Swine Flu Parties

I thought this was interesting. I have heard of chicken pox parties. Although, according the the CDC the swine flu is more deadly than the chicken pox. So I guess I shouldn't compare. What do you think about swine flu parties?

FROM NBC: IMAGINE TAKING YOUR FAMILY TO A PARTY WHERE THE SOLE REASON FOR THE GET TOGETHER IS TO SPREAD THE SWINE FLU VIRUS.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT HEALTH EXPERTS SAY IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, BUT DOCTORS HAVE A WARNING.

AS PARENTS ACROSS AMERICA SCRAMBLE FOR THE H1N1 VACCINE, OTHERS ARE TAKING A DIFFERENT APPROACH.

GATHERING WITHOUT MASKS AND NOT WASHING THEIR HANDS - THEY'RE COMING TOGETHER TO SPREAD THE GERMS.

(SOT: Dr. Mark Sawyer, Infectious Disease Specialist)
"We first heard about parties like this back in the chicken pox era."

DR. MARK SAWYER, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL SAYS THERE IS SIMPLY NO LOGIC BEHIND THE GATHERINGS NOW KNOWN AS SWINE FLU PARTIES.

(Dr. Mark Sawyer, Infectious Disease Specialist)
"To me it's one of the craziest things I've ever heard of actually."

THE REASON FOR THESE PARTIES, DESCRIBED PLAINLY ON THE CDC WEBSITE - IS TO BECOME INFECTED WITH WHAT FOR MANY PEOPLE HAS BEEN A MILD DISEASE, IN THE HOPE OF HAVING NATURAL IMMUNITY TO A VIRUS THAT MIGHT CIRCULATE LATER AND CAUSE MORE SEVERE DISEASE.

(Dr. Mark Sawyer, Infectious Disease Specialist)
"The trouble with influenza is your natural immunity really isn't that good, that's why we continue to immunize people every year because the influenza virus changes over time."

MEANING SOME PEOPLE WHO GETS SWINE FLU THIS YEAR, COULD ALSO GET A RELATED VIRUS NEXT YEAR. SAWYER ALSO SAYS JUST BECAUSE YOUR NEIGHBOR HAS A MILD CASE - DOESN'T MEAN YOU WILL.
(Dr. Mark Sawyer, Infectious Disease Specialist)
The reason one person gets very sick and another doesn't isn't a function of the virus, that's a function of the person's immune system and any underlying conditions they may have."

SAWYER SAYS GOOD HANDWASHING, GETTING THE VACCINE, AND STAYING AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK IS STILL HIS BEST RECOMMENDATION FOR BATTLING SWINE FLU.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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