Japan Swine Flu

A pandemic is eminent that's for sure D: What I'm wondering is did all of this spread directly from Mexico or not?

Its flu season.. This is a flu.. Yes, supposedly we have no immunity to said flu.. Unless you were around last time a swine flu hit.

But, seriously.. Lets remember common sense.. Wash ya hands, avoid sick people.. if ya sick stay home. Nuff' said on that.

Not particularily worried I have a friend who is a nurse and keeps me up to date and he said currently it isn't unknown how to treat it like SARS was.

I'm a bit worried, hope it won't affect some up coming plans ^^; I did fly during the SARS period I think lol my parents made me wear a mask on the plane

Not panicking... unless it changes us into pigs like Chihiro's parents in Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikushi)...

BTW I think they've officially changed the name to something else. They call it H1N1 flu here. It's so that they don't damage the pork industry ^^;

Something of this scale has not effected the US since Ford's administration. I heard that the virus is traveling. From people that have returned from different parts of the world. I am a little afraid though.

I try to take some definitive measures by flu shoots and compulsive hygiene, and working to build up my anti bodies. i know ti might not be enough against this. makes me a little scared.

I thank god every day that there is no such thing as "palm flu" because my palm is planted so firmly upon my face that I would surely be the first to perish.

Biohazard 6 comes out early in Japan.

I'm not overly concerned. So far its only slightly more lethal than SARS was, and that petered out in a few months. If we're still hearing about Swine Flu a year from now and the deaths ramp up to the thousands, or we start seeing something out of The Stand then I'll be worried.

"Crap - I'm going to die a Virgin"

I could fix that~~~~~~~~

JK!!

Honestly, no. In fact, the front page of today's the Los Angeles Times dismissed the disease as some 'mild flu' and reported that the virus was less harmful than the regular one. So we can all breathe now... ^^;;

still a bit worried, for me. we must be hygienically clean. For example when we cough, use handkerchief ^^

This is what I know about this:

The WHO has confirmed 257 cases of swine flu worldwide. 97 cases in Mexico, with seven deaths. Mexican officials have reported much higher numbers (2,500 cases and more than 150 deaths) but those numbers haven’t been confirmed. In the U.S., the WHO says there are 109 confirmed cases with 1 death. Out of a population of more than 300 million people, that hardly seems to be cause for alarm. Scientists who are studying the virus say this strain of influenza doesn’t look as deadly as strains that have caused previous pandemics. In fact, some suggest that the current form of the swine flu virus may not even do as much damage as the regular flu.

More than 13,000 people in the U.S. have died of complications from seasonal flu since January; and it’s expected to continue killing hundreds of people a week. In total, about 36,000 people a year die from the flu in this country; and worldwide, the annual death toll is somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000.

Seems to be overblown.

Yes, very scared.

since sars was contained quite well previously i'm thinking it won't be exactly too difficult to do it again

Here in Malaysia , The government takes necessary precautions of Swine flu in Malaysia. They even have a heat scanner at airports to check for Swine Flu . Luckly , there are no reports on Swine Flu on Malaysia YET .

They even cancelled flights to Mexico , USA , and Canada . Swine Flu is now the new Bird Flu .

Well, one just returned to the UK from Mexico 2 days ago and is suspected to have Swine flu. The catch is that this person happens to be in the same small city (more like a town) I am in right now.

Seems like Canada is being blamed for Japan's first case. Go figure.

No, I'm immortal

I strangely don't feel panicked at all ^^;;

Those quotes are hilarious xD

Just make sure you see your doc immediately if you have any flu and not to be stubborn. It's not incurable. And be considerate to others if you are sick.

Glad to have a home office at the moment... though when i have to go to the office or clients i always pass truh the main train station in Düsseldorf which is connected to the international airport there... soooo... weird somehow.
I am scared to a certain degree... not permanently thinking about it though.

Lets hope it just goes away fast... :/

Not that worried.. since swine-eating is not so widespread in Malaysia :P

We are FAR overdue at least in the US for an epidemic. The last one was in 1976. I would rather have a periodic virus that kills a few than a superbug from us blocking out the current strains and then having them mutate and gut 1000s. Aside from that, if you do a little bit of reading, the normal strains of flu (again stats for the US) kill on average 3500 (suceptible) people a month.

