Bloggers debate severity of H1N1

In recent years it seems there is always a "next epidemic" identified by scientists as being poised to sweep across the world and cause millions of deaths, and at least up to now, all of these predictions have proven to be overblown.

Avian flu and SARS were two recent scares that have yet to amount to a serious threat, so it was easy to be jaded when swine flu came along, especially since there had been a previous swine flu scare in the 1970s that didn't pan out.

But with two Naperville residents having already died from causes related to the H1N1 flu this year, and St. Charles East High School having to close down with more than 900 students sick, it has become apparent that there is something more to the current flu scare.

With that in mind, The Sun asked readers of its Potluck Blog if they are more worried about the flu now than a few months ago, and whether they plan to get the vaccination. Here are some of their responses.

"I was extremely concerned about this from the very beginning and I still am. I believe the border should have been closed with Mexico when this first surfaced. Whenever 'they' get the vaccinations ready, I'll try to get one." -- Barb

"Somewhat. So far there have been some underlying conditions revealed eventually in each person who has died. That being said, I will not be going to the get-together I was invited at my friend's in St. Charles tomorrow, since her son is a student at SCE. I volunteer with a program for Down syndrome children, kids who often do have some heart issues. So I am not going to take the chance of being exposed and possibly carrying it there. It's one thing to be randomly exposed, but quite another to walk into a situation where the likelihood increases significantly." -- Anonymous

"Yes, the swine flu is real and really does go after your lungs. Yes, I do plan to get vaccinated and get my kids vaccinated. Unfortunately, the U.S. is having a rerun of the Hillary Care demo when all of the children's vaccines were purchased by the feds and sat rotting in a warehouse just like the Soviet Union. Today, the feds are not releasing the vaccine to doctors because 'they can't be trusted with it.' The feds are rationing distribution. Instead the feds are forcing you to go to the county health office so you can experience the benefits of big government control and efficiency." -- Anonymous

"As far as doctors not getting vaccines and not giving vaccines, I have heard for a long time that there is no money in it and they prefer to hand it off to clinic care areas. Now, this may be very different for H1N1 distribution, as it's been such a short time frame to develop this vaccine, but I don't think we can put all the blame on vaccines not being given by doctors on the government." -- Anonymous

"Well now that we have at least one confirmed case at my school and I have possibly a student with it as her sister was confirmed so far it is hitting closer to home and making me a bit worried. Another thing that concerns me is if you go to the CDC site, on the right side it says they only keep track of cases confirmed in ERs. If you go to your general practitioner and get tested those are not counted. This means the total numbers are likely much higher than what is being reported in the media. That concerns me." -- One Who Values You

"Once again, the media has made this into a much more frightening scenario than it really is. Yes, the flu is real. Yes, it will probably reach pandemic proportions. However, for the vast majority of those who become infected the effects won't be any worse than the seasonal flu. You'll feel lousy for a few days and then you'll get better. During last year's media freakout about H1N1 they (in most cases) failed to report that the 'normal' seasonal flu kills more than 35,000 people every year. As with H1N1, the majority of those who perish have other serious underlying health issues. The bottom line is, people should be a little more concerned about the regular seasonal flu, rather than simply dismissing it as 'cold and flu season.' Swine flu shouldn't be any more of a concern for most people. It's not some super disease that kills the majority of those it infects. It's just another strain of flu." -- Just The Facts

What do you think? Join the conversation at www.napersun.com/potluck .