This is not a good time to catch the flu, what with the H1N1 (aka swine flu) scare. I don't know when but it seems like the flu has become a lethal disease, at least that's what it sounds like from the people around me.
I flew back from Taiwan and shortly after found myself burning up with a fever of about 100 degrees F (that's about 37.8 C for us normal people). It started innocently enough. I was feeling flushed for a couple of days then all of a sudden found myself feverish and bedridden with a splitting headache that would not let up. I usually sleep it off, as I dislike going to the doctors and/or taking medication for something as mild as a headache. However, at M's insistence, we went to see urgent care on Labor Day. The doc was a lot more concerned about my complaints of neck pain, fearing it may be meningitis, than about the flu itself. I asked the doc when should I start being concerned, and his response was basically "you have to be a lot worse and for a lot more days" to be concerned. The truth is, medical experts probably don't even care to screen you for H1N1 unless you're dying or dead and they need it for cause of death. Treatment at this point is just a shot of that Tamiflu crap which supposedly works or doesn't work with all kinds of flu.
So what is this deal with the flu? I don't think there's as much media attention here now as it was in the past days, but back in Taiwan, the news still rages everyday about this H1N1 that supposedly kills everything in its path. New reports of death were coming out everyday and it seemed like a pandemic was in progress. However, when you take into account of the Taiwanese penchant for paranoia (and the inability to distinguish the terminology for common cold and the flu), and that TV in Taiwan is more about creating (and I mean CREATING) headlines than the spread of information, you'll understand why I felt peeved that so many around me announced me dead with the flu.
Come on, people. Do you even know what is so special about the H1N1? I don't. The WHO reports about a 0.1% death rate worldwide, but that's just for confirmed cases; unreported cases of H1N1 must be through the roof given its similarity to other types of flu which we see every freaking year. Knock on wood, but I like my chances better than a good number of the decrepit out there. The reason authorities are on the look out for the H1N1 is because it apparently spreads faster and kills a bit more (2~3 times) than normal flus, which are ingredients for a high number of deaths should it spread like crazy. But really what does that mean for the individual? Think about it. A disease is scary if it kills 0.1% of the people if it infects a lot of people. But for the individual, all you have to care about is that 0.1%, not to mention that 0.1% is merely an average, and if you're in good shape and health, the probability of you dying from this disease is MUCH lower.
So why can't I just be sick with the flu and be done with it? I came out of my fever after about 5 days, which, granted, is longer than it normally is for me. At this point it doesn't matter any more what kind of flu I caught, but when I told my mom about this she was still scared for my life! "Did you have the H1N1?" I mean, come on, so what if I did? I don't even have my stupid fever anymore. This crap is just blown out of proportion. I'm not saying that H1N1 is so weak you should go around and lick other people's mucous, no; it's always good to keep good sanitary habits. But really, before we start spraying our homes down with bleach every other hour, or scream like a girl and run every time someone sneezes or coughs around you, take some time to understand what you're dealing with and realize that fear does not keep the virus away.
And I am alive and well, stop telling me that I should be dead with the H1N1. Geez.
I flew back from Taiwan and shortly after found myself burning up with a fever of about 100 degrees F (that's about 37.8 C for us normal people). It started innocently enough. I was feeling flushed for a couple of days then all of a sudden found myself feverish and bedridden with a splitting headache that would not let up. I usually sleep it off, as I dislike going to the doctors and/or taking medication for something as mild as a headache. However, at M's insistence, we went to see urgent care on Labor Day. The doc was a lot more concerned about my complaints of neck pain, fearing it may be meningitis, than about the flu itself. I asked the doc when should I start being concerned, and his response was basically "you have to be a lot worse and for a lot more days" to be concerned. The truth is, medical experts probably don't even care to screen you for H1N1 unless you're dying or dead and they need it for cause of death. Treatment at this point is just a shot of that Tamiflu crap which supposedly works or doesn't work with all kinds of flu.
So what is this deal with the flu? I don't think there's as much media attention here now as it was in the past days, but back in Taiwan, the news still rages everyday about this H1N1 that supposedly kills everything in its path. New reports of death were coming out everyday and it seemed like a pandemic was in progress. However, when you take into account of the Taiwanese penchant for paranoia (and the inability to distinguish the terminology for common cold and the flu), and that TV in Taiwan is more about creating (and I mean CREATING) headlines than the spread of information, you'll understand why I felt peeved that so many around me announced me dead with the flu.
Come on, people. Do you even know what is so special about the H1N1? I don't. The WHO reports about a 0.1% death rate worldwide, but that's just for confirmed cases; unreported cases of H1N1 must be through the roof given its similarity to other types of flu which we see every freaking year. Knock on wood, but I like my chances better than a good number of the decrepit out there. The reason authorities are on the look out for the H1N1 is because it apparently spreads faster and kills a bit more (2~3 times) than normal flus, which are ingredients for a high number of deaths should it spread like crazy. But really what does that mean for the individual? Think about it. A disease is scary if it kills 0.1% of the people if it infects a lot of people. But for the individual, all you have to care about is that 0.1%, not to mention that 0.1% is merely an average, and if you're in good shape and health, the probability of you dying from this disease is MUCH lower.
So why can't I just be sick with the flu and be done with it? I came out of my fever after about 5 days, which, granted, is longer than it normally is for me. At this point it doesn't matter any more what kind of flu I caught, but when I told my mom about this she was still scared for my life! "Did you have the H1N1?" I mean, come on, so what if I did? I don't even have my stupid fever anymore. This crap is just blown out of proportion. I'm not saying that H1N1 is so weak you should go around and lick other people's mucous, no; it's always good to keep good sanitary habits. But really, before we start spraying our homes down with bleach every other hour, or scream like a girl and run every time someone sneezes or coughs around you, take some time to understand what you're dealing with and realize that fear does not keep the virus away.
And I am alive and well, stop telling me that I should be dead with the H1N1. Geez.
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2 comments:
This explains why MY parents have been mentioning H1N1 to me a few times these past few weeks. I suspected it had to do with Taiwanese news that they watch religiously.
There are many reasons why I do not want to live in Taiwan, and the polarizing media is one of them. Similar to the US media, although I think the Taiwanese ones are worse.
Alex-
Yeah it makes no sense that Taiwan has like 6 24hr news channels which mainly focuses on politics and crimes. The lack of material then leads to the channels' repeating themselves, so if you watch these channels everyday then you essentially get brainwashed. You've got to learn how to filter the information and unfortunately people don't do that.
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