Precautions? Are they truly necessary? Aside from the media coverage causing panic, what is there really to worry about? It's a strain of influenza that crossed over from pigs, something we should expect given mankind's domestication of the pig. How many people die of influenza each year? Is it startlingly increased because of the swine flu?

Viruses can and will continue. They are a force of nature. And if you consider it, so are we.

I agree. I haven't heard anything about how this virus is different from the usual flu virus. Thousands of people die each year from influenza. I really don't understand what the panic is all about. Is this virus drug-resistant? Is it too quick? I really don't know.

I've heard that it doesn't even last as long as the usual flu. It should be a non-starter if you are healthy. I'm not going out of my way to catch the disease but I'm also not canceling my trip or avoiding the subway.

I fully expect to catch it, have a few uncomfortable days, and then get on with my life.

Anon above says the media are causing panic.

I have seen no evidence of panic except in Egypt -- the preposterous culling of pigs.

I have seen early over-reactions based on early ignorance -- people avoiding pork. This will pass as people learn more. It will also pass when officials stop saying merely that "properly cooked pork is sfe," and tell us whether you can catch swine flu from raw pork, the way you can catch salmonella.

And I need to understand whether pork producers test their pigs enoug to know if asymptomatic swine flu is present in their pigs.

Temporarily avoiding pork (my favorite meat) is rational, given that we do not yet know what the experts know, and we do not yet know if they are telling us everything they know.

The rest of it -- people trying to buy masks, people trying to get Tamiflu, people paying a lot of attention to a fascinating story -- that's not panic, that's precautionary prudence.

Hello,

I live and work in Mexico City and, yes, the concern of the population over Swine Flue is quite evident. For the last three days, this the largest city in the world has been amazingly quiet. The government's recommendation to suspend classes and most commercial and public services activities has definitely been felt; add to that that this weekend is a four day holiday and you end up with a large gosht town. As far as precautions go. Well the usual ones seem to be working for me: washing hands often and avoid shaking hands and kissing friends on the cheek, both of which are a 'must' in Mexican culture. Yeah, people do die of many causes every day. No question about that. The things is, some folks find great benefit and pleasure in doing all they can to continue being a part of the forces and viruses of nature. Saludos!

I am going about my life.

I am, however, stocking up on supplies in case I need to stay home for a week or two.

If I get sick, I will call my doctor right away and follow his advice.

Why is death rate higher in Mexico? Is this swine flu from wild pigs or domesticated pigs? The wild pig population in Texas is very high right now

How long does it take to get a result from a swine test? I heard of a screening test that will tell you immediately if you don't have it. Is that true?

How can USA track the spread of the swine flu if it reccomends people to stay at home and not to go to the doctor when sick, unless it is really serious?

I'm avoiding crowds, but it seems like most of the precautions that have been suggested (washing hands, making sure you don't cough on people) are just to make people feel better and won't alleviate the situation very much. If it becomes a true pandemic, then my understanding is that the only truly effective course of action will be quarantine. The minor precautions seem like, to use a parallel, switching to CFLs to combat runaway greenhouse gas emissions.

I'd like to hear a discussion about the uncertainties associated with swine flu (i.e. when and why it will be a pandemic, why swine flu is more critical than, say, malaria or childhood diarrhea, etc.). I think a lot of the "panic", if you agree that it exists, comes from the fact that the traditional media aren't reporting the uncertainties very well.

I started taking the homeopathic remedy "oscillococcinum" as soon as I found out what this flu is, after my stepson came home sick with the flu (from St. Francis Prep in Queens) on Thursday. I'm fine, he's still dealing with a bad cough (his fever broke on Saturday).

My employer announced today that we will have on our desks in the morning a container of Purell Hand Sanitizer and a can of Lysol Disinfectant. No one here is close to panic or even anxious really, but based on the media reports, US government and the World Health Org.'s announcements, the attitude here seems to be "An Once of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure".

I also think taking simple precautions is warranted. Why not? Everyone knows about handwashing - a couple of others are toothbrushing and cell phones -

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I avoid listening to know-nothing hysterical rants by "experts" you pull out of the
woodwork. Last month they were "experts" on credit default swaps. Enough,
its the flu not the plague.

