We are all going to die!

Of like, a bad cold or something.

There is nothing the media likes more than whipping up a paranoid storm about some coming apocalypse. Be it terrorists, dirty bombs, suitcase nuclear weapons, war, nuclear war, cyber-terrorism, flesh-eating bugs, serial killers, evil clowns* - whatever the ruddy fuck the end of the world of the moment is, you can bet there is something that is going to come and fuck you up real bad.

Today it is swine flu - presumably a porcine version of that Avian flu thing that never really took off despite the hype. And looking at the coverage in the media, you'd imagine that this swine flu really is going to create the end of everything. Certainly, it has had its moments in Mexico, as the dead there would be able to attest to (if the dead could attest to anything).

Except, it isn't actually that scary:

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu. These include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.

Sounds a lot like... well, 'flu to me.

And there is basic stuff that you can do to try to prevent coming down with pig flu. Like this:

It is also important to wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people and cleaning hard surfaces like door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.

And in fairness, you should be washing your hands anyway. If you aren't then you are a bit a filth wizard to be honest.

Of course, I could be wrong. But I suspect this will turn out to be a contagious epidemic that bloats column inches with mindless speculation, rather than a contagious epidemic that ends everything. Ignore the shrill tone of a lot of the coverage, and instead look at the worst case scenario. You might get 'flu.

A pisser, but it isn't the end of the world, now, is it?

*Part of me does believe that Obnoxio the Clown will play a role in the End of Days. I don't know why, it is just a nagging feeling. Probably because is represented by a picture of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.