The media is just once again, sensationalizing things. Which is especially apparent when I watch the World News on my PBS station and then flip to my local news. The local news acts like the world's catching on fire and we're all made of wax and chocolate. The BBC also seems like they do a good job of not going crazy everytime something like this happens. And I love Japan more than anything ever, but Japanese news puts a ridiculous amount of spin on a lot of things.

Swine Flu. I'm more annoyed at all the stupid troll flames I see on boards because of this outbreak.

I do have some concerns since I live one of area with the outbreak. Since I am unemployed I don't have to go into Manhattan every day. With that said I am limiting myself from take crowded public transportation for the next week or two.

Despite the fact that New York has the most infected in the US, I'm not not as worried as an average Joe would be. Can't say the same for my paranoid classmates though- one cough/sneeze is enough to get eyeballed by the entire room.. ^^'

Resident Evil all over again. Except we aren't zombies, we just die.

*shrug* I'm kind of annoyed at all this hype. It's good that people are reacting versus not doing anything (which is why SARS spread to start with) but I think it's overdone.

If we're overdue for a flu epidemic, then we are. Panic and fear wouldn't make me less likely to contract it - just that I'd waste more energy and time worrying about it. If I contract it, then I do. I take the same risk of death every time I go out in a car. I take an ever greater risk every time I go on a film shoot, since film sets have lots of dangerous can-kill-you equipment lying around.

Good thing I think this way, I guess, because I caught a cold (or is it flu? Can never tell) just this morning.

Crap I'm going to die a virgin! :(

I am not that worried about the Swine Flu pandemic that is appearing worldwide. I did travel to Mexico during my Spring Break and I didn't get sick (although it was the island of Cozumel). I don't know where my sister found this information, but my family and I were not to drink anything with ice in it. Apparently, she said that we may not be used to the water there and we drank bottled water or drinks with no ice.

not that worried =.= . But still I do take abit of precautions like washing hands and all .

The "panic" is way overblown. Here in the states it's the media that is stoking the fear. Experts are saying it's a mild strain and will amount to little more that "ordinary" flu.

Don't worry.

if the strain originated from mexico, wouldn't it be impossible for a strain to have the same properties if it's mutated from elsewher? (if the person haven't been to mexico)

seriously, Imo, all this hysteria makes me think that they WANT a outbreak to happen

We must find Luna, she has the cure.

Well, we're moving to winter down here in the southern hemi - CRAP
I still remember when SARS was around... Heck, that was like 6 years ago

I'm not worried about it.

I think the various health agencies around The World(tm) are on top of this, and are working well to keep a lid on it. They were working this in Canada as a level 5 threat before the W.H.O. upped their rating this morning.

Now we all can be thankful that Pigs don't fly...

<flap> Oink! <flap> Oink! <flap> Oink!......

ohhhhh, helll..... (me and my big mouth...)

The influenza A(H1N1) virus is spreading. That's why the World Health Organisation has raised its alert level to 5, meaning a pandemic is imminent.

Pandemic comes in waves, so while the initial infections and effect have been mild outside of Mexico (with only 1 death of toddler in Texas who was visiting from Mexico), we don't know for sure if the second wave would be more serious.

In Singapore, we've upgraded the alert status to orange, i.e. now most schools, workplaces and places of mass gathering require temperature checks and all hospitals' staff who have contact with patients must wear protective gear + N95 masks + gloves. Strict infection control measures are in place.

Over here, the Government is taking it VERY seriously and believe it's a matter of time before it hits us here. This is because UNLIKE SARS, a person infected with influenza A(H1N1) is infectious even BEFORE he presents any symptoms e.g. fever, coughing, sneezing etc... So airport thermal scanners/temperature checks will not prevent some cases from getting in.

Well, there's only been one death so far in the US that I know of from the swine flu, but it's a lot worse in Mexico with 150+ deaths...

We just got our first case in Minnesota, some school girl got it or something
I'm a bit worried, but not too much, since the regular flu already kills people. This is just some newer version of the virus

Well, they say it doesn't spread through pork, as long as you cook it.

Most of the time I'm at home, only when commuting to school in early morning.. I'll just keep away from those coughing and sneezing ^^; I'm just worried if it reaches Malaysia and they decide to close school like America did(right?). Then I won't be able to see those beautiful ladies on my morning train.. :3

not really caring about it, heard a few schools closed here due to it but I'm not worried, as long as you're washing your hands before having contact with your mouth it's safe.

