Swine flu: fact or pigswill...

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nor do I pretend to be one, and this post is not intended as medical advice. If you show any symptoms of swine flu, be sure to follow the procedures for your country (in most cases this means calling your GP).

The world (well, most of it) is currently embroiled in swine flu madness. The virus has now been reported in 14 countries (4 May 09 update: 20 countries now), is showing an ability to spread amongst humans, and Mexico has "begun a five-day shutdown of... non-essential government services and businesses" in an attempt to control it.

As is to be expected, amongst all the excellent information and advice out there, there is a lot of nonsense and rubbish (I'm looking at you, Daily Sun).
Here are the top three swine flu myths, and the corresponding scientific truths:

Myth: Swine flu is a killer virus, and could kill millions of people (i.e. 1918 Spanish flu)
Reality: Although ~160 people have died in Mexico of swine flu, there have been no deaths in more developed countries (the US death was a Mexican child that had crossed the border). This is mostly due to better healthcare and early treatment. We didn't have anything like Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir) in 1918, nor did we know as much about transmission methods. It is likely that many people will get sick, but unlikely that many will die, unless they have compromised immune systems (i.e. the elderly, people who are HIV-positive or undergoing intensive cancer treatment).

Myth: You can get the virus from eating pork from infected pigs.
Reality: Err... no, there is no evidence that the flu virus can be passed to humans from pig products as long as the meat is heated to above 70^oC (and pork is usually cooked at around 200^o). This fear about 'infected pork' is why the WHO refuses to call it 'swine flu' any more, they now use the term 'Influenza A(H1N1)', the 'scientific' name for this strain as it were.

Myth: We should all start wearing face masks to avoid getting the flu.
Reality: Not really. Although the UK Department of Health has ordered crateloads of face masks for doctors and other health workers, these are special masks with especially small holes to trap the tiny virus particles. The regular blue face masks that people have been buying are next to useless, especially when they get moist from your breath. Covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing (preferably with a disposable tissue) is a better way of minimizing the spread of the virus. Face masks also give a false sense of security, and may lead to people not practicing proper hygiene.

Hopefully this has helped clear up some of the 'woo' and sensationalism surrounding swine flu, and remember, ask for the science before accepting anything. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.