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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not really care about swine flu?

109 replies

Kayzr · 30/04/2009 09:24

I am so bored of swine flu now. The news are making it out to be the end of the world. 168 people have died in Mexico but only 8 have been confirmed of having swine flu. So they might have died of something else, 1 person has died outside of Mexico and he had recently been to Mexico and apparently ill anyway.

Everyone apart from 1 person round the world that has swine flu has recently been to Mexico.

So IABU for really not caring?

OP posts:
Tee2072 · 30/04/2009 14:11

The problem with the media hype, as someone else indicated, is that it is the little boy who cried wolf.

There will be a real medical emergency some day, and no one will do anything.

And its not just that we have better medicine and medical care compared to 1918. We also have better communications.

Peachy · 30/04/2009 14:45

Excellemnt quote on yahoo news here:

Some experts have questioned the wisdom of depleting stocks of anti-viral drugs to battle H1N1, which outside Mexico has caused largely mild symptoms.

Masato Tashiro, head of the influenza virus research centre at Japan's National Institute of Infectious Disease and a member of the WHO emergency committee, said: "The virus is relatively weak and about the same as regular influenza viruses passed on via human-to-human contact. I don't believe it will become virulent.

"The threat to health from the avian influenza and its fatality rate is much greater than the new flu.

"I am very worried that we will use up the stockpile of anti-flu medicine and be unarmed before we need to fight against the avian influenza. The greatest threat to mankind remains the H5N1 avian influenza."

Tee2072 · 30/04/2009 15:39

That's great peachy.

I keep hoping calmer heads will prevail.

But I'm an optimist!!

pingping · 30/04/2009 15:48

YANBU i'm sick to the back teeth of it and hand on heart think its a government/world leaders way of getting out of the Credit Crunch just over 3 weeks ago all the world leaders had a get together and all of a sudden this killer flu has hit the whole world Pleeeeeeeeeease If it was that dangerous or deadly them people coming in from Mexico should be put in isolation and tested for the traces of the virus not given a crappy letter from the NHS and sent on there way.

6mths time no swine flu & Credit crunch recovering watch and see.

Its not been confirmed that any of the Dead died from the Swine Flu

brettgirl2 · 30/04/2009 16:12

Peachy's post is even more depressing than the bbc headlines.

I have no idea why the bbc are trying to scare the wits out of everyone, however.

Peachy · 30/04/2009 16:19

In fairness pingping I think the credit crunch has taken many casualties so won't just be over like that.

But then as Dh collecting his P45 today I would feel that way

pingping · 30/04/2009 17:03

I didn't mean it like that Peachy I meant the economy will be in a better state because the media are hyping up Swine flu there are people out there that will be filling there trolleys with cans and masks and medicines etc.

Sorry to hear about your DH Peachy I hope he finds something soon.

FairLadyOfMuslinCloth · 30/04/2009 17:59

Well, I refuse to panic about it....wasn't it only last year they tried to frighten the bejaysus (sp?) out of us with the Bird Flu, and whilst some lives were lost and that is, of course, tragic....well...it wasn't any more than that....tbh, it sometimes scares me, that with teh tendency of the media always blowing things out of proportion , because, well, you just stop taking it all serious....so, if something that really would wreck havoc wiht teh world and they would report it, well, I would equally ignore it now, which of course could have serious consequences....

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 30/04/2009 18:08

I find it helps if you don't watch/read the news.

FairLadyOfMuslinCloth · 30/04/2009 18:10

well, am listening to BBC 2 Radio alot at the moment...which is very helpful, because Terry Wogan seems also to be unable to take the fuss all serious, so, you don't get overloaded with scaremongering there

Joolyjoolyjoo · 30/04/2009 18:18

Well, I care about it. I think it makes sense to keep up to date with how it is progressing, as it does have the potential to become a real threat, especially if it is allowed to spread and mutate. I'm glad the WHO seems to be responding to the potential threat calmly and purposefully.

Can't see the point really in sticking your head in the sand and scoffing at people showing an interest in the best way to prevent spread- seems sensible, rather than scaremongering to me. And if some people DO panic and, as a result, wash their hands more thoroughly, stay home when ill and keep their germs to themselves, so much the better for us all!

traceybath · 30/04/2009 18:18

Did wonder if i was being a little too laid back as sil rang earlier (she's a GP) and said i should get the flu jab as am pregnant.

