to think that if the media didn't make a big drama out of swine flu there'd be a lot less hysteria?

[spicemonster]

You're as likely to die from swine flu as you are from ordinary flu according to Professor Azra Ghani, an epidemiologist at Imperial:

"Our best estimate, based on the cases that come to the health system is around 1 in 200 (deaths) at a maximum which is very similar to the estimate you would see for seasonal influenza but that doesn't take into account many of those milder infections where individuals may stay off for a few days or not display any symptoms at all."

So not very likely at all. And yet we have people jamming NHS Direct lines, flooding their GPs' surgeries and hysterically avoiding wedding/M&T groups/any other group occasion.

Now, while I want to shout 'get a grip' at them, AIBU to think that the media hysterically reporting that someone has died is massively contributing to this mass panic? If they reported every single death from flu every winter, there'd be just as much panic, surely.

It makes me really, really cross.

yup, many of the recruits into ww1 were proper iu'm-not-being-funny weaklings anyway. stunted, malnourished, under-excercised, lung diseased...i think it's hard for our generation who haven't been in urban developing workd areas to imagine how poor the health of our general working population was at the high of industrialisation, before food production scaled up and housing started really getting serious about ventilation and piped clean water and sanitation

thanks merrypotter will try that. Spicemonster - i know you are right, i am just irrational (I worry about taking the little man out in the car too!). Glad your son is ok.

V true bubbleymummy and I agree with you. My friend is a virologist and she's not overly panicking about swine flu, although bird flu when it appeared, she was shitting herself.

I'm a great believer in simple things like keeping your hands clean helps. I'm a great believer in alcohol gel since ds was in NICU and wash my hands as soon as I get home, esp since I deal with money.

Spicemonster - I suppose it depends on what you are used to and your shopping habits. We are in a rural area and get snowed in sometimes. We generally do have 2 weeks or more worth of fuel and food in, just in case of snow, transport strikes, illness or from the look of the weather at the moment, the most likely event could be flood!

Can you tell I've had a wine cos I'm a great believer in everything

Jemli - thanks for the asthma encouragement! I work abroad every summer and have just come back from 2 months asthma free in the arctic. I think I am just allergic to British pollution.

Gosh - that sounds exciting. What sort of research are you doing?

merrypotter's advice is very good Jemli - ignore me. I tend to err on the side of lackadaisical which isn't necessarily to be recommended.

MillyR - I appreciate that some people are in rural areas. But the vast majority of the UK population live in densely populated areas (hence dense population ) so I think the advice is a bit unhelpful and rather stoking the panic. The only people I know who have had confirmed SF have all recovered within a week in any case.

YANBU. It is very sad that a number of people have died in the last few days. It must be devestating for those families involved and they have my deepest sympathy. I hope obviously (but unlikely) that no one else goes through it.

However - so many more people will have died today - on the roads, from illnesses, newborn babies. I do not mean to scaremonger here but you do not hear about those on the news and we get on with our every day lives. The media are just instilling fear and anxiety in us and really playing on our fears.

Of course it is worrying - even more so if you have health problems but I agree that people panicking are taking away resources from those who need it. What I would love is a balanced news report - something along the lines of '100 people diagnosed today, 99 got better. John in Sussex thought man flu was a lot worse. Sue in Scotland was worried about her son but calpol brought the temperature down. Billy Bob was glad it didnt stop him walking the dog' sort of thing. But thats not news is it.

Spicemonster - I may be underestimating the national panic, as I have only been back in the UK for 2 days. Everyone at work seemed to be carrying on as normal. I am not sure why having food in is a panicky idea. It simply suggests that people should stay in if infected and not spread the flu by going out shopping, but will be recovering at home not in a hospital.

Jemli - I am doing environmental research.

Have to go now.

YABU

I am guessing that you and everyone in your household are generally of well health. Unfortunately, one of my daughters suffers from a very severe heart condition and if she is affected by swine flu it could be very very serious for her.

Lots of people here have compared it to normal flu but there is a vaccine available for normal flu which my daughter has each year. There is no vaccine available for swine flu so hopefully, you can see that some people in similar situations to myself have very good reason to be "histerical" about this.

It probably is sensible MillyR but along with all the 'mother dies' stuff, it's winding me up a bit.

