Why a flu pandemic is like a weekend in Vegas
Re “Dr. Bush’s flu flim-flam,” Current, Jan. 8
Is a flu pandemic a real danger? Absolutely. Is it inevitable and overdue? Not at all. This is the twisted logic of the ill-informed all-night gambler perched on a stool at the roulette wheel. He tells himself that because double-zero hasn’t materialized in the last eight hours, its appearance is now “inevitable and overdue,” and he bets accordingly.
Nuclear war hasn’t occurred since the first atomic bomb went off in 1945. Is it overdue? Is it inevitable? There are just too many random factors at play to make such a rash statement. I’ve had neither the flu nor a flu shot in years. Is it inevitable that I’ll get my overdue infection? Ask the guy at the roulette table -- or any competent statistician.
STEPHEN C. LEE
La Habra
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