I said i didn't think i'd bother as think its all a bit of a media-hype.

Guess it'll be clearer in a few days though as to if its spreading in the UK.

FairLadyOfMuslinCloth · 30/04/2009 18:26

Jooly....but they did all that last year with teh Bird flu...I mean, apparently we were aLLL GONNA BE WIPED OOUT...AND THEY ARE HEADING THAT WAY WITH THIS.... (ooops...sorry didn't mean to shout, btw, lol...caps lock) ...I realy think that the way this is treted is really not doing any favours....because, of course for all we know it is really a concern...but well..when everything is hyped up so much, tis hard to know what really is what...

Tee2072 · 30/04/2009 19:00

tracey I would think your GP sister would know that the current flu jab can't do anything for swine flu. Its not included in the jab.

kittywise · 30/04/2009 19:05

No I don't care either

MrsFreud · 30/04/2009 20:17

YANBU

mad cows disease anyone? that was going to wipe out anyone who'd had a burger.

expatinscotland · 30/04/2009 21:44

Anti-bac soap. Um, it's still soap. Washing your hands in anti-bac soap is no different when it comes to flu because it's a virus.

Plain ol' soap will do.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 30/04/2009 21:50

When DS was recently in hospital, there was disinfectant alcohol stuff at every entrance/exit. I don't know what the difference is, but assume that soap is to clean and disinfectant is to get kill any remaining bacteria?

heverhoney1 · 30/04/2009 21:51

Was that anti bac soap thing aimed at me?? My anti bac soap thing is in no way related to the flu threat. It is completely as a result of having a UTI earlier in my pregnancy - Just dont want to go there again!!

abraid · 30/04/2009 21:55

It apparently has been passed person-to-person both in this country and in the US, ie, people who have not been to Mexico are catching it, albeit mildly.

www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine-flu/5251982/Swine-flu-first-probable-case-of-person-to-person-trans mission-in-Britain.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6201440.ece

SallyJayGorce · 30/04/2009 21:56

I have considered how shite it will be if DH and I get it at the same time as the children (5,3 and 1) - we all had a stomach bug once and it ain't pretty. So today I bought some tissues and some Vicks. Panic over.

lazyemma · 30/04/2009 21:59

I don't think it's media hype for no reason. There's loads of quotes across the media from various high-falutin' epidemiologist types who know their stuff a lot better than most of us here do, and they don't know what's going on either. They're all saying more or less the same thing: this could be terrible, or it might not be, we don't really know yet.

Even Ben Goldacre - who has made a career out of criticising the way the media distorts science reporting in favour of sensationalism - isn't finding much to complain about this week. See article here:

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-hype

"All people have done is raise the possibility of things really kicking off, and they are right to do so, but we don't have brilliantly accurate information. Someone has said that up to 40% of the world could be infected. Is that scaremongering? Well it's high, and I'm sure it's a bit of a guess, but maybe up to 40% could be. Annoying, isn't it, not to know."

So yeah, nobody knows what's going to happen, and I do find that pretty scary, and it's not just because of fancy graphics on the 6 o'clock news.

sarah293 · 01/05/2009 07:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

abraid · 01/05/2009 09:16

I had flu about four years ago and could not get out of bed to feed my children--who were about seven and nine. When they came home on the school bus (thank God for the bus), I told them to get bowls of cereal until their father came home from work. With a special needs child, that's obviously not on.

Do you have flu jabs, Riven? Apparently they think there's some protection against this strain with the 'ordinary' flu vaccine.

Peachy · 01/05/2009 09:30

I haven't had flu in years, used to get it annually as a child,due to very poor diet (dad's idea of a meal for a chosen to be veggies child- same as everyone else without the protein; don'yt think I ate protein between ages of 13 -20 (when I started work and bought my own food), no hearing at home, very draughtty house...... we were vulnerable to everything going.

But perhaps my body is good at fighting flu now as it is practised; used to take a week in bed I recall and not an topion now.

OTOPH at least the ASD kids are less liekly to actually have friends to infect them, and as DH is now redundant neitehr does he much! Oh happy days PMSL- mayhap we're the lucky ones.