Skip the Swine Flu Parties

A new trend has popped up around the world since the novel H1N1 swine flu became a pandemic. Swine flu parties. This is where people gather to intentionally expose themselves (or their children) to a person with a known swine flu infection. They believe by exposing themselves and catching the illness now, they will build up their immunity and hopefully avoid catching it if it becomes more serious or deadly in the future.

The problem is that no one knows how the virus will affect them until they have it. It seems to be killing people in all age groups (unlike the seasonal flu which typically only seriously affects the very old and very young). So just because you are young and healthy doesn't mean the virus will necessarily be "mild" for you.

These types of "parties" have been around for years among parents who want their children to catch diseases such as chickenpox naturally rather than giving them vaccines. Unfortunately, they just aren't safe and really aren't a good idea. So while the swine flu is nothing to panic about, it's also not something you want to go out and get intentionally either. It's really best to avoid it if you can.