Remember Swine Flu?

[rabidmidget]

How could I forget it?

People completely mixed up caution and fear, "it could be the next spanish flu" turned into "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE, JUST LIKE THAT HANDFUL OF FRAIL PEOPLE WITH NO ACCESS TO PROPER MEDICAL TREATMENT!"

 

[Xanadu84]

People rarely see the swine flu for what it is.

The Swine Flu was nasty strain of flu, but still just a flu. It causes something called a Cytokine Storm. Being afraid of something called a CYTOKINE STORM is absolutely legitimate, as it sounds like a mutant power. Now on one hand, it wasn't cause for massive alarm. Seasonal Flu kills way more people, and the media blew it out of proportion. But on the other, the Swine Flu is extremely similar to the flu outbreak in 1918, the Spanish Flu, that infected 1/3 of the worlds population, and killed about 3% of it, one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. Overall, it's better to be safe then sorry, and it's better to laugh about it later then risk that many lives. As it was, most of us, likely being healthy 15-35 males, can afford to scoff at the Swine Flu, because it presented minimal risk to us. But people with kids, or with comprimised or weak respiratory systems, or newborns, had reason to be more afraid of Swine then the normal flu. It was a legitimate health concern that was handled appropriately, but people seem to want to look at it in black and white, as either the end of civilization, or a complete joke.

 

[Communist partisan]

I really didin't care about it and I didin't want to take the shot beacose I'm too afraid of needles but i was forced

 

[Snotnarok]

No, now don't bring it up again god dammit! :|

 

[Doclector]

I remember incredibly stupid people freaking out when I said I had pork ribs last night XD

 

[ddon]

The what? I am sorry good sir sir but this flu of the swine probably was little more then an ordinary cold. Really, why was everyone so worried? It killed a few people, so what? It only made me very tired. Some people die from falling down stairs but they are not banned from the country so why should we care about it so much?

 

[Shim]

http://doihaveswineflu.org/

I first saw this back when Swine Flu was in full swing, and I still crack up when I see this.

 

[theironbat46]

Yes I remember it. I didn't get the dreaded swine flu, but a friend told me it was no worse than normal flu, seeing this topic got me to root around the newspapers to see what they were saying at the time.

For example, the Daily Star ran with the headline 'PIG FLU STRIKES TWO BRITS', prompting them to say 750,000 people could die from it. *facepalm*

Then again I wouldn't touch the Daily Star with a 10-foot barge pole because of the amount of crap they put out. Other papers were just as bad, running with headlines like 'The whole of humanity is under threat' *massive facepalm resulting in falling of my chair*

That's probably why they are all going out of business! You get it, because newspapers are going out of business because of the internet. And they reported on the swine flu. So the flu killed them. ZING!

 

[assassinslover]

I remember one of my friends in my English class ended up getting it, and then I thought I had it since another friend and I looked up the symptoms and I had several (it ended up being appendicitis).

I also remember not being all that concerned about it. I didn't bother getting the vaccine (since I lean more towards the 'my immune system needs germs to practice on so it can fight germs') and to me all it really was was a regular flu that was just a bit nastier.

 

[The Stonker]

I do love fear.
It's such a pleasant tool and it can be used to spread panic.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I remember the Swine Flu Fear, and I remember getting a shot for it. I also remember getting shots for other things within the same month because of Swine Flu.

But whatever. Better Safe then Sorry you know?

 

[HyenaThePirate]

The only thing I remember from the whole Swine Flu craze is:

Spoiler

HAHA I remember that.
I also remember that video of the girl that took the vaccine that was a cheerleader or something that suddenly got all jacked up due to some sort of 'side effect'... then was busted a few months later for having faked it all.

Sadly though, the only thing I remember really is that video of her set to that song "walk it out". I'm still convinced I'm going to hell for laughing at that...

 

[Dr.Acula]

Well I wasn't very lucky,was one of the first in my town to get it. I was in hospital for 3 days with 40°C fever,nothing I'll be forgetting.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

Wasn't the major concern the avian-swine combination? Since swine flu is barely harmful and avian flu is barely contagious.

 

[Jack Nettle]

People just wanted something to be afraid of.
Why?
Boredom? Stupidity? At this point I've given up on North American society.

 

[demoman_chaos]

Something amusing, there was also a "major swine flu epidemic" in the 1970's. The thing that caused the most deaths was the vaccine itself had potentially lethal levels of mercury in it.
Scarier thing is they didn't change the vaccine at all, the modern one also had potentially lethal levels of mercury in it.

 

[Simalacrum]

Yeaaaaah I presumed it would be just like Bird Flu - scared people for a bit, then everyone forgets about it cause they realise it kills not even close to as many people as regular flu.

Coincidentally, does anybody remember Bird Flu?

 

[Peteron]

The same thing as any other flu, only problem as there was no created vaccine at the time. I never got one. I am fine, but it would have been cool to have a sick day. : /

 

[CobraX]

Swine Flu was a joke, it wasn't dangerous. The End.

*Rolls TV Show Credits*