POTD for September 16th, 2009: "Swine Flu Free, That's For Me!"

Seems I left for Iraq at a crazy time for our country. Health Care Reform, North Korea test firing missiles, and a global pandemic. The first couple of months in country, it seems people were panicking about the newest "Black Plague". The media made it sound as if people were
dropping like flies, Mexico was a biohazard, and it wasn't safe to go to school. Was it safe to eat pork? How can I prevent getting the H1N1 virus? How long can someone live if they have it? My question is, how will we react if we have a REAL pandemic?

Few months ago, I got into a heated discussion about swine flu with a friend online. He kept going on about how serious the virus was and how it would be horrible when it spreads all across the world. I asked him if this is the way he reacted whenever flu season hit. He scoffed and
reminded me that this was no "common cold". I simply responded, "No, this was more like the 'common flu'." Confused? He was, to say the least. I'll spare you the rest of his CNN-driven panic, and how WHO labeled this as a pandemic and how, "Dude, Swine Flu kills. IT KILLS MAN!" Yeah, so does MRSA, and remember how that was treated like the new doomsday disease, last year?

"Harry, death is serious and isn't a joke", some of you may say. You're absolutely right, it isn't. I just see the virus for what it really is, and what it really is, is a different strain of the Influenza virus. Influenza? That sounds pretty severe. People get Influenza all the time. My dad had it a few months ago. What's Influenza like? A really bad flu. What's Swine Flu like? Just like what it is; influenza.

But what about the unfortunate people killed by the virus? Isn't that something to raise concern about? Sure, but not the escalated fear that FOX and all the other networks went on about. Thousands of people were killed! Compare the numbers with the amount of people that are laid to rest from the common flu/cold. And the numbers are from a global scale. The annual rate of American deaths from common influenza rivals that! Wow, you had no idea? I don't blame you. H1N1 was a breaking story in a slow news lull.

When I began writing this, I was going to blast and chastise the general ignorance of common people, and the way they perceived the "epidemic". But I stopped myself because I soon realized that this panic was brought on by misinformation. What really got to me though was all the concern and people wanting to know how to prevent catching the virus. What was worse was the reaction when news casters explained that simple hygiene, such as washing hands, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing, and to stay home if you have, (and this is what was the final straw with me), "The following symptoms". The reporter then went on to list the same
exact symptoms of the common flu. Woooooooooooooow. This is a brand new MEGA VIRUS?! Please give me a break and stop toying with people's fears. We have enough problems with people panicking about supposed fake birth certificates of our President, North Korea and Iran using Wonder Twin Powers, and the fate of our Nation's Health Care. Now we're discussing a
huge push for a vaccine. How effective will it be? It's just a guess, but maybe it'll be as effective as a normal flu vaccine?

Bottom line is this, if you or your child gets Swine Flu, DON'T PANIC. DON'T PANIC. DON'T PANIC. Panic causes stress and stress can determine how effective our bodies are to fighting disease and getting better. People usually get better with a positive attitude. Stay at home and get better. I hear H1N1 is like having a bad flu, and that's what it is. The symptoms may be a bit more severe, (people who normally don't feel nausea may start vomiting, migraines, worst aches and pains), but it effects people differently. I believe that the virus has been the cause
of some deaths world-wide. I'm simply trying to play down the built up hype and panic caused by the media. Don't panic and definitely don't treat those that have H1N1 like they're going through chemo with a 50-50 chance to live. Lastly, you can't get the virus from eating pork, so eat some friggin' bacon if you want!

There's outrage of how WHO was prepared for this "epidemic". I think people should be outraged if this is the best WHO could do for just bad cold. You think the world was in shambles from just Swine Flu? Imagine when a real health threat, that kills respectful numbers returns to
erase a good percentage of our population. Hey, at least I have a gas mask for when that happens.