We have all read about epidemics.  History makes them sound like there was panic in the streets.  The Influenza epidemic of 1917-18 killed as many as one in four persons in many locations.  Truly devastating.  Then when you read things like the political history of the time, the epidemic is not even mentioned.

We are now in an epidemic of H1N1 "swine flu."  On college campuses, 95% of students are infected and so are our schools.  Everywhere people are getting sick.  Fortunately, per CDC estimates, the midlevel range of deaths between April and October 2009 has been only about 3900 persons.  Life goes on.  I will head to work just the same as any day.

As we live through this epidemic, there are two problems: the flu itself and the hysteria that some people get.  Emergency rooms are overcrowded.  Los Angeles County reports up to a 24-hour wait to be seen.  Unless you are really sick and need life support, how dumb is waiting 24 hours in an emergency room?

I recently wrote a blog, "Getting Sick is Good for You," about the benefits of natural immunity.  I still maintain that the luckiest people today are those getting a mild infection.  I hope that I get a subclinical infection as many will.  Get long term immunity and never get sick!  Do we report how many people that is happening to?  I have received my seasonal flu shot and am waiting for my H1N1 vaccine, but I still hope I get a mild case that will give me the most protection for later exposure.

We need balanced reporting of infectious diseases, including the benefits of milder cases.  I still remember the "chickenpox parties" of my youth to expose children to the illness so they could get the sickness early when it was less severe than in an adult.  I'm not sure those were wise, but I'm also not supportive of the panic and rush for drugs that a case of chickenpox causes today.

We should be celebrating how mild this current epidemic has been to date, with appropriate recognition to the lives that have been lost, comparable to any peak flu season.  Our modern lifestyle, with clean water, adequate food, and sanitation go a long way in keeping these infections from becoming to severe in the population.  Things could get a lot worse, but I for one am not going to worry too much and will go about my business, including reassuring as many patients and families as I can.