A lot of people took the swine flu idea and used it to fill in the blanks of their darkest fears. All over the world people were terrified that the disease would cripple them forever, would take their life, and be a pretext for the world to become a generally more oppressive and dangerous place. Paranoia of every level was exercised. Now that Swine Flu is no longer in the news nearly as much, and as the death toll of the disease barely reached a third of the normal seasonal flu, let’s take a look at who benefited from the disease.
First, we obviously have to give credit to the major pharmaceutical companies that created the Swine Flu Vaccine, as well as those who sold Tamiflu at normal non-discounted prices to the government. In addition to fears that the vaccine was actually a disease carrying weapon to be used against those who took it, there were others who said the major outbreak of the disease was a potential way for troops to be deployed throughout the world in order to help fight the disease’s spread. And many feared the troops would remain in the streets after the disease came and went giving rise to a permanent and transparent police state. Of course neither scenario happened, or if it did has yet to make itself apparent.
Second, the major corporations selling the flu vaccine made a lot of money. When an industry, such as the automobile industry, begins to suffer due to loss of sales, it needs something that will get people excited. It needs a product no one can live without. And that product needs to be one that everyone either feels like they should have, or absolutely cannot live without. In this case, an industry already suffering due to economic woes, made the decision to capitalize this time not on a new product, but rather a new disease. Regardless of where the Swine Flu came from, it most certainly wasted no time making an impact on everything and everyone it touched. It made a few high profile deaths well known early on, then as the news of a deadly new disease swiftly swept into our living rooms carried by the voices of glowing figures on our television screens or by frightened friends as they informed us of it, we recoiled in horror at the initially painful sounding death. Luckily, research began quickly, and a vaccine was prepared quicker than we could get out our wallets to pay for it. We were rescued and offered vaccines free of charge. Of course that doesn’t mean it was free. The bill fell on the US Government, (which came from taxpayers) which paid billions of dollars for H1N1 vaccine distribution. There were talks of mandatory vaccines, many government employees got the vaccine despite their wishes. Many are still waiting for the long-term adverse reactions to start popping up in those who took the vaccine. It would be irresponsible to suggest the virus itself was manufactured, but ask yourself; was it even necessary for anyone to create it? Perhaps what was manufactured was fear.
It’s difficult to imagine one puppeteer pulled all the strings involved in the big H1N1 scare of 2009. More likely, it was a combination of several groups who used the disease for their own purpose combined with a natural fear we all have of diseases with no cures. The media raised ratings with the disease, while pharmaceutical companies created a vaccine that made them billions. Hindsight may be 20/20, but perhaps this event can give us some foresight should it ever happen again.