New Scientist: Swine Flu Myth Busters

 

# 3904

 

The New Scientist debunks 8 dangerous swine flu myths in:

Swine flu: Eight myths that could endanger your life.  

Each myth has a link to a more detailed answer, so by all means follow them.  I’ve only reproduced the openings of the first 3, but all are worth reading.

 

Highly recommended.

 

MYTH 1
The symptoms are like regular flu. You've got it if you've got a fever

Testing for fever may not be a reliable way of diagnosing swine flu (Image: View China Photo/Rex Features)

Up to half the people who get swine flu never develop a fever, and some suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms as well as more standard flu symptoms. Read more

 

MYTH 2
This is just mild flu. The death rates are even lower than for normal flu

No exaggeration (Image: Adrian Brooks/Rex Features)

Swine flu is killing young people rather than the very elderly, and although winter is just starting, more young people have already died of flu than normally die over the entire winter. Read more

 
MYTH 3
You're safe as long as you're healthy. Only sick, weak people get really ill

Deep lung infection can be a killer, but why are some people already immune? (Image: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty)

Most of the children who have died of swine flu were perfectly healthy beforehand, and many of the adult victims also had no underlying conditions. Read more

 

A hat tip to @Dutchy123 on Twitter for tweeting this article.

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