I'm only a bit worried because I hate getting sick. People are freaking out over this WAY too much and I blame the media for it. :|

I'm a bit worried too. More by the fact that I know the health system is NOT prepared in case of an epidemic.
And by the time, we already have and epidemic here, Dengue that originated on the top north of the country but now has been cases of autochthonous dengue in the capital. Hospitals doesn't have even disposable materials. If just one of the two illness explode, the health system would collapse.

Plus, all mask has vanished and out of stock almost everywhere. Surely, when the first case appears, there will be very few ppl selling them at exorbitant prices :S

Hope it's just yellowish :S

I think this whole thing is blown way the hell out of proportion, just like every other media induced pandemic. Thus far the United States has had 109 cases reported. Let's do a little math and thats 109 (cases reported) / 304059724 (US population) * 100 = 0.000035848 %. The odds of being struck by lightning according to National Geographic is 1 in 700000 (roughly 0.000142857%). Which means I literally have a better chance of getting stuck by lightning. God I love math.

Not worried about it at all. I have never been worried about flu's :3

From what I understand this is a new strain of the flu virus. There isn't a vaccination for it yet but you can use cold and flu medicines to help with the symptoms. It could come back in a second or third wave more resistant to antibiotics with a chance of becoming a pandemic.
There are people who worry way to much about it and people who don't worry enough. Common sense is to keep good hygiene but that doesn't protect you 110% from anything. Better to worry a lil bit to be ready than not worry at all and eat s@#T in the end. ^_^

hmmm...
I'm not very updated on this news
but one thing bugs me, If it's not transmitted via pigs, why it's called Swine Flu?
maa ii, I never get any contact with pig's or pig's product before, so it's okay (I guess)

I dont think there is any problem, hundreds upon thousands maybe even millions die every year by the normal strand of Influenza. I think this is just an over exaggerated strand offlu that the media has had to much attention on.

Like many said before, I think the swine flu shouldn't be something we should be worried about. The media is just over reacting to this "outbreak" because the story sells. There are thousands of ways we can die, and the swine flu is just one of them...so should we lock ourselves up in isolation? I mean, 200 people have died so far in one week(?)...I bet more people die from car accidents in one hour...so should we stop driving or stop walking down the street instead? The probability of getting killed on the street is higher. Like most have already said, practice proper hand washing, keep up with personal hygiene, and be considerate...then you should be fine. Live life to your fullest until your time comes, don't let things like this bother you. :)

Why is this happening?

It feels as if humans are being punished for eating animals.
The animals are moving in on us, slowly.

Whats next?
Fish flu?

Thoughts as I watched the first news of swine flu some time ago.

Not really worried, then again they say the worst to come will be this fall when Flu season is usually in full force.

This reminded me of SARS outbreak~

For some reason, this reminds me of L change the WorLd, which I just saw last nite...
=p

I think it's incredibly overblown. Besides, I hate to sound like a freaky conspiracy nut but every time there's some huge sensationalized news story I start wondering about the real news that isn't getting reported. A "ignore that man behind the curtain" kind of thing perhaps?

this pet hve been pig flu vaccine?

I live in Southern California, not far from the border of Mexico, where the flu is the most concentrated, and I am not worried at all. The flu doesn't have any special symptoms other than your average flu symptoms, and if you get medical help when you get the symptoms, the chances of dying from it are slim to none if you live in a country with access to good healthcare.
The reason so many people in Mexico have died from this is because most of the people down there don't have easy access to healthcare if any access at all, so just being sick is killing them, not specifically because the swine flu is some super virus or anything.

I have a feeling that the media are blowing this waaaay out of proportion and this is just some media induced panic. I believe this will go on for some time and then just fade away into the pages of last weeks newspaper. Just use proper hygiene, and take care of yourself if you do happen to get sick and you have nothing to fear.

Hope everyone will be ok ^_^

Right now I think it's just a lot of hype... It reminds me of the bird flu and nile virus~

I work at a restruant and we're set between two airports so we get alot of traffic thst from travelers. No one at works gotten it yet. One girl has broncitis and thats it. But whatever, I see it liek this, You get it get top the hospital and get fixed you dont consider youself lucky and keep living.

Jeez, people are really paranoid about this. It's not a particularly deadly disease! The only real difference between this and a normal flu is how fast it spreads. Honestly! This is just ridiculous.

40,000 people die in the US from complications of regular flu each year. This doesn't look too different, really.

There was a confirmed case at my university earlier today. Considering that I'm sick right now, and the symptoms I have, I may actually have it. If I do, I can say it's really not too different from a normal flu or cold.

