What do you think about the Swine Flu?

[ASammy1]

Are you taking any extra precautions? Do you think it's media hype?

I'm just curious because my mother (who works in the health profession) called me last night in a panic talking about how she wouldn't go into the local grocery store because they were out of the Clorox wipes to wipe down the cart. I know those carts can be gross...

My workplace also provided anti-bacterial wipes for everyone to clean their phones. I work for a very large, well-known, world wide company and they have sent out mass emails to everyone letting employees know that top management is keeping an eye on the WHO reports.

I'm not sure what to think. 36,000 people die each year in the U.S. alone from the flu and you don't hear about all of those cases...

[OakLeaf]

I don't think the WHO is prone to media hype.

I also don't know what precautions one can really take, that we shouldn't all be doing anyhow. Emergency preparedness is emergency preparedness. Keeping the immune system healthy is keeping the immune system healthy. (although actually, with this kind of flu, a healthy immune system makes you more likely to die...)

I guess if this spurs more people to become more prepared for emergencies, and to take better care of themselves, then everyone benefits regardless of what happens this time around. But I'm kind of scared. It's always been a matter of when not if, and this seems like it could be the one.

[Biciclista]

I think i'll keep taking my vitamin D and not worry about it.

[shootingstar]

A few days ago in one of the major Canadian newspapers there was an article about preparing for a pandemic.

I don't know if the author made the comment as a semi-joke, but it was suggested one should ride a bicycle..as a form of protective measure...I guess assuming cycling is a form of isolation from public transit, offering car rides to other people who may touch your car, etc.

I have several siblings who worked (and still do) in various hospitals in Toronto when the SARS occurred (and there was some SARS infected patients in suburban Toronto hospital), where they did become hyper-alert about hygiene.

[Veronica]

It's freaking parents out in our school district. A school in the neighboring town has been shut down for a week with three possible cases. The kids definitely have flu, just don't know if it's the swine variety yet.

I had a girl stay home yesterday because her mother thought another student was out on Monday because she had it. The girl out on Monday was out for her allergies. Rumors... gotta love 'em. It's allergy season here. I've had kids coughing and sneezing for weeks.

Our district did add a custodian to the night shifts just to clean the doorknobs and desks though. It's too bad we couldn't have an additional custodian all the time so our classrooms could get properly cleaned on a regular basis. You should see the dust on my windowsills.

Veronica

[ZenSojourner]

It's hype, but it's not WHO hype, it's MEDIA hype.

Remember when Mad Cow disease was going to kill millions? And it actually killed about 26 people in Britain?

We have new strains of flu viruses all the time. It seems only the cold virus mutates faster. So we monitor for new strains of flu viruses, because we can't know when they're going to be relatively benign or when they're going to be more serious.

The CDC is just telling people to wash their hands and cover their coughs, it's the media who are using scare tactics to generate fear and ratings.

The REAL epidemic in the US is obesity! BRING ON THE SUPER-SIZE FRIES!

[ASammy1]

Interesting to see everyone's opinions.

I'm of the persuasion that it's media hype (not WHO hype), but I'm nervous too...

[Running Mommy]

Slow new cycle. I swear it feels like it was invented by the media.

Here in AZ they closed a school because a kid HAD the flu a week ago- since recovered and fine. But the powers that be are re-testing every sample they can get, so they tested the kids sample and it came out positive. It's almost like here in AZ they are on a manhunt for cases, and won't be happy until they find some cases. So now the school is closed until May 7th! Seems ridiculous to me.

What will it be for the media next week?? Maybe we need another "miracle on the hudson" to get their minds off the "pandemic of 09".... ugh

[badgercat]

I'm a graduate student in Arizona and our department does monthly outreach clinics that serve a lot of folks who come up from Mexico. Someone from our program fell ill on Sunday after working the clinic on Friday, and had to go to the ER the other night... we won't know for sure until this person's test results come back, but this made it quite real for me. I'm just trying to be more aware of hand washing, even more so than usual when seeing patients.

but, to perhaps lighten the mood a bit, here's a TERRIBLE joke I heard yesterday:
"Some people used to think the US would have an African-American president when pigs fly. Sure enough, 100 days into Obama's presidency: swine flu."
(groan.)

