My mom is freaking out over the swine flu on airplanes?

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Techwing

Tell her to stop watching the news on television. There's a far greater risk to the public from hysteria deliberately created by sensationalist media companies than there is from swine flu.

No matter what picture the media try to paint, it's still just the flu. Swine flu is potentially a bit more severe than "normal" flu, but no matter what type of flu it is, all it does is make its victims miserable for a week, and then they recover. It's true that some people die from swine flu, but people die from normal flu all the time, too. Since swine flu can be more severe, the mortality rate is higherвЂ”but it's still just the flu, not the Black Death.

More people are likely to have heart attacks from anxiety over the swine flu than will likely die from the flu itself. They'll be found slumped over TV dinners in front of their favorite 24-hour news channel, with a mask in one hand and a bottle of hand disinfectant clutched tightly in the other.

As far as airline flights go, while it's true that being close to other people raises your chances of catching something, it's also true that ventilation in modern airliners is pretty good, with a mix of fresh outside air and recirculated air that is passed through hospital-grade filters. The circulation is also vertical, not horizontal, so unless you are sitting right next to someone who is sick and contagious, you're unlikely to catch anything. This has actually been proved in cases where someone with active tuberculosis (a very serious and extremely contagious disease) has flown on a plane and only a few people in the seats directly next to her later tested positive for infection.

BOB H

tell her not to worry they still dont let pigs fly

mrystry1

Tell her she has a better chance of dying and getting into a car accident tomorrow, then she does catching that. It is the truth too.

Ellie

--There are many fewer cases worldwide (at the moment, at least) of H1N1 (new name for "swine flu") virus than there are of all the OTHER kinds of glunk you can catch on a plane.
--Even in Mexico, cases, so far, involve close contact--not casual contact.
--Confirmed H1N1 cases total 257 worldwide...among a world population in the billions.
--H1N1 is not a killer, at this point. There have been 149 deaths, all of cases originating in Mexico--again, among millions in Mexico, and billions of people in the world.

Which is not to say don't take normal precautions against ANY flu. Read the resources below, and have a care. Take along some Purell, and use frequently as you travel.

Right now, "WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities."

Charlie

You have a far greater chance of catching something else. This H1N1 flu thing is being blown way out of proportion. Only 109 reported suspected cases in the USand not all of them are confirmed...in a nation of over 300,000,000 people. Ther are a few cases in Europe. The next week will tell a lot more about the spread of flu, but it has already started to decline in Mexico. There are 2,500 suspected cases in mexico...less than 200 are confirmed...out of a population of over 130,00,000...and almost all are centered in mexico City. I live in Mexico and 99.999% of the people do not have the fu and are going about life as usual. There are 200,000 cases of regular flu in the U.S. every year, and 36,000 people die of it. Do you hear any big fuss over that? Hopefully the declining figures wil put her mind at ease.

Nuwa

Tell her that you'll wear a mask and bring your hands sanitizer with you.

в™«Rawr Ryan Rawrв™«

she has just as much a chance of getting swine flu from traveling as she does staying at home and what not so why let it stop you guys from having a fun trip. the news media over exaggerates things to be worse then they really are. i mean if your gonna get swine flu your going to get it no matter what and if you do just seek medical help immediately and you'll be fine.

Edg1

She's right. If someone has it everyone gets exposed. Since they outlawed smoking they cut down on the fresh air to save fuel. They recycle the cabin air and add fresh in a lesser amount than before.
Back when smoking was allowed the air was actually fresher than it is now.

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