It's gonna be a pandemic, everyone's gonna get it, and they'll all turn into zombies. I wanna be a survivor with a shotgun.........it's been quite a while since I played Left for Dead ;-P

It's kinda funny.

This flu is spreading slower than the normal flu, goes away faster, and is by far less lethal. Why are we all panicing? I say that this swine flu should REPLACE the current flu! It'd make the world a lot better.

I'm flying from Brisbane to Sydney Australia on the 11th May and I'm not worried at all.

Here in South Texas theres a few cases popping up and I sure don't want to get it since its hot enough already with out working central air. The baby from Mexico that died in Houston Tx also had underlying conditions before becoming sick with the flu which did cause it to be even worse for the baby. This thing has only started and those without adequate hospitals and doctors around may not fare too well. Its not a normal flu this one likes healthy people first.

Not afraid of it at all. I just live life believing everything will be okay if I want it to, which means I believe I won't get the swine flu at all.

Im not worreid about the flu at all. I'm more worried about not being allowed to land in Japan. Im going to HK on may 6th, then heading to Tokyo and Hokkaido for 2 weeks on May 12th. I've been waiting for this trip since high school, and it is kinda of my uni grad trip.

Ima buy a mask to were so when things start getting more dangerous I can be prepared .

We lose more people to more common strains of flu every year. As usual the news media is trying to boost their viewership. It is a shame that we need to tell people to wash their hand, not sneeze or cough on others, etc... ^^;

Even though the H1N1 virus hasn't reached my region, we're still taking precautions like washing hands and take our daily vitamins but I do plan to buy a mask as an extra precaution =P

And I'm not that worried about the virus.

I dislike the racism comments.. ¬¬ So, the virus isn't form Mexico it's have an Euro-Asiatic DNA origin ... U____U folks, please read more about that plz! >_____<

When SARS hit South East Asia... I still continue my holiday trip in Bangkok... I remember everybody wearing that mask to cover the mouth/nose... just like they're doctor... thankfully nothing bad happen to me...

As for this Swine Flu, W.H.O said its bad (on Level 5 - don't know what Level 5 means) but I think it's life as usual here... I just hope they don't banned pork during this incident unless if it's proven that the meat is dangerous for consumption....

Nope. i'm more worried about getting to do what i want to do most.

Epidemics?

"The total number of deaths worldwide is estimated at 75 million people, approximately 25–50 million of which occurred in Europe. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population. It may have reduced the world's population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in 1400."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

Now that hit the world hard, and still here we are in the 21st century, using internet and other stuff people couldn't even imagine back than, while Earth's population is reaching 7 billion. Everyone should take that into mind when talking about the end of the world and other bullshit.

There's a Google application that tracks the swine flu.

eat more oranges

people especially the media should change the name instead of swine flu. You actually don't get it from eating pork which is what most people around here is thinking. Its an airborne disease and its passed from an infected human to another human.

I'm not worried, the flu has always been (one of the most) dangerous diseases because it mutates so often and has no definite cure as such.

As several level-headed and informed people have already stated the facts above, it's clear the media is using this once more as an opportunity to boost their ratings and control by spreading unwarranted panic.

Not only does the regular flu still kill more people every year, but so do automotive and other vehicular accidents, as well as crime, war, famine, aids,....

professor sent an email telling us to visit health services if we feel ill. Doesn't want us to risk everyone elses' well being.

I've experienced the SARS outbreak in HK and luckily I didn't get infected back then.
However this time I (or we...+ another roommate of mine from HK as well) am taking extra caution on this incident. We ordered face masks and medical alcohol. And we clean bits and parts of our apartment (e.g. chair, door knob, toliet bowl, etc) as our daily routine.
In short we are NOT having a panic, however we are doing our best not to bring trouble home... We are just international student here and I am graduating in a few weeks, come on....lol

So, anyone played that flash game Pandemic 2? Looks like we'll all have to go to Madagascar. But, I don't really mind about the swine flu, just keep it clean and you'll be all right. The human race has triumphed over many a epidemic, we can do it again! Luckily there have only been a few probable cases in Australia, but they are all in my state -_-"

Swine flu my ass. Since this isn't like the last flu we encountered where birds could transport the virus i'm just sitting here on my cosy island feeling safe since anyone coming froim Mexico now is being checked thoroughly

Even though California is connected to Mexico, I'm not that worried about the Swine Flu. However, my friend flew over here from Japan for the Golden Week holiday and hope he can return home unharmed >_<

I'm hoping it's not going to be as bad as they say, and hopping it's just the media blowing it out of proportion like they often do.

