Just hearing a person cough or sneeze (or even clear their throat) these days makes people want to shove a crucifix in your face like they are trying to keep Satan himself away from them. There is no question that people are terrified of this not so new illness that has taken our planet by storm (thanks to the media and governments of both Canada and the United States of America.) Great team work guys!
Fear is no way to handle a pandemic though...or anything for that matter. Think back to school fire drills, what was the first thing they taught us about fire safety? DON'T PANIC! Acting out of fear and panic often leads to poor decision making and in the event of a fire, can even lead to death. The same can be said with handling H1N1. We all have to calm down, look at the facts and make well thought out informed decisions.
So take a deep breath, hug someone (human contact is good for the soul) and let's continue...
Now that we are calm we will need to look at the facts. Fact number one: the media is NOT a valid source for collecting H1N1 facts. Fact number two: Any emails you receive about H1N1 are NOT valid sources for anything except maybe a new computer virus. Fact number 3:Government pamphlets are not the only source for collecting information. Relying on the media, email and/or the government for facts about H1N1 (or any subject matter) will leave you in a state of panic which may cause you to make poor decisions and we've already covered what poor decisions can lead to. Before making a decision you should see all sides of the equation. Dig deeper than what you see on the surface. If something seems to be missing, it probably is...find it! Ask questions until it makes sense. Look at other variables to compare the facts you have in front of you to help you justify what they really mean.
Now personally, I am not the type of person who necessarily puts as much effort into these decisions as I should, however I am informed enough to know the basics. I will not be listing for you 20 website sources regarding H1N1, nor will I be quoting reputable sources and highlighting relevant facts. This blog is titled Unproven Opinions for a reason :) However I assure you you are getting my heartfelt opinion that I did not just pull out of the sky. That said, the entire purpose of this blog to to make you stop and think before you draw any conclusion regarding your own family.
H1N1 is just a strain of the flu. Yes, I said JUST! I will not get caught up in the fear of it all. "But Angela, people are dying from it." Yes, that is true, but people die from the flu every year....hundreds of thousands of people. The difference is, all those deaths aren't published as top news stories and so we treat seasonal flues like a grain of salt. This is how we have to handle H1N1. The average healthy individual is going to get H1N1 and get better, this is a fact!
It is a good idea to think prevention though and actually we should all be doing these things everyday anyway, whether there is a pandemic or not. If you are sick stay home. Trust me, the world will go on without you, your job is not as important as you might like to think it is. cough and sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve. The reason for this is because people are less likely to touch your sleeve and your sleeve is less likely to touch anything, but if you sneeze into your hands what do your hands do? They touch everything! If you do cough or sneeze into a tissue or your hands you need to wash them. Think about your surroundings...what is full of germs? Shopping carts, door handles, washrooms, computer keyboards, fresh foods at the grocery store etc. So when using these things make sure you do not touch your face and wash your hands...and your fresh foods. These are some basic, common, NATURAL prevention methods to help stop the spread of illness.
The prevention method being shoved down our throats however is of course the controversial vaccine. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate...that is the question. And the answer is not a simple yes or no, right or wrong, or black or white answer. The right answer will vary from person to person, family to family. In my opinion the average healthy person, big or small, needs to leave well enough alone and not risk getting the vaccine and just allow nature to take it's course while following natural prevention methods. If you are a person who is pregnant, has asthma or other respiratory conditions, or a weakened immune system and you know you will be in grave danger if you do catch H1N1, then you should consider getting the vaccine. I think we all need to weigh out the risks involved in both getting and not getting the vaccine. Did you know they predict 10% of people who get the vaccine to die from it? 10 out of every 100 people. How many will die from H1N1 itself? And from those who die from it, how many will have underlying medical conditions? The fact is, for an average healthy person death is rare.
When I look at the dynamics of my family I see 4 healthy individuals ages 3, 6, 27 and 34. One child is in a large daycare center where illness is known to spread rather quickly once it hits and the other is in elementary school where the same can be said. So I have come to accept that the chances of H1N1 entering our home is rather high. It is hard not to be slightly concerned and uneasy about the whole thing with all the uproar and reported deaths surrounding H1N1. But I took my deep breath, calmed down and weighed out the pros, cons and risks and came to a decision without adding panic to the equation and we have decided that the vaccine is not for us.
So what do we do if and when H1N1 hits our homes? Well one thing I will do differently than previous years is monitor symptoms closely and take them seriously. I usually am not one to run to the doctor or the ER when my kids have the flu because I know that the doctor cannot do anything for them. If they are drinking a tiny sip of liquid now and then and the fever is maintainable they are fine and just need to get some rest. With H1N1 I will not try to play doctor so to speak and will get the kids looked at sooner. Other than that all we can do is let it run it's course with a positive attitude.
I hope this whole H1N1 'scare' will help us learn proper coughing and sneezing etiquette as well as the etiquette of staying home when we are sick but not make us so afraid of germs that we lose all human contact such as shaking hands or giving someone a friendly hug. Maybe a hug a day will keep the swine away? I do hope this blog post will make you more aware of the media's influence in our lives and start viewing the news as nothing more than someone elses unproven opinion.
Well written.
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