353 people have died from swine flu in USA. Should we be concerned?

Over four thousand individuals in the United States die from the "regular" influenza annually. Those most at risk for developing complications from the swine flu include pregnant women, infants, elderly, those with a weakened immune system, and so on which is the same for the common flu. In addition, this is not the first outbreak of swine flu in the United States.It appeared in the 70's but we did not have the resources for all the media coverage.

I work at a hospital with very sick people everyday and have yet to been sick, thankfully. Washing hands, staying hydrated, and all the other things we do to avoid similar illnesses should be practiced. Honestly, I think that while there is some cause for alarm that all the media coverage has blown it even more out of proportion.

If we covered flu season the same way, people would be petrified. Still, I do believe that it is serious as with any other illness that can cause death.

No, 350 deaths is nothing to be concern about, there is an average of 3000 deaths a year from the standard flu.

Over four thousand individuals in the United States die from the "regular" influenza annually. Those most at risk for developing complications from the swine flu include pregnant women, infants, elderly, those with a weakened immune system, and so on which is the same for the common flu. In addition, this is not the first outbreak of swine flu in the United States.

It appeared in the 70's but we did not have the resources for all the media coverage. I work at a hospital with very sick people everyday and have yet to been sick, thankfully. Washing hands, staying hydrated, and all the other things we do to avoid similar illnesses should be practiced.

Honestly, I think that while there is some cause for alarm that all the media coverage has blown it even more out of proportion. If we covered flu season the same way, people would be petrified. Still, I do believe that it is serious as with any other illness that can cause death.

353 deaths is not a particularly high toll. It's out of 43852 cases, a death rate of just under 1%. That seems like a lot, but it's only for cases that get reported to hospitals.

Most flu cases go unnoticed, or are self-treated at home. For comparison, in an ordinary year, there are 100,000 hospitalizations and 20,000 deaths. It is definitely to be treated with caution, but then, flu is always to be treated with caution.

Wash your hands, and get the vaccine if you're in a vulnerable group. It may get worse as cold weather draws in, pushing people more inside, where the flu can spread more easily. At that point it could become cause for concern.

Currently, though, it is far too early to be concerned in particular.

No, the death toll so far shouldn't be a very big concern. As other people have pointed out, a lot more people die from regular flu. There is a concern though that the swine flu might come back with a vengeance this upcoming winter and a vaccine is being developed which should be available soon to people considered to be at higher levels of risk.

Older people surprisingly are at lower risk because more of them have already been exposed to it decades ago and still may have some immunity.