I'm not too worried. I'm home most of the time and most people i know are still healthy. I just hope it doesn't get worse though because then it'll prolong another world issue- the economy.

I think it's a concerning situation, but there's no use panicking over it. All that people can do is just get on with their lives while making sure to practice good hygiene and be cautious about illness.

I think that this may as well be an experiment of some kind. Create a virus, throw it in the cattle and let's see what happens.

I am here in ground zero aka Mexico City as a reporter, and everything is closed, movies, restaurants, malls. only supermarkets are open, everyone is using masks, they closed the schools in the entire country, and non vital goverment offices are closed, all the public transport drivers must use gloves and masks or they will get a ticket, I dont know if all this is really good or bad, I think all is exagerated, because few people dies, is not like the aviar flu, where most people died, more people die from car crashes in one day than people from flu in the world in this 7 days, also I heard that the mexican gob is aproving non.popular laws like crazy, like legalization of drugs, and other laws about police will be able to watch over privacy, also something about cellphones willl have to be fingerprinted, and more things that will leave mexicans without any kind of privacy, it looks like the mexican gob is getting advantage of the flu.

by the way the first flu detection where in USA, but Mexico was the first to take actions, also is confirmed that there is not even one pig infected with flu, so it has nothing to do with pigs, thats why the name of the virus is now H1N1, right now what worries me more is that USA right now haves more infected people than Mexico, and it seems that they are doing nothing

Actually I'm fine... for now.

$$
We are doomed, let's loot Figmas!!
Who knows where HQ are located?

Akihabara needs a lockout, I'll organize barricades today...
$$

Unless someone starts spreading it like black plague I guess we are somewhat safe.
If I'll be wrong, nobody is gonna be there to say "I told you so" anymore.

Black humor today.

I ended up not trusting the danger estimations in the media. First they act like it has 100% fatality, then it's like a normal flu, then it's deadly again and so on.

What I use to consider the current dangerlevel is:
-WHO estimate the danger level to be 5
-Mexico City closed everything and orders people to stay home. (wouldn't waste a fortune on that unless they think it's needed)
-Travelling insurance started paying to get people out of Mexico right away (but that will spread it quicker, right?)

I must say that I'm a bit scared. This is likely mainly because my health isn't as good as I would like so I'm scared f flu in general. I do what I can to improve my health, but I was exposed to lots of cigarette smoke as a young child in the daycare and it looks like it broke my health for life (specially regarding breathing).

Me thinks the whole panic caused by the poor pigs is nothing to worry about for normal people...
but they gotta talk about something in the news right? (the more scary they make it the better)

Swine Flu is a lie, just as Avian (Bird) Flu was

you'll see...

i'm not that worried. I think the media is making a big deal about it and is scaring people. I'm not saying we shouldn't prepare but at least give the audience a break of the same thing over and over.

As long as this flu doesn't stop me from going to Anime Boston later this month, I'll be fine.

... Totally jinxed myself right there.

I loved how some of those comments made it sound like a sort of 'Battle Royale' was about to start.
I'm not too worried because I haven't really watched the news enough for the media to instill fear into me.

Well the basis of the worry is logical, a virus that we have no previous immunity to and it's actually killing healthy young people. Since I live near Mexico, everyone here has that anxiety so it can't really be ignored. Just do your basic hygiene and pay more attention is your best bet.

My math teacher said that I didn't look good (thanks a lot) so she sent me down to the nurse. It turns out I had a fever and "Signs of a viral infection". She told me to go home and don't come back until I'm completely healthy. When I return to class to collect my books, everyone flipped out and started screaming "SWINE FLU!". Now everyone thinks I am the cause of the apocalypse at my school.

My take on this is ~ that I believe that we need to be *level-headed* concerning this.

I agree with pipopaz ~

The Media (does) HAVE a tendency to - heighten - this situation (and any situation), by using certain words.. in order to place fear into everyone. ~ You know NEWS needs to be interesting!

This is why I watch several (international) NEWS casts to get a broad view from all points.
BBC, US, German, Japanese, and Mexican ... and trust me... they all report differently on this situation. Which is why I question what the media says and tells the public.

I also believe that everyone is thinking that it will be like the movie - "Outbreak" - were just a cough will spread like wildfire and infect everyone in close proximity to everyone and that the military will be involved.

