An electron microscope image shows an H1N1 swine flu virus culture obtained from a California patient suffering from the current international outbreak. (U.S. Centres for Disease Control)

The A(H1N1) flu that recently gripped the world has seemed to stabilise at a high but wary Level 5 by WHO as the number of cases soared above 1,000 people worldwide. In Hong Kong, one man who was confirmed to have it has caused the entire Metropark hotel and others who have been in contact with him to be quarantined. After the SARS scare, Hong Kong is certainly taking no chances.

However, on the world front, it appears that the hype over the flu has died down a little. It has been taken off the main headlines of CNN to make way for more news on the Iraq-Afghanistan war. And now, in the wake of extreme measures taken by countries all over the world and despite an imminent Level 6 alert by WHO, many are starting to question if people had over-reacted.

Is the A(H1N1) flu a real pandemic? Read on below for your fluffy guide to the dreaded flu and if there is real cause for hysteria.

A(H1N1) aka Flu Swine Flu

WHO recently announced that the swine flu should now be called A(H1N1) to avoid unnecessary prejudice towards pork and to protect pig farms from the sudden drop in demand. It was originally termed swine flu because the H1N1 virus is commonly found in pigs but was recently found in humans.

It is very important to remember that the flu CANNOT be spread through the consumption of pork. So, before you turn away that delicious looking pork chop, remember that the flu cannot be spread by eating pork!

Will The Swine Flu Cause A Pandemic?

A pandemic is widespread infection of a disease across a large region to large populations. While the swine flu has manifested in many countries, it tends to be isolated cases rather than widespread infection, for now. It was also discovered that the main killer in the widespread Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 which killed 50 to 100 million people was strep infections for which the world is now prepared against (source).

From a medical standpoint, what does raising the alert levels mean? It now means that governments can freely vaccinate people against the flu. Is that a good thing?

While vaccinations are good, it is important to remember that new vaccines are often not tested or have not been monitored long enough for their side effects to be examined. In fact, the vaccine against bird flu, Tamiflu was found to have adverse side effects reported which included nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, headaches and coughs. Worse, swine flu vaccines administered in 1976 caused several hundred people to develop crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome which resulted in paraplegics for some (source).

So before you run out to get that flu vaccination, hold on and ask yourself if it might be necessary at this stage.

Should You Be Scared Of The Swine Flu? 

In the US, they are starting to discover that the H1N1 flu might not be much stronger than a regular flu.

“What the epidemiologists are seeing now with this particular strain of U.N. is that the severity of the disease, the severity of the flu — how sick you get — is not stronger than regular seasonal flu,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday (source)

If your immunity levels are low and you do not seek medical treatment, the seasonal flu can result in “hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations” and roughly 35,000 fatalities each year in the United States (source). 

So, be cautious but don’t panic and keep your head around you.

Precautions Against The Flu

However, it is still good to continue to take precautions to avoid getting the flu with these flu prevention tips. Do take your vitamins, exercise and get enough rest to build your immunity levels and reduce your risk of contracting infectious diseases.

Finally, enjoy this little touch of humour! :)   

Disclaimer: This opinions and thoughts above are purely personal and the writer does not have any medical experience. Hence, they should not be misconstrued to have any medical backing.