Listen to us...take a good look at this board, just scan quickly through the titles.."Death By Swine Flu!"..."Under Viral Attack!"..."Boston Launches Flu Shot Tracking *Tracking Bracelet*"...ad infinitum! And just listen to the news reports! Folks are actually talking about the possibility of forced quarantines and vaccinations and martial law. Can we all just stop a minute and take a deep, cleansing breath?
Ok, good. Now, what are the things we DO know? This is a flu with a fairly mild profile as yet. Some have died, true, but there are people who die every day of a variety of causes, we don't go all half-cocked over, say, MRSA related illness and death, do we? Concern, yes, that is warranted, but people, when folks actually start talking about the suspension of individual rights and speaking as if we are on the edge of total global meltdown, then I think things have gone too far...
We don't NEED forced vaccinations, and unless something changes drastically with this virus, we don't NEED to spin the notion that we will all be holed-up with our shotguns and canned goods waiting for the roving gangs! It's the flu people!! Wash your hands, cover your mouth, don't go out and about when you are sick, you know...all the crap they've been TELLING you for years now. Common sense.
There is a distinct possibility that this virus had a somewhat less than natural origin. Even if that is the case, it is "in nature" now, and there is nothing we can do about it. It is global now. You are probably going to get it at some point. You will feel like crappola for several days. You may or may not run a temp. You will have respiratory symtoms, these will be troublesome to most, dangerous for some. If they are, see a doctor. Stay home! If you are pregnant or have other health issues that may present unique challenges, call your doctor, see what he/she says.
But please, stop panicking! Especially here on this board, we oughta know better than that. It's understandable for the general public to get upset, but we are the ones supposedly on the "front lines" of this thing. A bit of sobriety, please.