Right now people are wearing *masks* ~ masks that will make no difference, except in keeping ones coughs at bay ~ which is a good thing.

As you can see from news reports, people wearing the masks are:
1. wearing them wrong.
2. Have the wrong masks to begin with.
3. Masks need to be replaced when needed and (not the same) one worn on a continual basis.

Also, those who are going to the ER/Doctors with *just* the sniffles because they believe they have contracted the flu... need to remember that by being paranoid and doing *just* that ~ they are (actually) more prone to getting the flu from someone who is has the flu, who IS at the ER/Doctors.

Here, in El Paso, the border (Mexican side) they are wiping down everything, cleaning all things that the pubic comes in contact with.
Shouldn't this be done (already) to begin with on a daily basis? Hmm?

Mexico has shut down business's for 5 days and schools are closed.
I agree with the closing of such (to a degree)... because it does lessen the capability of the flu to travel to person to person.

Will all this lead to closing the borders?
I don't think so, but, if the public demands it, then it will probably happen. ~ If this does happen,. it will because of PANIC

Here people are now hoarding medical supplies such as masks, gloves, and Temaflu.
When they know that one should only take the prescribed medication (ONLY) when one has been actually diagnosed with the swine flu and its not to be used as a preventative measure, because that will make one less immune to it.

There's (already) been false ALERT Text's being sent to people's phones stating that confirmed cases of the SF have been reported, and that people have already died.
This is just (pure) nonsense and unneeded scare tactics making people panic.

Does this sound like a panic? In a way - yes.

Washing the hands, using common-sense, observing the situation and understanding it, is what is needed right now.

and that's what I am doing.

I live in the first US city that had the first US Swine Flu death. So I'm worried. I'm taking precautions to stay out of the general public. I'm also wearing a mask when at school due to about 300 people using the same computers.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japans-1st-suspected-case-of-new-flu-virus-detected-in-17-year-old-boy

False alarm. ^^

Well, at least the virus is doing something good to wipe out some of the populations off this planet. The increase of human population during the last century have really increase to a uncountable number as human race begin to populate the earth. The health of the earth gradually decline. You know... POLLUTION! have become a real problem.

Love the Outbreak movie. And as for swine flu. Meh. Not worried. And I'm not following the news, so I've got no idea how many cases are in the UK.(5 last I heard... but that was a week or so ago)

I'm not worried but at the same time worried that I might die at a young age. LOL!

Here the swine flu have about 20 cases.. but i think this is going to pass... nothing to worry about.

I work in a big hospital in Barcelona, there we have few people with reported swine flu. Everyday life is going on normally, no one panics or wears masks... the patients got the proper treatment on time, so will get if more come with the same simptoms.

I personally don't worry at all, because it doesn't seem to be such deadly virus as they thought in the beginning.

http://www.foxcarolina.com/health/19340793/detail.html

that's what going on in my state

I am mexican and i currently live in some of the areas that have had this problem. I actually live and travel all the time between two cities that are 200 km away from each other but one has had swine flu cases while the other hasn't.

Although almost everyone here is wearing a mask and the cities at night are waaaay empty, truth is most workforce remains at work and the paranoia is slowly going down. This has affected schools and restaurants, mostly.

FACT: Many people die in mexico of regular Influenza, and these cases had been wrongly taken for Swine Flu. That triggered the alarm. Now that national and international labs have succcesfully separated the virus, we can see that unfortunately 15 people have died, and we've got 343 cases. So things are still difficult, but everyone is taking good care of themselves and hopefully in a few weeks time all this will be over.

My sincere thanks to governments in countries such as Japan and China that have sent medical equipment worth millions of dollars without being asked to. Latin-american countries such as Bolivia, Cuba and some others than decided to ban flights to Mexico and restrict contact, instead.

Real friends can be just about anywhere!

I'm wondering how severe the disease actually is...i mean in the US, it shouldn't be much of a problem...

"-Nuke Narita!"

Can I slap him? It's beyond bad humor.

Seriously, it's not like people all over the world are going to start dropping deap from tomorrow onwards due to some superbug that can spread across the world in 80 seconds. I guess memories from the bird flu and SARS has freaked everyone out, but not even the people in Central Asia and SE Asia, prepared as they are, are that freaked out.

