Am I panicking?

So, someone asked me if I was panicking over the whole swine flu thing and is that why I put the widget up. No, I'm not in panic mode over this, I put the widget up since the whole purpose of widgets is to disseminate information and since that is the main reason why I started this blog I guess it's fitting that I put it here.

Why am I not panicking? First off, these are my opinions and not the opinions of anybody that I work for, secondly, I'm not a virologist so this is also not the opinion of an expert in the field. There isn't enough known about this virus to begin to really panic, no one knows exactly how it's transmitted (probably like other influenza by the respiratory route) but in the past hand washing and awareness of where you hands of been (okay, get your mind out of the gutter-and you know who I'm talking too....) is probably one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of any disease. So, hand sanitizer and good old soap and water is the first line of defense. Secondly, no one knows why it is only fatal in Mexico but my guess would be the standard of care in the other locations where the disease has been confirmed may be different. Mexico in the end is a very rural nation with great health care in the cities and not so great health care in the rural areas. So before I panic I want to see what happens else where. What does worry me about the possibility of a global pandemic you ask? The economic ramifications of this are staggering and probably what most of the world governments are more worried about. Mexico City is a ghost town, what would happen to the global economy if New York, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo all shut down?

So, am I panicking about catching swine flu? No, but the far reaching consequences of a global pandemic are pretty scary....