I just plan on staying away from pigs.

avoid the cops

The global population needs thinning out anyway...

Cool, Cat Scratch Fever, one of Ted Nugent's best.

I agree with Alderian. If there is going to be a global epidemic, there's nothing I as an individual can do about it at this time, so why worry unnecessarily. I prefer to worry about things I can do something about.

I'd buy a gas mask if I was in a country that it was a major issue for. I mean /major/.

And by that I mean Mexico.

I'm not worried. First of all because if it is something to worry about, there isn't anything that I can do about it at this time, so why worry? I'll let the experts worry for now. Secondly, I seem to remember a bird flu craze a year or two back. What's next? Turtle Boils? Cow Cold? Cat Scratch Fever? Chicken Pox?

Remember 2003 SARS?

I just plan on staying away from pigs.

I don't think you ever actually come close to live pigs (or dead ones which do not take the form of butcher's meat) anyway.

avoid the cops

Yeah. You'd do that anyway.

The global population needs thinning out anyway...

Why not you first?

Cool, Cat Scratch Fever, one of Ted Nugent's best.

I agree with Alderian. If there is going to be a global epidemic, there's nothing I as an individual can do about it at this time, so why worry unnecessarily. I prefer to worry about things I can do something about.

Actually you can do things. For example, stock up on face masks and remind yourself to wash your hands frequently, not go to work or school if you are ill, etc etc. They're mentioned every time there seems to be a pandemic coming, but they do help a lot.

I'd buy a gas mask if I was in a country that it was a major issue for. I mean /major/.

Absurd. Gas masks are for biological weapons like sarin, not pandemics. The most you'd need unless you were a soldier clearing up a plagued community would be a face mask, N95 grade if necessary.

And by that I mean Mexico.

You don't live in Mexico. And you probably won't dare to go there now.

most people that come down with it recover completely. and yes, there are things you can do, so be careful, but dont get an ulcer worrying over it. thats what i say

Sarin is a chemical weapon...not a biological one.

Don't worry, just eat some cinnamon toast!!

http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout4.php&id=5884&blz=1

Seriously - hand washing, and a face mask if you're in Mexico. THat's really all you can/need to do.

And if you do get sick, fluids, rest and stay away from other people. Keep babies, older folds, and people with compromised immune systems away from crowds. That's about all you need to do.

*folks*

"older folds" Is that what you can a well-endowed male porn star when he goes into retirement?

The things they suggest you do are all the things you should have been doing already. I'd be worried if someone from my work came down with it after a trip.

Frankly the U.S. culture (of which I'm part) is too reactionary. People should live life properly and sensibly to start with rather than overreacting to everything that comes along.

"People should live life properly and sensibly to start with rather than overreacting to everything that comes along."

Agreed, but I think the media has a lot to do with that.

i'm still more worried about aids :-( i'm always scared of oral sex with a new partner

Fidelity in marriage is a great way to reduce that risk (HIV/AIDS).

I work in mexico. Live in texas. Everyone here is wearing masks. But there is a lot os skepticism about if it really exists. Or exists to the degree they warn about. For example, why has nobody died except in mexico city. The deaths were the initial outbreak. There has been no interviews with the families or identification of the people dead. No families in quarentine.

And they timestamp Obama's visit with Felipe Calderon the day before the outbreak and associating it as distraction against the bad economies. And Mexico was chosen due to high tourism.

Ah, love a good conspiracy theory.

Haha ag7433, that's a side I didn't think I'd hear here.

I'm not worried yet. I'll take it more seriously when it does become more serious. That said, will masks and handwashing really prevent you from getting sick if you live and work in close quarters with people in an urban environment? It seems to me the simplest way to not die of a pandemic is to move out of the city.

Just like the avian flu, this was drummed up by the pork industry because they couldn't make sales quotas. Instead of jackin-up prices, they use fear as a market deterrent.

Would *all* Pork industries suffer? I don't understand your reasoning Onar.

*Wouldn't

I am more annoyed than worried, because the swine promised me support into Belgium.

the eu has decided not to call it swine flu anymore, because we love eating pork

I'm just surprised no one else posted a link to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBoLA_BQ4tU

"Just like the avian flu, this was drummed up by the pork industry because they couldn't make sales quotas. Instead of jackin-up prices, they use fear as a market deterrent."

Come on, now. Not only does that not make sense from a marketing standpoint, there's no denying that swine flu does exist and does kill some people. The media might hype it a bit for ratings, but certainly not evil Big Pork.

Did beef companies drum up mad cow disease because they couldn't make quotas? What you're saying is absurd. I really hope you're joking, Onar.

Remember the 1918 flu killed more people than WWI. You do not get swine flu from pigs, at least not the 4 legged kind, and pork is safe to eat.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090429/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu
America's first death.
I live in pennsylvania and both Ohio and New York have confirmed cases of the flu. New York having hundreds of people sick with it.

I'm in Kentucky and both Ohio and Indiana have confirmed cases. Worse yet, I'm 5 miles from the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), I work in downtown Cincinnati, and I take the bus to and from work everyday. I'm just asking for the next big pandemic to hit me. :-)