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I can't believe the amount of panic over this. Then again, there was a similar panic over a swine flu outbreak in the 70s. What is it about pigs that freak people out?
Here's the thing - people die of the flu every year. Yes, this is a new strain, but I don't see a reason to wear a face mask everywhere you go at the moment. There's certainly no reason to panic yet. Remember, the media loves a good scary story. Remember the "epidemic" of shark bites a few years ago?
But even if there are swine-flu deaths outside Mexico -- and medical experts say there very well may be -- the virus would have a long way to go to match the roughly 36,000 deaths that seasonal influenza causes in the United States each year.
The key is to stay informed, but not panic. We certainly don't want to go all Chicken Little over this.
It is a strain that people have no immunity against. So the potential is MUCH worse than normal flu.
It has the potential of becoming a pandemic and all the horrors that go with that.
Yes, 36,000 people die of regular flu every year. I've known that. One fact has little to do with the other. We're not talking about "regular" flu.
There is no reason to panic or get hysterical. But there IS reason to prepare.
That's what the government has been telling everyone for YEARS, and no one has listened.
By "prepare," they mean: Prepare for the POTENTIAL need to be ISOLATED for a period of time. The government says have enough supplies for 2 weeks so that you can stay at home and not go out; I would venture that if you can afford it, you should have enough supplies for much longer.
If you can work at home via computer, ask your boss about it. Just think about the possibility and prepare.
Think about what's happening in Mexico City -- the streets are nearly empty. Are you able to stay at home for an extended period? After you've prepared, stop worrying. Keep washing hands. Cover your sneezes. Be careful. There's nothing else you can do. No need to worry.
Last edited by lovebrentwood; 04-29-2009 at 09:18 AM..
Do what you need to do to take care of yourself, and get better soon. And please don't cough on your keyboard or screen, I don't want you to get us City Data folks sick.
I wear my Hazmat suit when responding to Carolina Cowboy's posts, just in case.
Everything is happening as projected from years ago as far as pandemic planning. Everything.
Just because there have been no confirmed cases doesn't mean there won't be. NCers are very mobile. Three more states have just had confirmed cases, including Nevada, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Why do you think we're any different?
Just prepare. The sky isn't falling. Just prepare.
I just thought this thread was hillarious. I'm not a naysayer. Trust me.
I sit in an office with people who have traveled and are still traveling to conferences and conventions in all of the infected areas. One of them just got back from an infected area, and he's coughing and sneezing right now---literally as I type this. Another coworker will return from NYC tomorrow. Two others will return from Texas on Friday. I can go on and on. There are plenty more of them out on the road right now in various parts of the country.
This is my reality. I certainly can't stop coming to work just because my company hasn't restricted travel. I can just do my best by washing my hands and not touching my face. If it happens, it happens.
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