SM - don't apologise. Used to be a biochemist and with my science head on, i know there is nothing to worry about (well no more than usual flu) etc. I too was annoyed about the SARS hype generated by the media which was all needless. I don't worry about myself getting sick with SF. It is only this irrational phobia i have that something will happen to my little boy

Sorry mariemarie, i posted my last message before reading yours. I do hope your daughter keeps well.

MarieMarie - I am sorry to hear about your daughter and you must be worried. I hope you are stay healthy. That is what we are all saying though - if everyone who is in good health stopped panicking about it - and the media stopped winding people up - then the NHS / Government / whoever else would have more resources to help care for those who may be at more risk. No one is saying that if you have a genuine reason to be worried that you shouldnt be but the media are twisting things to scare people and make money.

peppa, I do agree with what you are saying. However, my daughter had her check up at the cardiac clinic on wednesday and I asked her consultant what he thought about the swine flu situation.

He said he would definitely recommend taking her out of school if there is an outbreak there (which there isnt at present, but they have finished today for summer term). And he also said that he anticipates that it will all break out for children later on in the year when they return to school after the summer term.

His opinion is that the swine flu situation is grossly underestimated because lots of people will have just gone to Boots for tissues & lemsip and will have fought it off themeselves. Therefore these people will not be registered in the system as being diagnosed.

TBH I am not really sure what to beleive at the moment. And as for removing my daughter from school, well, she has siblings attending the same school and I can hardly remove them. Also, there could be children being diagnosed with swine flu every week for a year and I can hardly keep her off school for a year. Not really sure what the answer is??

castille - there is much less swine flu in France at the moment than in the UK, so it's not likely to be just a case of the media having a different attitude.

From www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/why-is-the-uk-a-swine-flu-hotspot-1 751233.html

"By 16 July, we had 9,718 confirmed cases and 14 deaths, nine times more than Spain with 1099 cases and two deaths. In Germany, France and Italy, the number of cases is still in the hundreds and there have been no recorded deaths."

Obviously it's the media's job to sell papers or get hits and so they like startling headlines. Plus ca change... Swine flu is still a real event though and just calling every news report hysterical media hype is going from one extreme to the other. The truth is somewhere in between - swine flu is neither as scary as the worst headlines suggest nor as harmless and insignificant as the 'it's all just media hype' scoffers imply.

It's true that if no-one knew about swine flu, people would be less alarmed. People would just be going sick and people would be getting on with it.

It's true that the death rate for swine flu is likely to be the same as for normal flu.

It's also true people who die from flu of any flavour are likely to be in weaker health generally.

But... we have no herd immunity (sorry, sounds like a pun but it isn't) for swine flu so many more of us will get it, and so more will be at risk.

You compare us to France - on the other hand, have a look at the situation in Australia, where it's winter.

Yes, swine flu is getting a lot of attention. It's new, and immediate, and people are being affected by it now.

Infrastructurally, it's likely to be a real problem come our winter. By which I mean fewer people working, including doctors, teachers, manufacturers.

I think on balance YABU. You know the facts. You know 29 have died, you know all but one had underling health problems, you have heard the latest briefings from the chief medical officer on the news. Whether or not you worry is up to you.

You should be able to make a decision based on the facts - and you should also be able to listen to varied opinions on how this thing will play out - from the best case to the worst - and make your own judgement. The press doesn't tell you what to think. And there's a difference between the media being alarmist, and reporting something which is alarming.

I think yab slightly u

The comparisions with prevous pandemics does not take into account the fact that the groups modelled to be most afffected are the young and pregnant So I would imagine that of those dying there will be proportionally more of this age group, this I find much harder to not be scared of, than older people who have "lived their lives"

As another mother of a child with a chronic health condition, I would rather people take the threat of this disease seriously. I kept my elder daughter away from preschool last week due to 2 cases (preschool rang us at home to allow me to make a decision), in order to try and protect my younger child. Whilst I accept we could pick it up anywhere deliberatly going into that situaton seemed foolhardy.

From what i saw on the news the other day, the death rates are as follows;

Normal Flu 1:1000

Swine Flu 5:1000

I don't know if this has changed in the meantime though

I think Lenin it's because your body is already working really hard on your pregnancy, extra load on your heart etc.