The talk of the town these days is the H1N1 flu and getting the H1N1 vaccine. They started distributing the vaccine here in Hamilton about 3 days ago and it’s being reported that though the Toronto area was supposed to start on Thursday, they started early. I caught a video clip on the news around lunch time and the lines were massive for people waiting to get the vaccine. In some places there were 400 people in line in the cold and rainy conditions. At this point they were saying that the shot is only for people who may be susceptible to the flu (kids, old folks and front line people). But from what I saw on the news, just about everyone and their dog were in that line.

Is the media causing mass hysteria? Print, radio, tv and online.. every source of news you turn to is flooded with this swine flu and they’re not hesitant in quoting a bunch of numbers to drive home whatever point they’re trying to make. It’s almost as if they’re trying to scare the crap out of us.

For those of you who  followed my ramblings over at the other site, you’ll know that Caron works at a hospital so she’s pretty much “front line” for anything that passes through. The last time it was “SARS”. Only last night I saw a father on tv speaking about how his 9 year old son died as a result of the H1N1 flu. After what seemed like he was over the flu, his dad put him in the bath and within minutes he died. The grief on this man’s face was too much to bear. Having children of my own, I could not even imagine what this poor fella and his family may be going through.

So how are you dealing with the media overload on this H1N1 flu? Are you scared? Will you be getting the vaccine? Is it even available to you?

Well that vaccine is free to us in Canada and the first chance I get (when the general call goes out) you’ll be seeing me and our girls in that line. Caron still can”t decide if she’s getting the shot, even though she’s front-line and we’re the ones normally sick after she brings home the bugs.

The good thing about working from home online is that though I may get infected by viruses, my aniti-virus software will take care of that. I don’t have to be in the public and/or make contact with people who may be carrying the flu Is that a benefit of working from home?

Leave me your comments in the area below.

Here’s how this mess got started!