Swine Flu on Social Media

April 28, 2009

Thanks to the web and social media, you can get information to help you, your friends and your family know what to do during all this swine flu madness. Information is power, and in the case of the current flu explosion around the world, the traditional news media has gone into crisis mode. Its definitely scary, but freaking out about what might happen isn’t going to help, and watching the news 24 hours a day will only make people feel worse.

If you’re looking for current, practical news, start at the CDC’s website (aka the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). They’ve created a special swine flu section where all the latest information on the flu is being compiled. Most other government and major sites, including WhiteHouse.gov and RedCross.org, are sending people there for details, so its your best bet for up-to-date-information on the activities related to swine flu in the U.S. For information from around the world, the Flu Wiki is a great, user generated site.

According to Mashable, on Monday tweets about the swine flu were at about 10,000 an hour–a huge trend, but given that a bunch of those were jokes, retweets and general silliness, its hard to know how much of that was useful info. If you want to follow some legitimate sources on Twitter, check out:

Google Maps also has a map that is tracking cases and deaths online. Hundreds of swine flu groups have popped up on Facebook, from “Swine Flu Awareness” to “Swine Flu is a Lie.” These might not be the best resources for info, unless of course you agree that this is a hoax.

AND, you can’t get the swine flu from eating pork!

Richard Besser, the acting head of the CDC , said concern is good if it drives planning and action. There is no way to prevent the flu, but you can do some things to limit your risk. And they are simple!

Wash your hands, well, with soap and hot water
Cover your cough with your arm, sleeve, shoulder–not your hands
If you are feeling sick, STAY HOME–don’t take your germs to school or work, and risk infecting others. If you think you have the flu, call a doctor. If you are sick, they might need to make arrangements for you to come in so you can get checked out

The Red Cross has a sheet with simple tips you can print out and use at your church, office, school, or other places where people (and their germs) gather. Feel free to print one as a reminder for what to do.

This is a legitimate, serious issue–every year 36,000 people die from seasonal flu, so its nothing to sneeze at (no pun intended). But it is possible to feel a little bit more in control of the situation with up-to-date details and some easy steps to get prepared.

(Disclosure: I work for the American Red Cross).