Just eat and live healthy and that will be fine. And if swine flu does turn out to be humanity's final nail in the coffin, well, that just tells something about the path Mother NAture choose for us, doesn't it? XDDD

c'mon people, don't die on us eh! ^^

we need everyone we can get to take over the world :P

The area around here is getting serious as well...lets hope not too serious...

after Bird flu is Pig flu, then what next? Cow Flue, Dog Flu or maybe Kung Flu~~~

Well the news says it's not airborne. And most patients infected with the virus are mostly mexicans, or people who traveled recently from mexico. So I don't think this will make an impact as SARS did.

o crap we alll going to die. Nah as long as we have internet the DC family shal LIVEE.

haha, in switzerland we also have a person infected but whats worse is that the WHO (i think it was them) was transporting a vile with a sample of the swine flu on a train and somehow they dropped it and the whole train needed to be decontaminated...how do they manage to drop something like that in the first place???

I think only the older generations freak out about everything. The younger generations communicate so well these days, that they get the real spin on things, while the media that the older generation watches gets them all worked up.

Hmm... I just want my school to close. :(

Im not really concerned yet 'cos theres been no case of it here in argentina... and hopefully it stays that way...

There's been a lot of cases here already but not worried at all. The best thing to do is wash your hands.Panicking gets you no where. Besides children seem to be passing the flu more easily since they haven't built up as strong of an immune system and they are less likely to wash there hands or wash them as well.

Plus here we have a health line to call if you believe you have swine flu rather than spreading it around emergency rooms, public places or medical clinics.

Hahaha... I wonder how many people actually stated "Crap - I'm going to die a virgin"? ^^;

Eh I'm not terribly concerned I mean its not like the disease is spreading like wild fire. Any way after what happened with bird flu I'm not too worried.

At first I wasn't worried but all of a sudden I got sick. Not just some common cold or the swine flu, but a sinus infection. Any sickness now, especially one that is spreading around the world, really making people scared. The sinus infection I had was one of the worst sicknesses I've had and actually I still have it. Can't wait until I'm better.

First the recession and now this. Before it was J.E Virus, from the pigs as well. What next?? Another terrorist attack like the 11/9 incident?? I'm so worried right now...

personally I am not worried about Swine Flu at all ... but the paranoia of others worries me

I am not afraid of swine flu !!

If you get get sick you get sick.
If you die you die.
If it can't be helped then it can't be helped.
And the little blue ball will still keep on spinning.
So why worry?

For all who are like "oh its just the flu we've seen this before it happens every year calm down everyone", you see, all this panic isn't for the fact that the flu is about, but for the fact that we know nothing about it.

If it started raining pink, folks would get pretty freaked out, regardless of whether or not it's just rain.

im from mexico near usa border, guys you dont need to have panic, if you wash your hands,and have a clean habits you are safe, what happen there on mexico city is theres a lot of people a LOT and many of them cough on the air, eat street food,dont washes da hands and many other stuff but many are safe now, the medicine are effective but only if you go in time to the doc, so if you feel sick go quickly =) que esten bien amigos !!!!!!!! and plus japan is a clean country and the same for the people =)

seriously.. i really see no cause for panic other than it has no vaccine and everyone is a target. people die from the ordinary flu, and it's like something abnormnal causes soo much panic... Seriously, patient 0 did not die of it... Deaths from this influenza is not that bad, especially since summer is coming around... I be more scared of it DURING Fall.

Lets wait until the elections in July are over lol ... love the fact that now the news in Mexico are all about swine flu.. all the killing and economic crisis have disappeared XD

Damn them if they close the border to US... I buy everything in San Diego ¬¬ also need to go to Comic Con -o-

Those japanese opinions are hilarious xD

Personally, I don't really care about the flu even if there have been 26 people possibly infected here in Spain.

It's not that we souldn't be a bit worried, but the media around here are overreacting and scaring people :S

Once again these pandemic diseases remind me of the Mayan prophecies...
World coming to an end...
and stuff from manga and anime...talking about the Earth itself needs to rejuvenate itself by returning the world into equilibrium by killing off hazardous species on the planet (in this case, the humans again)

anyways...everyone take care...

Not that worried...yet

I'm flying to HK in two weeks time, then i heard this http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090502/ap_on_he_me/as_hong_kong_swine_flu

a couple of years ago, the bird flu was affecting people, and now this strain of flu a combination of the human flue, bird flu and the swine flu.... its scary

The first two known cases of this flu in my own state were two teenage boys who had visited Mexico. They both recovered normally and returned to school. It wasn't until after the lab reports came back that they were informed that their otherwise ordinary flu was the H1N1 strain. They were fine, not spreading anything and they closed their school down anyway following the report.

