All Stop Health Blog

Posts Tagged ‘swine flu panic’

5. DO NOT PANIC

News anchors and media keep pondering and asking the question, “When is it best to panic?”  NEVER, sounds like a good idea. When people panic, be it on a personal or national level, things tend to drift more towards the Disastrous level; in a pandemic, its easy to see that this would easily become catastrophic.

As troublesome as the the H1N1 flu  has been and continues to be, keep in mind that few have died, thus far, of swine flu outside the Mexican border. In the event of this pandemic spreading further, scientists are assuming it will still be a mild one. If you look at the number of annual flu-related  deaths in the United States in just one year alone, ranging to near 35,000 on average, it really helps put this one in perspective.  

“A computer model by researchers at Northwestern University estimated that even if nothing were done to slow the spread of the disease from now on, by the end of May the U.S. would have only about 1,700 cases. The good news is that H1N1 is hitting North America at the tail end of its flu season. It’s possible that the virus may peter out and re-appear next autumn, but that gives us months to prepare.”  – TIME

As WHO and CDC officials stress over and over again, influenza is still a mystery that isn’t completely understood, and H1N1 is likely to keep evolving and changing — we can’t predict how the epidemic will progress. Panicking, however, is sure to only make things worse. “This is a cause for deep concern, but not panic,” said President Barack Obama in his April 29 news conference. In the midst of all this anxiety, that’s the best advice there is. Until then, stay safe, calm, and smart – doing everything you can to keep your surroundings clean and free of harmful bacteria and viruses.

Joe Raedle / Getty

Since this global swine flu issue is taking off in the media and by word of mouth nearly everywhere you turn, there’s no wondering why so many people may easily panic and overact to even the smallest sign that they feel ill right now. Because of this terror instilled in people, some are going so far as to pour into emergency rooms in many states across our country; they fear they have this horrifying disease. It is strongly urged that people DO NOT rush to the emergency room if they start feeling the tiniest inkling that they have contracted swine flu. Like, “oh, my throat hurts…”, or “I feel more tired than i usually do”, or “what’s with my coughing and sniffling?, that can’t be good!”

It also burdens hospitals, the more that “just paranoid” people that start rushing to ER.  Having to examine people who aren’t really sick puts a toll on the already strained/stressed hospitals that are trying to prepare for a pandemic. Additionally, going to an emergency room without just cause may even put you further in harms way and risk your health. In past outbreaks, including SARS in 2003, hospitals were actually breeding grounds of infections — all those sick people in close proximity — and the same could be true of swine flu.

“If you actually have flu-like symptoms — a fever above 100° F, headache, sore throat, body aches, chills or fatigue — and you live in an area where there have been confirmed swine flu cases, by all means report to your doctor. Otherwise, leave the hospital to the sick people.”

ARTICLE FEATURED ON TIME.COM