Why hasn't swine flu killed us all by now?

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Remember all the scare headlines about swine flu last year? People got so hysterical, the pork industry lost as much as half a billion dollars, and the name of the disease itself was replaced by the neutral term H1N1. But if it was so scary then, why aren’t we all dead by now? 

The height of flu season is traditionally February and March. Not this year, though. Not only have cases of H1N1 declined dramatically since their peak in the fall, but current cases of any flu are significantly lower than at any time in the last few years. The obvious answer would be that everyone got shots, protecting them from the fever, cough and stuffy nose associated with a stay-in-bed flu. The more likely answer, though, is that the early outbreak of H1N1 has hampered other strains. The Wall Street Journal reports that pandemic viruses, such as H1N1 “move to a different rhythm,” which includes being strongest at times when you might not expect them.

And that means it’s too early to let down our guard. More than 17,000 people have indeed died from swine flu, according to data made public last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Millions more have been infected. 

The H1N1 virus is still active, along with other flu strains, so it’s not too late to get the vaccine. Just read the banner outside your local Walgreens. (They’re sometimes free.) In fact, the current thinking among public health officials is that the more of us who are vaccinated, combined with the millions who have already been sick with H1N1, the better protected we’ll all be if another wave of flu presents itself this spring.

Updated on 3/2/10 at 3:12 p.m. to correct the estimated losses to the pork industry.