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[Angellus]

This flu certainly won't kill us all. But given the mexican mortality rate, roughly 6%. you will probably know somebody who will die if this truly becomes a pandemic.

My wife's great grandfather died in the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak, and he was a young man.

I know, I hope it is clear this was a joke

I also think this is not going to be a pandemic. Simply for the fact of our western health-care finding a cure before it gets to that state.

I am suddenly realising that I should know more, for one I don't even know if it is an viral or bacterial infection.

[Daft]

Virus.

[LegoLord]

Here is a short list of infections that are important to recognize as viral:

The common cold.
The flu (all varieties).
HIV.
Most other STDs.

[Angellus]

Thanks, that indeed shows why they are making such a fuzz about it.
Better start living healthy then I guess. That is after all the best way to live trough a flu

[DeadlyLintRoller]

Just wash your hands frequently. And don't lick random things.

p.s. Jokes are good segways into serious discussion.

[LegoLord]

Just wash your hands frequently.

BUT NOT WITH ANTIBIOTIC BASED SOAP!!!
(caps for warning, not to offend; this is a major, yet obscure, problem causing a lot of old diseases to steadily return.  There is nothing wrong with not being aware of it, but you should endeavor to raise awareness)
Antibiotics are powerful substances designed to kill bacteria (they are useless against viruses).  Including those that are important to body functions.  On top of that, we are inducing evolution in bacteria; it used to be that only a small percentage (0.01 %) of bacteria were resistant to antibiotics.  Now, however, that small percent has been the dominating percent for quite sometime, meaning they can now grow and spread more quickly due to having survived so long. 

Excessive use of antibiotics actually weakens your immune system - the thing that would normally take care of that 0.01% - in a way similar to that in which lack of physical exercise will cause loss of muscle mass.  It just doesn't have enough practice.

In short, those little fellers are evolving, but good ol' alcohol-based soaps are still effective.

[Jetman123]

Just wash your hands frequently.

BUT NOT WITH ANTIBIOTIC BASED SOAP!!!
(caps for warning, not to offend; this is a major, yet obscure, problem causing a lot of old diseases to steadily return.  There is nothing wrong with not being aware of it, but you should endeavor to raise awareness)
Antibiotics are powerful substances designed to kill bacteria (they are useless against viruses).  Including those that are important to body functions.  On top of that, we are inducing evolution in bacteria; it used to be that only a small percentage (0.01 %) of bacteria were resistant to antibiotics.  Now, however, that small percent has been the dominating percent for quite sometime, meaning they can now grow and spread more quickly due to having survived so long. 

Excessive use of antibiotics actually weakens your immune system - the thing that would normally take care of that 0.01% - in a way similar to that in which lack of physical exercise will cause loss of muscle mass.  It just doesn't have enough practice.

In short, those little fellers are evolving, but good ol' alcohol-based soaps are still effective.

Ahhh, evolution in action...

[Idiom]

Guess why we have so many allergies and diseases from malfunctioning immune systems? Ah, evolution in slower than molasses in a freezer action...

[DeadlyLintRoller]

that is a matter of perspective.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_evolution#Basic_timeline

Just seems long since you are a speck of biological matter that only lives for a brief instant in the timeline of this world.

[Daft]

We need to evolve faster. I suggest breeding with weird people to facilitate the process.

[DeadlyLintRoller]

Making life more difficult is what you want. Survival of the fittest.

[LegoLord]

In biology, fit refers to how successful a specimen is in reproducing.

[DeadlyLintRoller]

You can't reproduce if you are dead.

[ToonyMan]

They closed two schools is my state thanks to this flu.

[LegoLord]

You can't reproduce if you are dead.

But not being dead does not necessarily rely on having a good deal of strength or speed.  Take the cuttle(sp?) fish for example.  It is more likely for a small, devious male to be chosen by the female than for the two strong ones duking it out while the small male sneaks by to the female disguised as a female itself.