The Swine Flu: Should you worry?

Putting the swine flu into perspective.

In the US during the height of flu season... the rate of death is 63,729 per year, 5,310 per month, 1,225 per week, 174 per day, 7 per hour.

So let's break that down.

in the Swine flu cases... There are almost 2000 confirmed cases in Mexico with about 200 deaths over the last few weeks...

about 60 cases from America and other countries that have not led to deaths as of this time.

So when it comes to the swine flu... it seems it is currently less deadly than the normal influeza season in America. 200 deaths world wide in the last week, compared to 1,225 deaths in america alone during the normal flu season...

To me I'd be more afraid of the normal flu than this swine flu...

So... why is it so deadly in Mexico? Well there is specualation, none of which the media is really covering.

here's the story of the first swine flu victim according to the associated press:

Leyva's widow said he first noticed flu symptoms on April 13, and went to the local clinic in Xonacatlan (Shoh-nah-cah-TLAN). No one was available to give him a checkup, but he was given a shot and felt well enough the next day to make the 40-mile bus trip to Mexico City, taking subways to work despite a nasty cough.

Too sick to work again after that, he still had no medical care except for a penicillin injection his niece gave him. By the night of April 19, he was having trouble breathing and had an irregular heartbeat, and so his family took him to the nearby city of Toluca, where the poor can get discounted care at a large public hospital.

By 8 a.m. the next day, he was dead. His family was told the cause was a heart attack brought on by pneumonia.

notice key words - no one available to give him a check up... neice gave him penicilin shot (no word on if the niece was even a nurse)... where the poor can get discounted care...

it's also important to note, his neighbor had loose running pigs next door.

not to mention, this is the middle of the flu season in Mexico... so there could have been a secondary virus no one knows about, that the swine flu victims were already sick with.

unlike here in America where health care and sanitation are better, Mexicans are crowded by the millions in small cities... so infections and secondary infections are easier to pass. So it's possible those who died were already sick from the normal flu season - or became ill with a secondary infection, and that the cause of death was not completely related to the swine flu after all.

I don't know why they aren't focusing on this in the media...

the fact sanitation is bad in Mexico, the fact healthcare sucks there...

I mean look at this guy... he didn't get checked over, his neice who wasn't referred to as a nurse, gave him penicilin even though she didn't know what he was sick with... then he had to go to a city were the poor can get discounted care. The guy was living next to a neighbor with a small pig farm... it couldn't have been sanitary...

methinks that may have contributed to the swine flu deaths. I think people are afraid to say it because it would be insulting to Mexico/Mexicans.

but we need to keep these things in mind...

there are plenty of the antivirals to go around
Healthcare is better here in america
sanitation is better
they are working on a vaccine for incase this becomes pandemic

also, we know how many serious deaths and illnesses there have been in Mexico... but there could be thousands more mild cases like we've seen here in the US that have gone undiagnosed/treated, and people have recovered.

the fact this is so widespread, and the fact that there are millions of people so crammed together in Mexcio... it would only reason there are more cases than we know about... who've recovered and gone about their lives not knowing they were sick with this flu.

So while we should always worry about a pandemic... i don't think it's time to say "the world is coming to an end."

I know people want to point out the 1918 pandemic that killed millions, but remember, we're over 100 years more advanced in medicine and technology than they were back then when they were still using leeches.

not to mention with SARs, the Avian flu, Swine Flu, and so on... we're more ready for a pandemic than we were back when.

Just remember these tips:

Wash your hands frequently
carry hand sanitiser when out in public
avoid heavily crowded places unless necessary until this slows down
avoid using public restrooms unless necessary
cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
avoid sick people... (like family or friends.) if they're really sick, and you can't avoid them, wear a mask...

and above all, if you develop flu like symptoms... high fever, chills, aches, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, talk to your doctor. They can test you for the flu... and put you on the two antivirals that are effective against this flu strain.

and pray. pray pray pray that the worst never comes. That's the problem with our nation. not enough prayer.

visit http://cdc.gov for more info.