Utility Bar

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

  • RSS
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Google +
  • Goodreads
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • About
    • Bio
    • FAQ
  • Speaking
  • Pet Expert
  • Writing
  • Books
    • All Dogs Go to Kevin
    • Press
  • Blog
    • Picks of the Litter
    • Popular Posts
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Daily Life / So, about this whole swine flu thing…

So, about this whole swine flu thing…

May 1, 2009 by Dr. V

Am I the only person not freaking out about this? No?

Must be a slow news week, because hoo boy, are the media outlets going crazy over this or what? It’s the flu, it is unpleasant, but so far it doesn’t seem to be any worse than any other kind of flu we have seen lately. A lot of the naysayers are ominously talking about the winter, and the Great Pandemic of 1918, but there’s a lot of months between now and then for us to be run over by buses, electrocuted, hit by errant meteors, and all sorts of other nasty things that it hardly seems worth this effort to be so worried, at least for now. It’s a flu, no better or worse than the standard flu, that you need to take precautions with that you should have been doing anyway when there is flu floating around.

The CDC website finally got around to changing their title from “swine flu” to “H1N1 flu” (though it is much harder to say and I’m sure that ship has long sailed on how it’s going to be referred to by most of us), but they aren’t taking a very strong stand on its actual origins from a pig. The American Veterinary Medical Association is taking a stronger stance on the issue: you won’t get it from eating pork. As a matter of fact, no one has actually been able to find a pig who has this version of the flu. Leave the pigs alone! Poor pigs!

And now Egypt, who hasn’t even had a confirmed case of the swine flu, is ordering the slaughter of every pig in the country? Is there no end to the pig persecution here? Note to Egypt: as far as any infectious disease specialist in the world can tell you right now, you get it from people.

Look at the horrifying statistics so far: The number of deaths in the United States…..ready?

One.

I’m not trying to minimize things here- the potential is certainly scary- but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here either. I spent two days this week curled up in a ball from some sort of nasty GI bug that I’m sure was not swine flu, but when my dehydrated, vomiting 4 year old had to go to the ER this weekend we had to spend hours waiting behind every bloke with a cough who was sure it was.

For comparison, about 115 people a day die in the US from car crashes. So buckle your seatbelt, wash your hands, and eat some bacon. Actually, scratch that. Don’t eat bacon- not because you’ll get swine flu, but because about 1000 people die from heart attacks a day. Swine flu is about the least of my worries right now.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Daily Life Tagged With: News

Primary Sidebar

Picks of the Litter

Popular Posts

  • Much Love to the Cat Guys
    Much Love to the Cat Guys
  • Painting the Roses Red
    Painting the Roses Red
  • Guest Post: The Cat’s Guide to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse
    Guest Post: The Cat’s Guide to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse
  • Pudgy pups strike again- why the story of Obie bothers me
    Pudgy pups strike again- why the story of Obie bothers me
  • Flash Mountain
    Flash Mountain
  • Minimizing the Stress of Euthanasia
    Minimizing the Stress of Euthanasia
  • World's Most Adorable Degenerate Produce
    World's Most Adorable Degenerate Produce
  • Is It OK To Text a Vet Friend For Free Advice?
    Is It OK To Text a Vet Friend For Free Advice?

Posts by Topic

Posts by Date

Footer

On Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

On Facebook

On Pinterest

  • Game of Thrones Houses
  • Is It OK To Text a Vet Friend For Free Advice? – Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V
  • How Not To Kill Your Cat This Easter
  • Infographic: "42 Funeral and Burial Rituals from Around the World"
  • Throwing a dog friendly Bark Party is the best way to meet new neighbors! Check out my tips for a successful dog meet-up and giveaway, sponsored by @StateFarm!
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • PR, Giveaways, and Brands
  • © Copyright 2009-2025 Pawcurious, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
  • Web Design by Moxie Design Studios
Scroll Up