Why we shouldn't use the "F Word"

Officials and reporters ignore the consequences of a lack of scientific rigour.

NOTE: this a republication of a post originally published in January 2023. It is a clarification of the current and recurring frenzy and will help readers focus on what matters. You may also wish to read Here comes Bird F Word for further background.

The colloquial “Flu,” the “F Word”, is synonymous with an acute respiratory infection, sometimes merging and overlapping with influenza. It is an ill-defined and sloppy concept which creates confusion about the burden of respiratory illness in the world around us. 

Here are why officialdom and science should never use the “F Word”.

When the first human influenza virus was isolated in 1933 by Smith, Andrewes and Laidlaw, it was dubbed “influenza” as it was associated in ferrets and humans with an acute respiratory affliction that resembled that of great pandemics which still cast a very long shadow on humanity. “Influenza dei pianeti”, or influence of the planets, had been the name for waves of “F Word” cases which periodically and mysteriou…