MD

Although I feel better today than I did yesterday - Swine Flu fatigue, maybe? - I did stock up on rice, dried beans, and chicken stock today. We also get a weekly delivery of fresh vegetables which I hope we could rely on in all but the worst circumstances. I bought a half-dozen bottles of Recharge, and am considering getting Oscillonoccinum...better safe than sorry is not a bad philosophy, in my opinion.

Good discussion on the show tonight, thank you!
Sinda

I haven't told anyone about this because I don't know anyone else who has taken this precaution: today I stocked up on non-perishables. I spent a couple of hundred dollare on soups, rice, beans, canned veggies and meats, applesauce, juices, etc., figuring that if I don't need them for the flu, I can eat them over the next year. I was reassured about my 'crazy' precautions this evening when a commentator on NPR said that he's surprised that the U.S. government hasn't put any of the responsibility on us to plan ahead. Instead the government is saying 'don't worry, we're watching out for you.' As much as I am delighted with Obama, I like some of the control to be in my hands.

I'm not so worried about the illness, I'm more worried about panic, an interrupted supply chain, and having stores closed.

We stocked up on perishable food (we already keep a 6 month supply of non-perishables), gassed up our vehicles, and withdrew a little cash from the ATM. We feel pretty confident that we could live comfortably in our home for a few weeks without any outside help, and we could survive many months if necessary. I really doubt swine flu will necessitate that, but I like to be prepared for any disaster, because peace-of-mind is priceless.

We're not too worried about H1N1 itself, mostly because there is little we can do about it other than washing our hands. We did stock up on OTC medicine to help treat symptoms in case we did get sick.

My thought, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. If this does cause widespread problems, I don't want to be one more person burdening society, waiting in line to get free face masks, food, or drinking water. I was raised to be self-reliant.

Thank you for a timely topic regarding how this current public health event is being communicated to the public. I am a risk communication professional in Phoenix, AZ and represent a large local public health dept. We have been practicing a communication style that focuses on open, transparent delivery of local information; specifically how Swine Flu is affecting our community. We are using communication tools that include hosting a twitter account - twitter.com\Maricopahealth and keeping our website focused on useful, appropriate preparedness information that we feel does not raise unnecessary alarm - www.wearepublichealth.org
Our entire strategy is to engage our local "public" audience and this includes providing them several "things to do; however, we are choosing to not push stockpiling as to us this seems less appropriate than the current situation warrants. Please view our site and regard how we are communicating the preparedness message.
Last - we are doing our best to practice an age old truism - adapt with the situation. Ultimately, our goal is to build and sustain trust and credibility with our community and we do through days, weeks and years of consistent and reliable information delivery and adaptation. Thank you again, Lisa for hosting this topic. Sincere regards from the field.

JFrasco in Phoenix: You sound like a terrific public health champion.

What would be your trigger to tell your population to stock up on food and water? And would there still be time at that trigger point, or would that be the time that everyone rushes to the store at once and there isn't enough to go around?

I am a big fan of "rolling stockpiles." Advise people who don't want to do a sudden major stockpile to gradually stock up and stay stocked up. If the stockpile becomes necessary, some of them still won't have enough, but more people in your city will be ready than otherwise.

Anonymous - I encourage anyone interested to please look at our website www.wearepublichealth.org We see preparedness as a mindset that is cultivated and developed over time; so in the case of H1N1, sharing information about effective hand washing techniques and home health care for example, are on a continum with shopping for extra comfort food and water (because it will lessen the need to go out when you are home ill or caring for others). This is a step wise process that promotes a preparedness culture\mindset and integrates it into daily life.
In AZ, this is particularly challenging, as the majority of our community has little experience with major disasters in the urban centers. When we have had major events - such as wildfires, we saw the public rapidly acquire resources; however, this audience too had a predisposition for preparedenss which made a difference in how they responded to the event.
We have a real opportunity now to educate about all the levels of preparedness and in this case it begins with hand washing..... soap anyone? Kind regards from Phx.

I am doing precisely nothing different. In America the flu has only killed one infant which, while unfortunate, is run of the mill for a few infants every year to die from infectious diseases. I personally find it disturbing that the WHO has been playing into the hype machine and that Obama has had to take time from doing meaningful things to tell Americans "wash your hands and cover your coughs." Forgive me but is this really a role for government?

-Ryan Merten