I adopt a wait and see attitude. I am not concerned for myself and mine until this flu starts taking out otherwise healthy well-nourished people. THEN I will worry.

I'm a hypocondriac (self-diagnosed) so I am freaking out already. I'm not a germophob whatsoever, I'm pretty much the other extreme, so I didn't own a lot of anti-baterial supplies, until  yesterday. (I'm aware it's a virus, so antibaterial stuff will do nothing except act like a placebo).

apparently, the 'canadian strain' is very mild, so i'm pretty confident that even if i do contract it, i'm healthy enough to beat it pretty handily.

 I also found those antibacterial cleansers, with all their alcohol, dry out my skin horribly.

Try the ones that have aloe vera in them.  They're not too bad.  We've been sick with flu symptoms since last Thursday and had everything except the fever. Weird timing!  Have started amping up my emergency supplies and food stores as a precaution.  If I see a spike in cases in the next few days I'll know I'm on the right track.  I figure worse case scenario, I might be off work with the kids for a few weeks while things blow over.

I live in Mexico. The media is nuts in North America.

I also know that flu symtoms can be treated. I am not worried about catching it...and if I do I will make sure I get treated. So far, all cases in developed areas are mild, which to me says that it is getting treated properly or people are healthy enough to fight it. In Mexico, where the deaths occured (minus the one in the states) people do not have regular access to reliable health care, don't have the money for it, and do the not have the health to fight it off either. This is a country that is still in need of a lot of things.
Also, the earliest cases of these probably did not realize that it was that big of  an issue, until after it was too late. Who knew that it was life threatening?

I realize it could get very scary...but I also realize that it is treated for the symptoms.
I'm going to wash my hands regularily (like i always do), wash my fruit or any other food that i eat the surface of, and make sure i go to the doctor if i develop symptoms worse than a cough.

 On CBC radio yesterday they were saying that the biggest worry is the unknown. We ARE due for a pandemic, they go in cycles.

There is also no vaccine developed for it  yet.  The last swine flu vaccine ended up killing people instead. BIG OOOPS.  The swine flu bears watching because flus tend to mutate and that is part of the problem. This particular flu also tends to hit people with severe pneumonia and other bacterial infections.

I have to fly to Vancouver next week for a day of appointments due to Baby, and asked my doctor today if I should wear a mask on the plane or would I just look like a dork. She replied  "You'd just look like a dork".   She went on further to say that it is good to be thinking of these things and being aware of them but not getting all freaked out.

I understand people's concern and I myself am being careful. Trying to maintain my health and washing my hands well and more often. Going through the usual flu season routine ... and will small children I would be worried about their health just because their immune systems are not as strong as an adults.

I personally think that caution is a good thing to have, but I also think that stress is not. Stress simply makes you more likely to get sick...as your body is not in peak condition. The cases in Canada and the States are mild...meaning at this point most of us could probably fight it off with some extra vitamins and hand sanitizer.

All that being said, if someone gets sick I do not agree with just staying home and hoping it goes away quickly. I still think that getting to a doctor and making sure you take the right steps before it turns itself into pnemonia or something of the like.
I dont know. It is cause for caution, but the media is simply fear-mongering as usual.

Tis amazing what universe gives us, the endlesss bounty and opportunities. universe is shouting "You don't have enough time to be bored!"

The Good News, as of last Friday: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFlu/story?id=7477216&page=1

Also, when watching the media, be aware of their bias and limitations -- my places of Authority for getting info on the swine flu is the Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Some of the things that amaze me:

o for the first time in our recorded history, we'll be able to watch a pandemic in real time, which will mean better data so as to be able to 'deal' with future eventualities;

o we are much better off than in 1918. More of the world's population's poor live lives better than the Kings and Queens of old. Now comes the part where EVERYONE gets the same basic standard of living.

How very Canadian :3

"Excuse me, may I infect you? I need a home. I promise I won't be much of a bother. Maybe a little runny nose...I'll make you want to pamper yourself more." 

Captain Trips for Emperor,

Inannawhimsey

 heehee

lol Inanna - :)

My cousin lives in Mexico city with her baby - they have money, access to health care and so on, but she was worried, because so many people do not.  She was considering heading out of town for a few days to her in-laws.  In one way, we can relax- there are 22mil people in Mexico City (22Million!!) and a couple of hundred are sick - hardly a drop in the bucket.  However, it is crowded, sanitation & health care are not reliable, and 1 person can easily infect many others quickly.  So, good reason for caution, but also good for common sense.

I can't see there being much worry here in Canada.    Last month, my friends' 8 year old boy landed in the hospital for 4 days with dehydration from the flu.  It was not H1N1, it was just whatever was making the rounds.  I'm not sure H1N1 is a bad flu, just new.

All right, I have a question about this whole swine flu thing.

What is about this particular strain of flu that fills so many people with fear?  Every year, there are different strains of influenza that spread across the globe, all of which result in deaths.  So far, I don't see that this strain of influenza is any different than any other strain that occurs any other year.

But I am admittedly no expert on virology or immunology.  Could someone please enlighten me?