In May, I wrote a light-hearted column about swine flu. I said I felt silly for worrying about the virus and concluded that it was really nothing to be concerned about.
And I think most of the world came to the same conclusion as I did. After the initial flurry of fear when the virus emerged in the spring, H1N1 faded from the spotlight over the summer as our national attention turned to more important things like Jon and Kate’s divorce.
But then, as the weather got colder and the days got shorter, swine flu reared its ugly snout again, and this time it meant business.
As the H1N1 virus re-emerged, so did the hysteria surrounding it — this time even more hysterical than before.
Late last month, President Obama declared the outbreak to be a national emergency, but it was sort of like the National Weather Service declaring a tornado warning after a funnel cloud has already touched down. We don’t need the president to tell us to be concerned about swine flu.
Schools closed around the nation as students got sick in waves, and hand sanitizer became the most popular accessory since the Snuggie. Across the country, people waited in line for hours for the H1N1 vaccine, which the government can’t seem to crank out fast enough.
Of course, that vaccine has launched its very own subset of panic as pundits and average Joes alike debate its safety. However, plenty of people are still seeking the shot — even people who aren’t part of the designated high-risk groups.
Right here in Tazewell County, the health department’s first few clinics drew huge crowds before the county’s supply was depleted. Rather than offering public clinics at the outset, Mason County is “prioritizing the priority groups” by vaccinating schoolchildren first before moving on to other groups — a wise plan that I’m surprised hasn’t been more widely used.
In Peoria County, where I live, the health department has yet to receive its supply of the vaccine, which means that I haven’t received a shot yet — which means that, contrary to my advice from my May column, I’m currently battling a full-blown case of swine flu phobia.
Every morning, I mentally assess myself for H1N1 symptoms before getting out of bed. I bust out my hand sanitizer several dozen times a day, and any time anyone near me coughs or shows another sign of illness, I tense up like someone just threatened to shoot me.
