"I think swine flu is very different from a normal flu because I just couldn't get out of bed."

Stop it all of you! I now fancy Mexican food now and I'm immunocompromised! ?

Should I stop eating bacon? Even if it's cured?

Necrotizing fasciitis anyone?

No, if it's cured it's obviously fine.

Because it's cured. Duh.

God, we get some dimwits round these parts.

Will they cure it with anti-virals? If I use the pork chops in the freezer, perhaps I could melt down my pills and use as a marinade before I eat it...?

Yes, that should work. And I'm married to someone medical, so you can absolutely trust my judgement.

Incidentally, has anyone made a link between "swine flu" and flying pigs? If not, can I claim the copyright and royalties?

Each time I've heard it on the radio , I keep singing 'spider pig , spider pig'

I know, a bad cold can be on a par with a mild flu and is certainly a good enough reason to have a day or two off work (as opposed to a week which is what you probably need with flu). You can still have a sky-high temp with a cold but it's the stuffed up head that has kept me off work before- I'm capable of standing up etc but logical thought is impossible when you're thinking through cotton wool.

My mum always used to tell me that how you know the difference is that if someone tells you there's a £50 note for you if you go outside and get it, with a cold you could get yourself there but with flu you wouldn't even be able to find the energy to be bothered. I'm not sure I've ever had it as an adult. It sounds like the lady quoted did have flu but whether it was swine flu is not really evident from what she's said. She's obviously never had proper flu before!

? hun!

US State Department are to issue advice saying people should avoid any non-essential travel to Mexico. Between that and the advice from the EU Health Secretary, it won't be long until the UK FO offer the same advice, meaning travellers will be able to cancel/rebook/change their travel plans.

The results are due back from Lanarkshire soon and I bet advice will follow soon after that. They have said the plans are evolving hourly.

I am appalled that Hitchers are not taking this crisis seriously.

I have been on Gin & Echinacea since noon and will continue until this evil virus is beaten, or mankind becomes extinct, whichever is sooner.

Or possibly until I fall down

My Mum has advised me not to travel to Buenos Aires as 'it's very close to mexico isn't it?'

bless

My mum rang last night, all of a fluster, Dad has flu/ heavy cold, she is convinced it is because he's been to Mexico . . .

25 years ago!

Someone give me strength! ?

Sorry....I made a quip about swin flu and avian flu on facebook last night - we'll have a pandemic of sneezing, flying pigs.

Just because the FCO say non-essential travel doesn't stop the travel agents - that was the advice to Cuba last year during the hurricane (when we were due to go) and they were still flying people out there!

Alison, can individual companies still fly out there if ABTA have a ban? The ban is so far to Mexico City only but if they say no flights to Mexico, do the airlines have to listen?

? MF

I appreciate that you all find it highly amusing that people over-react in these situations but frankly I don't find the fact that over 100 people have lost their lives all that funny!

Yes, shame on all of you that have been laughing at dead Mexicans.

I would hope so Mrs M.....but knowing how hellish it was dealing with first choice back in september (now owned by thomson) I have discovered that travel agents are a law unto themselves in terms of looking after the needs of their clients. Initially they were letting people turn up at the airport thinking they were going to Guardalavaca only to be told they were going to Varadero or nowhere - nice eh? And even Varadero had been hit fairly badly by the hurricane, just no destroyed hotels.

So we shall wait and see....

People die for all sorts of reasons and obviously 100 people dying is tragic but just because people have died, it doesn't mean we can't make light of governments and public responses. 1000s of people die each year for normal flu yet when we have laughed at people thinking they have flu, nobody stops us then. The only reason people like yourself are 'offended' in this instance is because it's wall to wall on the news and normal flu deaths go unnoticed.

If you remove the stick from your ass you could sit back and enjoy this thread??

I understand what you are saying and you are right under normal circimstances I wouldn't have even heard about these deaths - maybe the goverment should totally ignore the problem instead?!

I've been Googling for ages to try to find a copy of that brilliant Pont cartoon from 1939/40, but have drawn a blank.

Anyway, it's called something like "London Gripped By Panic", and it shows a street scene full of Londoners so laid-back they're practically horizontal.

UPDATE: Having read some of the posts above, I now realise that Pont was callously mocking the victims of Nazism such as the Poles who lost their lives in the initial invasion, and I posted that description by way of criticism and censure, not approval. I also note that Pont died in 1940, almost certainly out of guilt and shame.

MRsM. I'm probably being a thickie but where can I see info about ABTA cancelling flights. I'm googling like a busy thing but can see nothing. TIA x

And now you're being completely ridiculous.

From what I can see, the government are handling this in an incredibly sensible and practical.

Someone from ABTA was interviewed on the 1pm news POD, on BBC. I'll have a look for a link for you too. x

Over three million people a year die from HIV / AIDS and they're pretty good at ignoring that problem...

Well, I shared an office with someone from Venezuela for years, and she's still a Facebook friend.

I'm a goner for sure, aren't I?

Hmmm... I've found this http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/travel/article-1173830/Holidaymakers-heading-Mexico-travel-say-ABTA-FCO.html which says the opposite but was at least an hour earlier I'm sure she did say they had put a ban on flights to Mexico City. Oddity odd. Sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

Alan Johnstone will be giving a statement on Swine Flu in the Commons shortly.

Mrs M - you should get the title of Hitched official travel news reporter - you're doing sterling work so far!

It could be like that Red Dwarf episode Quarantine - with the virus pounding through communication portals as we speak!

Cool, can't wait to catch it then, I look great in gingham.

? I'm not feeling well so I'm sitting bored in bed with the laptop and BBC News on the tellybox as there is nothing else on!

I need to head off now though so someone else will have to watch Alan Johnstone's statement for all the Hitched travellers. ?

WHO Emergency Committee meeting which has been brought forward by a day is happening now and there will be an additional statement from WHO with the latest updates when it's finished. It's expected the threat level will be increased to 4 or 5.