Generally, it is my habit to shrug off public health scares as "not as big of a deal as they are making it out to be." Remember the bird flu? SARS? Ebola? Not a whole lot really came of those. E coli at the peanut factory, in the spinach...I tend to think that I am far more likely to be killed in a car accident on the way to work than I am to contract any of these illnesses. I remember that many governments like to keep their people at least a little bit fearful so that they are more easily controlled (that sounds paranoid until you start thinking about it a little bit...)
Then on Thursday we found out that two of the schools in our (me and Shayne's) school district were going to be closed for a week because of two cases of swine flu. "I am in the computer lab this year..." I began to think it over..."All 600 of them come through here every seven days..." hmm...."and touch their germ-ridden hands all over the keyboards and mice..." So I started disinfecting a little more frequently.
Then the more rational side reminds me that 36,000 Americans die of the flu every year. As terrible as that is, it is a fact. Is this going to be so much worse than a normal flu running it's course? What do you guys think? Are you changing anything in your lives as a result of this? Don't forget to answer the 2 poll questions :)
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Our emergency department is filled with patients who think they have the swine flu. They are wearing masks and we are seeing record numbers of patients this week - so far we haven't had any confirmed cases. Pollen is at an all time high in Maryland right now and people are in a panic mode when they develop a cough and cold. I'm glad you pointed out how many people die from the flu each year -many people don't realize that. We have handwashing gel for people to use when they come in the health center, and many and using masks. I noticed today that the media seems to be pulling back on their reports a little bit today - maybe they realize their reporting has increased the panic level we are beginning to see. One school in PG County has announced they will be shut for the next two weeks - and only one student has been identified as possibly having the
H1N1 virus.
Good thought provoking post today, Karen.
Well, the media stuff was beginning to scare me a bit. But I usually overreact to things when it comes to health. Now, things have seemed to settle a bit and I'm not as worried. Of course, when Luke woke up with a high fever and has been lethargic all day it did prompt a call to the doctor but I wouldn't have taken him to the ER or anything. I'm a little nervous about being in the hospital when I have the baby if things get worse. And, I might have to insist that my mother wears a mask on the plane if things get worse, but it seems like things aren't as scary as originally though. We have all of these strangers coming through our house every day because of the sale and I do find myself wondering where they might have gone on vacation. I think it's a good idea to clean your computers. If all of this turns out to be nothing it will be a good thing that people are thinking more about hygiene.
University Park has been added to the list of closed schools (2 weeks for a "probable case." I think we do have to take precautions but we are also overreacting. People get the flu. We need to take the same precautions we always take. I am bringing in some clorox wipes to have students clean their desks with each day (I really don't trust our custodial staff).
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