Swine flu

[cjsmith]

My information about the swine flu situation comes from two sources:

1) the WHO web site and the people who link to it

2) LJ and Facebook people going AAAAAAH NOBODY PANIC! STOP PANICKING! SERIOUSLY, CUT IT OUT RIGHT NOW!

Has anybody seen anybody panicking? The news may be full of stories describing panic; note the total lack of traditional news media in my info list above. Has anyone here seen or talked to someone who was off their nut about it?

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's hard to know whether to read those as people panicking, organizations covering themselves, or measures designed to keep the people who are panicking from getting worse. The high school that's closed, is that the one where that 16-year-old girl (I don't know the name - the first confirmed case in Sta Clara County) goes to school? I can see *those* school officials having to cover their fundaments big time.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Branham High School is the one that closed.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Right; is that where she goes to school?

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

No clue. Just know that it was Branham that closed, apparently due to a reported case.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Yes. The girl with the flu in Santa Clara County attends Branham HIgh. So far, the only schools in California that have closed are ones with confirmed or probable cases of swine flu present in members of their student bodies.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had guessed at that connection, but had found nothing to back up my guess.

Or it could be option D.

[kateyule.livejournal.com]

...hard to know whether to read those as people panicking, organizations covering themselves, or...

No. Those examples are not what panic looks like. A school that has a confirmed case, closing to minimize/contain further spread? Rational & sane. The phone call? Use of hand sani at a day care? On West Wing, that's what they would call a "proportionate response". Evacuating the building because somebody sneezed, that would be panic.

I bought decongestant, kleenex, rubbing alcohol, etc. etc. today, but primarily because tomorrow is MayDay, i.e. routine time to check our emergency food supplies and our Flu Kit. The latter was inspired in 2006 by this post over here (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/007169.html) on Making Light.

Re: Or it could be option D.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've decided that 99% of this DON'T PANIC stuff I'm seeing is attributable to one man's panic = another man's prep. Some see me as a worrywart because I have earthquake supplies, for example. I'm just surprised at how vocal that contingent is.