Birmingham, AL - Public health experts say the swine flu certainly warrants attention.  But they point out a heightened level of caution must be kept in check.  "I think people have reason to feel scared, but I think it's important that people divide their fear into two camps, productive fear and unproductive fear."  Psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow says productive fear includes taking steps to prevent the spread of the swine flu.  "I think people's fear comes from thinking there is this virus out there that is going to get me and there's nothing I can do.  The reality is your safety comes from everything you do."  Washing hands frequently, sneezing and coughing into your sleeve or a tissue, and avoiding public places if you feel sick are just a few of the ways you can keep from spreading the virus. 

Klapow also encourages people to educate themselves about the swine flu outbreak but not to the point that it is emotionally or physically draining.  "Stay informed, but don't saturate yourself with so much information in terms of the same things over and over again that you create more anxiety.  Being stressed and having those levels of anxiety makes you more fatigued, it wears you out, it suppresses your immune system.  That puts you more at risk of catching anything that may be out there."

What is out there is still a bit uncertain.  UAB Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. David Freedman says, "It has some elements that are pig, some that are bird, and some that are human so how this will behave still nobody knows."  Freedman says the swine flu cases in the United States have been mild, but he says the situation needs to be monitored closely.  "We don't know how stable the virus is and certainly it can change as it successfully passes through different generations of humans, so that's a potential concern."

 

 

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