Yup, it may seem hard to believe, but there’s been talk among households of having “swine flu parties”, similar to the measle parties that used to occur years ago. The hope is that by getting infected with what for many has been a mild disease, people infected now will have built up immunity if the virus resurfaces in a more virulent form later.

The CDC of course, is against such notions. Yes, the disease hasn’t caused many deaths. However, what makes this pandemic worrisome is that those who are likely to develop severe illness or die are children and adults younger than 60. This is one of the hallmarks of a pandemic. If there are underlying respiratory illnesses, children/adults are at greater risk of developing complications.

The elderly, who are normally at higher risk of morbidity and mortality from other influenza viruses, likely have immunological protection from exposure to previous influenza epidemics – hence the notion of “swine flu parties”.

The CDC is recommending that people with the H1N1 (Swine) flu virus avoid contact with others as much as possible by staying home from work or school for 7 days or at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved – whichever is longer.

So don’t take chances with your child’s or your own health – avoid “swine flu parties”.