Michael Fumento

To provide necessary perspective on the swine flu, I've noted that in the U.S. for each day of the seasonal flu season there are about 800 hospitalizations and 200 deaths. Worldwide, there about 700 -1,400 seasonal flu deaths spread out over the whole year. But what about the epicenter of the problem, Mexico itself?

The director of epidemiology and disease control for the Mexican Health Ministry, told the Washington Post that during the last flu season of October - March, there were 7,000 cases there - or about 38 cases per day. But that's clearly the result of a lousy reporting system, since Mexico's population at 109 million is slightly over a third that of the U.S.

Making the absurdly conservative assumption that Mexicans die of seasonal flu at no higher rate than Americans, they should have suffered about 65 DEATHS alone per day of seasonal flu. At last count, according to the WHO, all of 37 Mexicans have died of swine flu.

By failing to get out these numbers, and leaving the job to some gringo named Michael Fumento, Mexico has terrified its citizenry and wreaked havoc on its economy. Que lastima!