By the Chinese Zodiac Calendar, 2009 is the Year of the Ox. Forgive me for thinking it is the year Two thousand and Swine. Turns out we are not only in a global economic meltdown, but also a pandemic of panic. Not a day has passed in recent months that we do not hear updates about Swine Flu. How many new cases, government responses, expert opinions, media sites and the now, sadly, deaths.

In context, H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Flu) is still a ‘flu in a teacup. Ordinary Influenza A is more dangerous, and always has been. The World Health Organization’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is not a response to the severity of illness caused by the virus, but a reflection of its rapid spread.

So what can we do to help? How do we prevent Swine (or any other) flu from reaching our home? Simple measures are the best and no different from any other pandemic or seasonal influenza:

      Wash your hands often and well

      Stay away from sick people and crowded areas if there is an influenza outbreak in your area

      Cough and sneeze into a tissue

      Keep your immune system healthy with lots of sleep, exercise, water, good food and less stress.

Sound familiar? This is probably the same advice given to you by your mother to prevent spreading the latest cold or flu when you were a child!

While the current outbreak of Swine Flu should not be dismissed as unimportant, we need to keep it in perspective. Deaths from Swine Flu are a reality. However they tend to be in those patients with predisposing factors. Chronically ill children (and elderly people), perhaps with ongoing lung or heart problems, are more prone to influenza, swine or otherwise. These vulnerable areas of the population (including those who are pregnant) should be vigilant. Alert but not alarmed, as they say.

 To deal with the panic and inevitable media-hype that surrounds us with Swine Flu:

      Stay informed and link to credible information

      Don’t panic or buy into the fear

      Be sensible and use simple preventative measures

      Be vigilant if you are pregnant or care for vulnerable people

There is no vaccine for Human Swine Influenza as yet. Unfortunately, neither is there one for panic. I am pleased to read in the Medical Journal of Australia that people’s level of anxiety surrounding H1N1 is decreasing and I encourage us all to continue protect ourselves from the contagious nature of both panic and swine flu.

Tags: Illness

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am and is filed under Illness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.