I’m no conspiracy theorist, but I do find myself wondering why such a big deal is being made of Swine Flu when it’s no more dangerous than the plain ol’ seasonal flu.

For starters, Mexico, described as the “epicenter” of this potential pandemic, is saying the swine flu is on the decline.  In addition, according to the same article, there are experts claiming this may be no worse that the plain ol’ seasonal flu (which kills 250,000 to 500,000 annually, so it isn’t exactly a tame illness).

On the other side of the coin, the WHO is claiming H1N1 could return “with a vengeance,” so we can’t let our guard down.

Well, at this point, I’d say we’re seriously overreacting, and the WHO is just trying to save face.  Cases in the U.S. have been mild enough that a regular over-the-counter flu medication and rest can remedy it.  Quite simply, this “pandemic” is so mild it’s laughable.

Just for fun: Courtesy of the Mental Floss Blog, here are a few propaganda PSAs from the 1976 swine flu scare designed to get people to take the vaccine that was available at the time.  Why is it no longer available?  Well, it killed 25 people and paralyzed several more; it was more dangerous than the actual flu!

According to NBC New York, the Vice President’s Office issued the following statement after the interview:

The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving all Americans: That they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the vice president has given family members who are traveling by commercial airline this week. . .

My question: Considering that the regular ol’ flu kills annually around 250,000 people worldwide, and 30,000 or so just in the U.S., shouldn’t we always be in a state of panic? Or maybe, just maybe, is the problem that we’re blowing the whole swine flu thing out of proportion at this early stage?