These days, there really has been some amazing progress made when it comes to medicine, genetics and elsewhere in the fields of biology and other sciences. Still, we normally expect to read about these breakthroughs in medical journals or even in whatever local resources we use individually to get our news. Yet believe it or not, this latest and if true … one of the most exciting and amazing medical breakthroughs of all time … has been announced ONLY on commercial television … or more accurately, on television commercials.
Now I would certainly expect to see miracle breakthrough drugs advertised on television. When some magic pill or other formula comes along that accomplishes something that doctors and scientists have been trying to do for decades or perhaps even centuries, you expect to see some people bragging about the accomplishment. Not in this case though … and that is only part of what makes it so amazing.
When Louis Pasteur discovered penicillin it was a major breakthrough and the advent of antibiotics has been truly revolutionary in what it has accomplished. While there are many cries about the overuse and outright abuse of antibiotics resulting in more virulent strains of bacteria, it is sad but true but still pales in comparison to the benefits society has gained from the introduction of antibiotics. Unfortunately, those pesky little viruses are much harder to kill.
The sheer potency and their contagious properties make viruses among the most deadly threats to mankind. Super viruses like HIV and Ebola should serve as constant reminders of just how deadly some viruses can be. Lesser strains like the Measles, Mumps and others also remind us how helpless medical science really is in being able to cure many diseases brought about by the introduction of a virus into the human body. The regular, every day strain of the influenza virus or common flu kills roughly thirty-five thousand people per year in the United States alone.
Despite public outcry coming from many corners, the H1N1 virus is for all intents and purposes, much less deadly than the regular, garden variety flu virus. Despite the fact that there are well under one thousand deaths attributed to the flu of any means and the fact that the CDC is not even tracking the Swine Flu, it has reached the stage where our illustrious leaders have seen the need to actually declare a national emergency in response to the Swine Flu.
Understanding as I do that the virus can mutate and many have, I could almost understand this if the H1N1 virus had proved even as deadly as the regular flu but it has not even come close. Still, the government knows best right? So one could only imagine that the FTC would quickly shut down any commercials on television that readily made false claims regarding the ability to kill a virus right? Or would they?
Not one single medical journal has announced any breakthroughs in the scientific or medical research fields to indicate that we have come any closer to being able to kill a virus. This is why the (in)famous flu shots are so controversial. The recipient is actually injected with a mild infusion of the live virus in order to get the body to recognize it and build up an immunity or natural response against the infection … since science and medicine cannot create them.
Imagine my surprise when I saw on television that products so simple as Lysol and Mr Muscle, two very common household cleaners both freely and openly advertise that they can kill the H1N1 or Swine Flu Virus. Now if I am not mistaken, the government has gone after many people for making substantially less egregious claims on television. Yet here are two companies advertising at least in the Philippines and in the United States that I know about personally and they are not getting any grief for making these claims.
If the makers of Lysol and Mr Muscle have by some chance, stumbled across what could very well be one of the most major medical breakthroughs in history, by all means they should patent it and profit from it. If these products are not capable of killing this virus, why have their claims not been questioned in months of global (or at least bi-national) marketing campaigns? Why has the same government that declared this new super-virus to be so dangerous and deadly that the declaration of a national emergency was their first response, not taken on these outrageous claims if there is not some truth to it?
With all of the regulatory czars in place and so many efforts to crack down on perceived wrongs on our airwaves, surely this issue must be addressed by someone. Am I the only person that sees something seriously wrong with this picture? If a relative “miracle” (using the term loosely) has taken place, we the people should know about it. If this is an outrageous claim, we the people should be made aware of it. If neither of these scenarios fit the case in hand, something is definitely wrong in Hooterville somewhere.
Well Big Government? Which is it?
