This epidemic/pandemic has been in the news since weeks, according to reports it is dangerous and mortal, well even the human flu is mortal (approximately 6000 people die each year in France due to the human flu virus). Moreover last year the bird flu created a similar havoc amongst the masses.

Let's study this pandemic scientifically labeled as H1N1, in order to understand better this illness we must define it, firstly we can simply define the flu as a virus

A virus can't replicate itself on its own it needs a host cell in the body it is infecting which means that a virus is a parasite.

Now that we know what a virus is, we can have an idea about how it works:

-It replicates itself countlessly and infects as many cells as it can consequently upsetting the way the body works.

The influenza we are interested in is the swine flu:

Why is the swine flu dangerous for us humans?

The flu is a virus that has the incredible power of mutation:

Let me explain myself:

Flu is a general term that designate viruses that have the same effect on different categories of living beings it can so two different types of flu can combine themselves to form a new type of influenza (flu). (Just like water and tea combined make a beverage).

This swine flu is actually a combination of swine flu, bird flu and human flu

The previous statement can suggest that indeed this new form of flu is lethal but we must also take into account that the bird flu which was in the news for quite some time has trouble to get to us humans

The level of contagion of the swine flu is said to be similar to the standard flu (maybe that is what is scaring people about this new disease) it is also according to reports less mortal than the bird flu:

The bird flu spreads slowly and is more likely to be fatal than the swine flu which spreads faster. Consequently we can say that the swine flu is less dangerous than the bird flu

If we consider that the human flu causes 500000 to 700000 deaths worldwide each year and compare this number to the number of victims of the bird flu which killed 248 people since it has been identified we can conclude that the human flu which isn't considered as a threat (it is common and can be treated easily) by the which is far more dangerous that the swine flu.

Yet we witness many strange events happening because of this new disease ( schools are shutting down, patients are put into quarantine) Most importantly people who travel in countries that are supposedly affected by this new lethal virus have to go for a checkup when they come home!

And this situation could possibly affect the economy; people will not go in countries where the flu has been tracked. The media has created fear in the mind of people, it is nothing but the fear of the unknown, but their strategy isn't helping the travel industry, it is not the virus in itself that can affect businesses but the use the medias are making of it .

Moreover the summer is approaching, if people are to go scared to go on holidays it could affect many countries.

As a conclusion I would like to say that

I do agree that the disease is unknown and it kills but it also seems to me that history is repeating itself, during the propagation of the bird flu a similar situation was created by the media large stocks of medicine were ordered by many countries yet it turned out the virus is less dangerous than the ?simple? flu .

And today the situation is quite similar WHO is on high alert and the media is creating panic .

An article by Mon Hotel