The Swine Flu Scare

What sparked this post, you are asking?? Well, in the last few days I have been seeing facebook status' from people concerned that they or their children or someone they know has the swine flu. I saw 3 in particular concerned that their child had it. If you watch the news and all the hype, then you are probably thinking your child is going to die. Well, you can sort of rest at ease a little bit. Most people don't realize that the H1N1 virus here in the US is no more serious than any other strain of flu. "But I heard of children in NM who died of the swine flu." Well yes. There have been children in NM and other states even that have died from this strain of flu. But what you don't hear about are all the children who die every year from other types of the flu. The only reason you hear about the ones who die from H1N1 is because it is the current scare. However, any type of flu is something to be concerned about in children under the age of 5 and adults over the age of 65. Although, when it comes to H1N1, people over 65 are NOT at increased risk, because they seem to have antibodies against the virus. Kinda interesting. But really, unless you are under the age of 5 or otherwise have a compromised immune system, there is no need to panic. Just stay home, rest up and drink fluids. If you do fall under one of these categories, you do need to be extra cautious when it comes to ANY type of flu.

Anyhoo...I found this great link for anyone interested in learning more about the swine flu (and other types of flu). It's the Center of Disease Control and Prevention web site (this link is the home page for the website). You will find a list of serious warning signs so you will know when to seek medical attention and also preventative measures.