Is H1N1 as widespread and scary as the media portrays it to be? Evidence points towards H1N1 being just as common and the common flu. Each year the flu kills thousands of people, most of whom have prior health concerns. When someone dies of the flu, they don’t actually die from the virus directly, but rather by untreated or severe symptoms such as phenomena.
H1N1 has thus far followed a simialar pattern to the seasonal flu
in symptoms, number of cases and number of deaths. Infact, some people may be partially immune to this strain of H1N1 already because of previous encounters with other H1N1 flu viruses.
It is probable that because the virus originated in Mexico where healthcare is of poor quality, the higher death rate due to the “swine” flu initially caused the rest of the world to go overboard on prevention and vaccination. Science Daily comments on the brash response to swine flu:
Over the past four years, pandemic preparations have focused on responding to worst case scenarios. As a result, we responded to the H1N1 outbreak as an unfolding disaster. Some countries erected port of entry quarantines. Others advised against non-essential travel to affected areas and some closed schools and businesses.
The CDC defines and categorizes types of epidemics in order to better prepare and handle the variety of outbreaks and diseases.
type 1 epidemic (severe disease affecting many people)
type 2 epidemic (infecting few, mostly severe disease),
type 3 epidemic (affecting many, mostly mild).
All the hype around “swine” flu caused people to approach it like a type 1 epidemic, when in reality it is proving to effect the population like a type 3.
So what do you do? The CDC is advising people sick with flu like symptoms to stay home and phone in to the doctor if you need advice. The only reason to come in to the doctor with flu like symptoms is when having difficulty breathing or keeping liquids down (or for any other major complication). They are no longer doing blood tests to determine who has swine flu verses regular flu because it doesn’t matter and it doesn’t effect the patient any differently. Stay home, get well and stop worrying. In the meantime, eat healthy, stay positive and exercise: that is the best way to ward of illness of any kind and ensure your body is in a prepared state should you become ill.
