This is what I meant yesterday about stoking flu panic

[guanin]

When it comes to swine flu, don't fall prey to pandemic panic

Much better. Not that it reassures me about Mexico itself, but it's pretty much what I needed to hear. Though I'm wondering about those 34,000 dead yearly from the regular flu. I've never even bothered vaccinating for that thing. Which I relaize I hould, but the whole medical/health thing makes me nervous. I think I've got a real anxiety problem about it, I swear.

Comments

[saena17.livejournal.com]

I would recommend getting vaccinated for the flu, but I think the necessity of it can depend on how susceptible you typically are to seasonal flu outbreaks and the like. I know I have been getting sick more often in the last few years (probably because I'm sleeping less, eating less healthy mealss, and working too hard- oh, the life of a college student), so it's important for me to get the flu shot. If you rarely get sick with anything, maybe it's not as pressing for you. But if the thought of contracting it makes you anxious, you might feel reassured by getting the vaccine, even if there is a temporary stress problem associated with going to the doctor.

Sarah

[guanin.livejournal.com]

I've never gotten the flu and it's very rare for me to get a cold normally. Even when I'm not eating right. I've survived month long cold epidemics and never gotten sick. I have gotten a weird cough thing quite a few times since I came to London, but I think it might be my being more susceptible to new germs since I also got sick three times in a row my first year in Illinois, but afterward it tapered off. I'm not really worried about catching it considering where I am (apparently there's enough anti-virals for half the population in the UK), but while this freaky stuff is still going on in Mexico (I'm half Mexican) I'm still going to be worried.

[rampant-chaos8.livejournal.com]

Instead of panicking, I'm now playing that Pandemic 2 game. Probably not the best way to deal with it either.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Pandemic 2? That hardly gets your mind off the situation.

[lea-asun1.livejournal.com]

Espero que en estos momentos no estes en Mexico, (lo digo por la GRIPE PORCINA).

¡TEN CUIDADO!

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Regresé de México hace dos semanas, pero estoy bien. En Londres no han habido casos de los que yo sepa y toda la otra gente que acaba de estar en México también está ok.

[ti-ana.livejournal.com]

The read the reason people have died from regular flu is actually from complications (pneumonia) because they are older or less healthy. And the reason why people are so freaked out over the swine flu is because it's younger, healthier people who are supposed to be in their prime who have died.

I never get vaccinated for the flu (although my mom is constantly bitching at me to do it, I always forget), but I've got a very good immune system and rarely even catch colds anyway. Even so, always good to take precautions.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

I didn't see actual numbers for dying from the flu itself until today and they are really low, but people keep quoting the bigger numbers. But some of those younger people are small children, so their still developing immune systems are also more susceptible, right? I haven't seen much about the ages of the victims except for some infants.