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Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Such is the case with the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as Swine Flu. As the number of people afflicted with this strand of influenza increases, it is the reaction of the general population that will determine how effective the virus will be in slowing the economies of the world. If panic consumes the nations of the world there will be a definite need for concern. The ramifications of such a scenario could be devastating.

Influenza in its common state is a killer. Approximately 36,000 people die each year from the virus in the United States alone. The virus is constantly mutating, looking for an opportunity to effectively weaken its host. Occasionally this mutation results in a variant of the flu more deadly than usual. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 spread to most of the world and infected a third of the population, taking 50 to 100 million of them to their graves. The horrific events of this 20th century pandemic have caused some people to express concern about the potential of the H1N1 virus to follow the same deadly course.

To date Swine Flu has not been as effective at killing as its 1918 cousin. The virus continues to spread at an alarming rate and could only be a mutation or two away from becoming an effective killer in its own right. If this mutation does occur and the citizens of the world shutter their windows in an attempt to avoid the virus the situation will become serious. As the sick are relegated to their beds, those who are able to work will be asked to carry a heavier workload to shore up production levels. If the healthy choose to stay in their homes afraid of getting sick, production will continue to drop. The already weak economic situation will become untenable and a depression will ensue, the likes of which the world has not seen. There must be a group of citizens willing to risk their own health in order to keep the financial systems of the world running.

Worrying will not solve the problems associated with the H1N1 virus, it will only serve to magnify them. By taking steps to prepare for an outbreak of Swine Flu, much of its destructive potential can be contained. Simple steps such as washing hands often can be an effective defense against the influenza virus and can limit its spread. Through preparation and planning much of the cause for panic by citizens of the world can be alleviated. If enough people avoid getting sick and world economies continue to function as the virus runs its course, the Swine Flu will go down in history as another "near miss" in the continuing war with the influenza virus. As the Spanish Flu raged in 1918, American girls would sing as they jumped rope, "I had a little bird, its name was Enza. I opened up the window, and in flew Enza." Let's hope this time the window remains shut, and Enza flies away.

Learn more about this author, Scott Shaddox.
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