[Crankin]

I think it's real, but there is media hype. One TV station here is particularly notorious for whipping up a frenzy over stuff by repeating it over and over and over.
I thought about it on the subway Tuesday, but not much I can do, since I have to take it. Only 3 more times, though until the semester is over. I am not much of a crazy hand washer and think that we over use anti bacterial soap, etc. If I was still teaching, I might be using it, but not now.

[Eden]

I am not much of a crazy hand washer and think that we over use anti bacterial soap, etc. If I was still teaching, I might be using it, but not now.

This is very true. I've read that antibacterial soap is not only pretty ineffective (studies found plain water works better as long as it is clean....) it contributes to problems with resistant bugs. Alcohol based hand gels on the other hand, work by a different mechanism and are not only effective, but don't create resistance either and have been found to be less harsh on your skin than repeated washing.

[SheFly]

I am weary of all the swine flu hype. It's THE FLU. Over 30,000 people in the US die from THE FLU (regular type) every year, and we don't get this type of attention. The media is feeding people's fears, and elevating the panic levels.

If we are healthy (which most of us here are), our likelihood of getting the swine flu is equivalent to getting any other type of flu throughout the year. It is NO MORE FATAL than the regular flu.

The media should be ashamed. I am carrying on life as normal.

SheFly

[Jolt]

I think it has the potential to turn into a problem, but I'm not that worried yet (and I am a health professional). The cases in the US have been pretty mild so far, as opposed to in Mexico where it has been a lot worse for whatever reason. Overall, I think it's something to keep an eye on but no need to panic at this point--just take sensible precautions like washing your hands (it's smart to carry a little bottle of alcohol gel in your purse), keeping away from people who are coughing or sneezing if possible, eating well/exercising/getting enough sleep, and staying home if you're sick. Things we should all be doing anyway. As for antibacterial soap, forget it! Regular soap is just fine and doesn't have the issue of possibly contributing to resistant bugs. I think we have gone overboard with disinfecting everything (that said, it is still a good idea to do so when somebody has been sick!).

[oxysback]

Get out your Lysol, everyone! I thought this picture from Zen's 70's blogging fashion thread was appropriate.

[sfa]

Hey, don't dis the Lysol! We had a nasty stomach virus make its way through my family back in February. I was the one cleaning up the vomit and scrubbing the bathroom and doing the laundry. So I became obsessive about handwashing and alcohol gel and Lysol--I was spraying down doorknobs and cabinets and toilets before touching anything. My hands were cracked and bleeding from all the washing. But dammit, I was the only one in the house who didn't get the virus!

About the swine flu--I'm mildly concerned because I have a kid with a primary immune deficiency disorder, so any illness hits him particularly hard and the only immunity he gets is through his gammaglobulin infusions, so if a virus isn't covered in the gammaglobulin (and new things aren't--the stuff is a blood product so the only immunity he gets is the immunities the donors had) he just gets the same virus over and over and over. So any new virus is cause for concern for us. OTOH, from what I've been reading, this new strain of the flu doesn't seem to be especially virulent.

I think the media is playing up misunderstanding of the term "pandemic." I don't think people are really aware that the WHO levels refer not to how dangerous a particular virus is, but to how widespread it is. You can have global pandemics of things that really aren't a big deal and people don't even notice. In this case, since it's an entirely new virus, I think the worst we'll have to deal with is a global pandemic of a not-so-bad flu. Maybe lots of people getting sick and missing work and school. But if the media is secretly hoping for footage of mass graves, I think they're going to be sorely disappointed.

Sarah