They have just said on bbc news, that of the 29 people who have died of swine flu, only onne did not have underlying health problems.

[wannaBe]

So really all this reporting of healthy six year olds dying has only served to make people panic more.

Perhaps the media should get their facts straight before publishing that healthy people are dying when this is clearly not the case.

THere was something on this morning about the projection at its worst being between 1 and 3.5 people dying/contracting swine flu per something or other..

How exactly does half a person die/contract it?

If 3.5 people per something or other die or contract it, then 7 people per two-somethings-or-other die or contract it. And it's quite easy to have seven people.

The newspaper media are shameful. But we shouldn't expect any different really, they are desperate for sales

but the numbers are all speculation. 3.5 people could get it. They are estimating that 60000 people could die. In the flu epidemic of 1999 29000 people died, and yet people don't panic about ordinary flu, which can kill just as easily as swine flu.

I'm not sure that media should be reporting on deaths at all tbh. Reporting deaths only heightens the hysteria, esp considering that the circumstances of the death aren't reported until much later, by which time it's forgotten.

'Underlying health problems' could range in severity from very minor to serious. I take asthma medication but am very healthy. If I died of swine flu I would probably be described as having underlying health problems which wouldn't really be telling the whole truth.

There are SO many people who are vulnerable to S - with hart, respiratory, imuno-supressed, disabilities that cause low-muscle tone and so cause respiratory problems etc etc, that all this 'oh, it's OK, no-one HEALTHY' has died comes across very 'I'm all right Jack' and occludes the fact that we all need to be as responsible as possible about containing infectiuon, because god knows what it must be like to tbe the parent of a vulnerable child. 28 people with underlying cnditions is no re-assurance to them.

I live in an area where two children from one school have died in one week. (I know because the Head of the school told me). It was finally reported in the press but the name and age of one child has not been released because of privacy for the family. The column in a local free paper says at the end "if you know the child who has died, please contact our newsdesk"

yes but by virtue of having asthma you have underlying health problems. While you feel healthy (and probably are as well!) - your asthma does make you more succeptable to respiratory illnesses.

I see stuff like this and wonder what's being swept under the carpet/radar other news wise

God Blu, that would make me so angry!

Is it wrong to want to spray my antibacterial spray on fellow commuters if they sneeze?

I'm washing everything in sight.

blu - that is disgusting. Tell us the paper and I will contact them.

Agreed - they ought to be reported - is there a press complaints body?

What I would love to know is how did Britain get this deal to get all of uss the vaccine first before ANY other country?

Totally agree about sensationalist media reporting. Even BBC ten o'clock news last night headlined with swine flu story - included dark, gloomy graphics and reporter saying "if swine flu hasn't reached your street yet, IT SOON WILL".

Highly, highly irresponsible scaremongering

OTOH I don't think it's helped by the lack of clear guidance from DoH, WHO etc. I've had a few conversations this week with two separate GPs and a midwife (I'm 25 weeks pg, had diarrhoea for a week and slight cold/flu symptoms), who have given me totally contradictory information. Eg first GP said Tamiflu wasn't given to pregnant women, midwife said it was.

I wonder how just clear the info is that's given to the media.

Blu, without giving it away, are you in London? I saw something on front page of south london press yesterday about 2 children dying (at a SN school I think?), but haven't seen it anywhere in national media.

Found out today that the sister of the child who projectile vomited all over DS2 (5) yesterday has swine flu - lovely!

A lady has died and her baby is very poorly. Another baby has died too.

Oh the reporting is just dreadful. They were going on about how there would be 60k + deaths this winter because of swine flu, while at the same time reporting that the most susceptible are young children. Of course parents are going spare with worry when they read things like that.

What I'm most interested in is whether or not what they're reporting is true, personally. I'm really not interested in something sanitised so I won't worry. That doesn't mean I want it exaggerated the other way either, but honestly - we're all adults here aren't we?

I suspect lots of people DO have the flu but are choosing to keep it secret.
A lady at our school, was called in to collect her boy yesterday as he had a fever and was shaking.
I saw her at school today and she said the GP has put him on Tamiflu, but the GP was not sure what he had. They are just dishing out the pills.
She has not told the school either as school finishes next Wednesday anyway.
Great, that means that its going to spread around everyone else throughout the holidays

I spoke to my GP friend and was told that the guidelines issued changes week on week - basically Tamiflu is now given to anyone reporting flulike symptoms ... makes a TOTAL mockery of responsible, measured treatment of flu outbreaks ...

Seriously, I don't care how many people have died or what their underlying medical conditionms were (or the severity of them) - it is not like it is going to help if/when my family get sick ...

As the mother of a young child with incredibly serious health problems I have to say that the reporting of swine flu does indeed make me very very worried.
By nature I do like to think that everything is going to be ok and certainly try to be positive. It's getting very hard though.
The attitudes of many people do seem to be "oh it's only affecting those with health problems so it's nothing to worry about" is really getting to me. Doesn't my son with health problems matter?
I am also concerned of course that if myself or partner were to catch it then it could effect the welfare of my son who requires round the clock care.
I'm finding myself torn between wanting to read the news to see how things are progressing and blanking it out as the reporting just seems to be so over the top.

Fattipuffs - yes, as reported in the SLP.

It was the Streatham Guardian I think, that asked pelpe to contact the newsdesk...

iklboo i too share your belief that other 'bad news' might have passed by unnoticed