"I think we'll end up seeing what this virus is truly capable of if it lingers around long enough for actual flu season to hit." --the JAPR

Well, congratulations JAPR.  My updated bet is that we very well might see just that.

[edit] http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com/ is the newest, most updated flu-tracker out there[ /edit]

The swine flu still is relatively harmless and has a minuscule death rate, but still it is now apparent that it is not going away any time soon.  The current count in the USA is nearing 25,000 cases and globally is approaching 50,000.  (I'm mildly confused why it is spreading so rapidly in the US, but I've heard multiple accounts of artificially decreasing numbers of cases in some countries... nothing new to China according to recent decades of data, but the same report in the UK?  THAT is surprising to me, but still convincingly apparent this time.)

I was not in any way concerned until the last couple months when the increase in infection rate went from almost perfectly linear to something more troubling.  From February to May, it was looking like a basically harmless linear progression.  But from April to June, the rate jumped to a much more ... unfortunate growth rate.  Bottom line:  Doubling in a month = no biggy.  Quadrupling in the following month = not so "no biggy".  Still not in any panic-mode but not so "no biggy" as before.  The WHO and other organizations have upped their threat levels to basically as high as they go given that they're not dealing with a "Captain Tripps" situation... which would basically never happen anyway.  The media has lost interest since so few are dying... oh how boring that is... but we have reason at least to be conscious of it.

In addition to all this, we now have it in my area in decent numbers and the fact that I walk through a hospital every day to get to work doesn't increase my comfort level.

Anyway, just get to the normal doctor if you get flu symptoms in the coming year... as I said before... no ER flooding.  That's just not necessary.  Eat well, sleep well, excercise well, reduce stress... etc.

FYI, in recent years, stress of almost all kinds has been directly and very significantly linked to immune suppression.  It's not an old wives' tale anymore.  It's fo realz.  Get yo destressin' on.