per yr. This H1N1 has taken out a hell of a lot LESS people.

[volksjager.livejournal.com]

Back in the 1917 "spanish flu" outbreak Native populations were the hardest hit. Whole reservation in Alaska were wiped out.