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As a nation, we haven’t had to worry about a major flu outbreak for many years. Swine Flu made an appearance about 30 years ago, but didn’t do the damage that many people thought it would. At times in our history, a flu epidemic has caused large death counts but Americans today aren’t very worried about a repeat. We keep hearing that another big flu is on its way, but is the swine flu the one we all have to worry about? Our medical care is far better today than it was during great epidemics of the past, but as of right now there is no vaccine for this particular strain. The symptoms of swine flu are exactly the same as every other flu; lack of energy accompanied by a slight fever. Some people have stomach problems along with diarrhea and various other discomforts. Unfortunately there really isn’t a way to tell the difference between this flu or any other, so once you’re infected you won’t know if it’s swine flu or not. The flu and a cold feel very much alike, but the fever only comes with the flu so you know you have the flu if you have a high temperature. If you do start to display symptoms; bed rest and plenty of fluids are the best remedy. The good news about the swine flu is that it isn’t very dangerous. Many people die from the regular flu every year, but those in danger already have some sort of health problem. Infants with underdeveloped immune systems, the elderly and people with other health difficulties are the most at risk. Fewer people die from this flu strain than every other strain that we see on a yearly basis. All the things we normally do to fight the regular flu also work with this strain; like bed rest and flu medication. Now for the bad news; the majority of the population has no immunity to this strain because it hasn’t circulated in so long. The World Health Organization believes that once this strain has run its course, almost 2 billion people world wide will have caught it. Nearly 1/3 of earth’s entire population will have to deal with the effects of this flu as it spreads from person to person across the entire world. There is a vaccine in the works right now that still needs to go through human trials and the side effects examined, but it won’t be ready for use until most of the damage has already been done. Nevertheless, our government will spend billions of dollars developing this vaccine for future use. We all have a one in three chance of catching this strain, but the danger of getting it isn’t any greater than catching a regular flu was before. Once we get through this flu season, swine flu will again disappear for a generation and we can all breath a sigh of relief. Life throws many curves at us, but having a good discount plan like Ameriplan or good health insurance will help to ease the mind. I hate getting sick and I don’t know anyone who is anxious to go through this, but it would appear that we don’t have any choice. The good thing about events like this is that they bring us together as a single force, and give us a reason to band together and rely on each other.
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