The only deaths are in Mexico and one in the U.S., a Mexican toddler who was brought into the U.S. already sick.

If this were a typical flu outbreak, it would be considered amazing in that it is so slow in spreading and remarkably well contained. More people die every year from more conventional influenza than this... WAY more.

And a little on Mexico and their reputation for cleanliness... be CAREFUL eating the food there. (Yes, H1N1 is not connected to food exactly) But some of the most horrific stories involves street food vendors, pork and the development of worm infestations in the patient's brain. (The worms consume the living brain matter and there are hundreds of them so there is no surgical solution nor any chemical nor radiological treatment for the problem at this time. The prognosis of all such cases are slow death.)

This flu thing is probably just as much of an over-reaction as SARS was.

I'm not afraid... Maybe because its a long way from Mexico to Poland... there is no reason to panic... like with H5N1 ... same situation...

I'm actually glad this isn't full or racist comments.
Recently Mexicans have been the center of a lot of humilliation worldwide and this is what we deserve the least, since we are doing all that is in our hands to stop this potential (but not lethal) epidemic.
Actually this is more of a Paranoia Epidemic IMO, as long as you turn yourself to the healthcare service in time, you will be absolutely fine

The plagues written in the Bible are somewhat happening..

Hmm..maybe should stop eating Mc Pork tomorrow.

Where's the cute animal video O_O

This whole thing has got me think bad thoughts, here they are......

Sifilis > Sheep and...........well !?!
AIDS > Monkeys and..................!?!
Bird Flu > Chickens[?] and.............. !?!
SwineFlu >............................................!?!

It had to be said! And I'm sick enough to say it.

I'm really sorry but, ya'know..................................

Even some schools in my area were closed down because of staff having the virus.

Crap - I'm going to die a virgin!

I've already caught it. Diagnosed myself early the first day of symptom onset and prescribed myself zanamivir. Second day and symptoms are nearly gone. Much more effective than I thought. Honestly, I didn't do a viral culture, so I can't be sure it's H1N1, but hey it's an immanent pandemic so it could be.

"Let's the game begin" - lol , all the responses are worthy of lol

I'm not really concerned about it. As long as I wash my hands and do other basic hygiene, I'm sure I will be safe. And if I really caught something it can be cured with some medicaments.

when you got it... you'll die and after 3 second you'll turn into zombie and initiate the evil plan to wander around and crave for fresh flesh of living oink oink... don't worry, when you see infected people... just shoot them on the head using Barrett M82A1 or beat them using your asian kung-fu WHAACHAA!

OH LOL AT SOME OF THOSE THOUGHTS !!! HHHHAH XD HAHA
-Nuke Narita!
-Crap - I'm going to die a virgin.
-Let the game begin.
THOSE THREE ARE SOO FUNNY!! XD HAHAAH =3
sorry but im not worried at all about the swine flu =3

all this talk about the flu is all ov3r the place and i mean all ov3r the place.

I am not worried.
But they did give me a mask before I, and all the other passengers on UAL 881 got off the airplane at Narita today. I'll wear it.

I think the swine-flu thing is being blown out of proportion by the media. I'm not bothered about it at all.

The nation is already under black alert. which means that as a preventive measure, all pigs infected with the flu must be shot down, 65% of the national education system will be shut off, 5% of all major airports, as well as marine ports, train stations, subway lines, and other means of intra-prefectural transit will be closed, meat production will be halted, and all persons consuming meat of all kind that isn't "well done" will get fined, imprisoned, under quarantine, and in a very rare chance...shot down

This was interesting. I also blogged about the Swine Flu in Japan, titled "The Flu comes to Narita". Check it out on my website if interested.

It was shocking how much stocks for companies that sold masks shot up in Japan...Also, it's funny that America wasn't really seen as a "safe haven", and instead companies were trying to fly families and sometimes the employees themselves home to Japan.

oh god SARS lol now this 0_o ppl need to calm the hell down

Every time they talk about swine flu on the news i generally think the stock market rises, But when they stop talk about the swine flu the stock market goes to the negative side ?

http://www.talkswineflu.com/

well swine flu doesn't stop us otaku right!!!! WEll...

I Actually HAD Swine Flu, it's not as bad as everybody says it is.

this swine flu is making me sick @.@ they keep giving things in the news about and my parents have to sign a paper in my school so we can have flu shots -_- T_T <--------- is scared of shots and needles

about it*