Swine Flu

This swine flu epidemic is stupid. Why cause an uproar about it?! Apparently, those "diagnosed" with this flu get better even without any help. 40,000 people die every year due to the regular flu...why not close schools and extra-curricular activities due to that?! I might understand all of the ruckus if it was deadly and those infected couldn't be cured...but they can and do! Yes, it is a good idea to "maybe" make children and parents aware if there was a serious outbreak in that particular school, but nationwide?! The children of the closed schools just go to malls, parks, and other public areas, possibly being more exposed than if they were to just stay in school. It just doesn't make any sense to me. The things people in this world worry about today just blow my mind. I have gotten email after email from the University of Texas telling everyone not to go to campus or classes if you have the symptoms of the swine flu:

As stated in previous communications, faculty, staff, and students who show signs of flu-like illness should not come to campus. Symptoms of the H1N1 virus include:
sudden fever
coughing
sore throat
body aches and pains/ fatigue.

So, you must not attend class if you have these symptoms, but you must go if you are vomiting, have a pulled muscle which causes extreme pain and discomfort, etc. ?! Using excuses like these do not permit you to be absent from class, unless you have a doctor's note. But who goes to the doctor just because you're feeling a bit under the weather? Usually, you feel better within a day or two, plus a lot of people can't afford to run to the doctor every time something doesn't feel exactly right. This baffles me!

I do understand that people HAVE died because of the swine flu, but people die every day because of all different kinds of diseases, viruses, cancers, etc. My heart goes out to every family and person affected by death, which is, by the way, a part of life, as much as I may hate it.

Oh Swine Flu ... how you make me laugh!