I just read an article in The Wall Street Journal about H1N1 swine flu called “Swine-Flu Report Details Number of Potential Cases” by Betsy McKay.
She wrote, “A report by a panel of scientific advisers to President Barack Obama on Monday presented a “plausible scenario” in which 60 million to 120 million Americans — or 20 percent to 40 percent of the U.S. population — contract H1N1 swine flu this fall and winter, and 30,000 to 90,000 people die of the disease.”
What I really want to know is: Are you freaking out?
We’ve reported on how the Cal Poly health center is preparing for the swine flu and coverage about it has been dominating the news.
At first it seemed like everyone was petrified of catching it and that the world was about to self-destruct, but then we calmed down. We wrote term papers, crammed for finals and headed home to enjoy the summer sans-face masks.
But now it appears the swine flu us back, ready to terrorize us again.
The California Department of Health reported that as of August 18, there were 1353 hospitalizations and ICU cases, 115 of which were fatal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a resource guide for higher education institutions with recommendations involving establishing a “flu buddy scheme” in which students pair up to take care of each other in case one of them becomes sick and having the school “explore innovative ways to increase the distances between students. Ideally, there should be at least 6 feet between people at most times.”
Honestly, I’m skeptical. So many people got all worked up the first time and then the chaos calmed down and the frenzy just seemed silly.
I think I’m going to take precautions as advised by the CDC but not panic until my roommates start showing the symptoms.
Are you worried about getting the swine flu? And if so, what are you doing to prepare?