Swine Flu for Dummies

If you're like me you're tired of hearing people panic over the swine flu. So here's a few basic facts for those too inhibited by fear to look it up themselves:

• The swine flu does NOT equal the Plague
• Pandemic stage 4 means a confirmed person-to-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause “community-level” outbreaks. (from the CDC) It does NOT mean that everyone is going to die.
  
• The flu is not a new thing. It's been around forever and has made people really sick for decades. It kills people every year, and no one freaks about that.
• If you have a runny nose or the sniffles, this does NOT mean you have the swine flu. Or any flu. You're probably allergic to tree pollen, like the rest of us.
• Influenza is a virus, which means antibiotics WON'T work. There ARE anti-viral drugs which work against the flu and even the swine flu. See? Not a death-sentence.
• Flu symptoms usually include things like headache, aches and pains more severe than considered usual, nausea and vomiting, and often fever.
• ANY flu can range in severity from mild to serious, not just the swine flu.
  
• Most cases of the flu go away on their own with good nutrition, lots of rest, and plenty of fluids. If you have a severe case, it would be best to go to your doctor because the faster you receive antivirals, the more likely you will be to not get any worse.
  
• If you get the flu, swine or otherwise, it's recommended you stay at home until it passes to prevent spreading it around.

I'm not trying to make light of the flu. It's a serious illness that is no fun at all to suffer through. But honestly, there is just no reason for all this panic that I keep witnessing. Practice healthy habits like covering your mouth when you cough/sneeze, washing your hands often, and avoiding other sick people. The swine flu is not some sort of SuperFlu, it's just this rouge strain which the CDC couldn't predict, so the vaccines don't work. But it's 100% curable. Worst case scenario, you get sick and have to stay home from work a few days until it's over. You might feel like complete crap the whole time, but cry me a river, seriously. We've all had the flu before.