Holy News Media Hype Batman!

The news people are officially out of control with this swine flu business! Everyone is going crazy, screaming about how it's about to become a pandemic, when NO ONE HAS DIED outside of Mexico! Yes, that's right..not a single death in the United States. Sure, there was one kid who crossed the border from Mexico and technically died in the US, but I don't think he ought to count. However, that sure does make for a better news story, if you do count it!

Each year, about 5-20% of the population gets the plain old vanilla flu, with about 200,000 people hospitalized from flu-related complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes! That number is probably surprisingly high for most of you, because really, nobody cares that much about the flu! In the grand scheme of things, that's just not a high enough number to be concerned about (unless you're elderly, very young, or immune compromised).

Just the other day, I ran an ambulance call for trouble breathing. Turns out it was a 23 year old student with asthmatic bronchitis. However, the lack of flu symptoms (such as fever, tiredness, runny nose, aches and pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) did not stop the police, who arrived on scene before us, from wearing surgical masks and attempting to get a full travel history. Would you wear a mask if you knew someone had the flu? No, you wouldn't! So why in the world are you wearing one for someone who likely does not have any flu at all, more or less one which would likely not be dangerous even if you did get it?

If you get swine flu, which you probably won't, you'll most likely have normal flu symptoms. Sure, it will suck for a while, but you'll probably just lay in bed, rest for a week, and go back about your business. Very few people are hospitalized because of it and if they are, surprise...we have treatment!

So please everyone, CALM DOWN! Unless you've been vaccinated this year, you're more likely to get the regular flu than swine flu. Heck, you're more likely to die of a heart attack, a car accident, or get cancer than die of swine flu! Can we please give this hysteria a rest?

Oh...and please stop bringing up the pandemic back in 1918 or whatever. This flu strain lacks the virulence factors that made that one so severe. Same name, different virus!


Note: As with anything I post on this blog, this is not meant to be medical advice. It's just the musings of a not-yet-doctor person.