Aussie Flu discussion

[Mindprison]

Hello everyone

I've just been to the local shop and couldn't walk 2 steps without seeing a newpaper plastered with "news" about this Aussie Flu thing that has been circulating the past few months.

As the health anxiety board is by far the most read and posted on I thought it would be a good idea to discuss this so called epidemic and offer some reassurance and points of view to counteract all the negativity in the media.

I have a pet peeve with the media when things like this happen as it's already hard trying to get over health anxiety without every newspaper having "KILLER FLU AFFECTS EVERYWHERE BUT TWO TOWNS" or some other variation.

For a start, don't all Flu viruses have the potential to be killers? From what I can gather this new flu targets children, elderly and people with long term conditions. Just like any other flu. The symptoms are the same but "more severe". It's contagious just like other flu. So how the hell is it any different to all the other flu viruses?

It's like when the whole swine flu thing was going around. 3 of my friends in school caught it and we all thought they were going to die the way the media was scaremongoring it all.

I'm all for freedom of the press but it really annoys me when they start circulating stuff like this when there are people out there suffering from health anxiety.

I'd be interested to hear other people's thought on this or media portrayal of health issues in general!

[swajj]

I have read more about it on here than I have read or heard in our local media. I’m in Sydney Australia. lol

[Mindprison]

It is a bit ridiculous. As far as i'm aware Australia have said that apart from the spread it's no worse than the previous year.

Weird how putting "Aussie" or "swine" in front of it suddenly makes it out to be a world ender. Our newspapers are mostly trash over here, it's just that there are so many of them it's hard to avoid.

[swajj]

Our newspapers are trash too. lol

[Catherine S]

I think we're all Daily Mail readers here lol, not my fave newspaper but its more user-friendly online compared to others.

But regards to the flu...I agree with you absolutely about sensational headlines, and we read about someone dying from a flu virus most years. Ocassionally somebody previously fit, healthy and young can succumb but that's a rarity. It's bad enough coming down with flu without panicking that it's going to kill us off!

Stay healthy folks, keep warm x

[swajj]

lol Catherine

It’s summer here!

[Catherine S]

lol Catherine

It’s summer here!

I know, ive been watching the Brits melting watching the cricket

[Mindprison]

Here in scotland anything above 0 degrees is summer to us

[ankietyjoe]

Fear = Insecurity.

Insecurity = People spend more money.

People don't go out and buy as much crap they don't need when they're happy.


I remember the same nonsense with swine flu a decade ago.

[Mindprison]

Indeed Joe, the swine flu epidemic was mad. I was still in high school and you know how it is, rumors spreading to each class about how if you catch swine flu your skin falls off and you grow a snout

The media attention was crazy too, telling us all about the deaths and how doctors were apparantly clueless.

A round of tamiflu and 2 weeks later my friends were back to normal like it never happened.