Swine flu over-hyped?

Swine flu in my opinion is over-hyped and over exaggerated. Is it some kind of a fashion to wear a mask these days or are people really scared of the disease? Millions die every year of HIV AIDS but nobody bothers to stop indulging in sexual activities and use condoms in the act but few hundreds die from swine flu and everybody wears mask in the public places.

Initially it was the media that created all the hype. They always say ‘do not panic’ but the panic was caused by them only. The fear was too much in the beginning and the disease was declared pandemic because it caused hundreds of death all around the world but the fear has gradually died down. Although you still find few people on the streets of Thimphu wearing masks but sometimes I feel people are doing it as an essence of style. There’s hardly anyone with swine flu in Bhutan so I have a reason to believe there’s no need to fear.

There was no death that happened from the swine flu alone. People die because they were already infected with some other disease when they got swine flu. Their body was already weakened by the other diseases prior to the flu. Swine flu (commonly called H1N1), is not much different from the common flu and it will not kill anybody as long as your antibodies are up and running; as long as your immune system is strong and functioning.

I just wish people fear AIDS more than swine flu because it’s the HIV that kills more. It’s good to be prepared and ready to face the disease but I see no reason to exaggerate it so much and create more panic among the people unnecessarily.