***SWINE FLU INFO***

THE SIX THINGS YOU *ACTUALLY* NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SWINE FLU:

Yesterday, the federal government declared a public health emergency to deal with SWINE FLU . . . which begs the question: Just what is swine flu? With that in mind, here are the six things you REALLY need to know about the swine flu outbreak.

#1.) What is swine flu and how do you get it? --Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by the Influenza virus . . . also known as the flu . . . that's common in pigs. People can become infected with swine flu by interacting with infected pigs or with other people who are infected . . . but it's pretty rare.

-- You CANNOT contract swine flu by eating infected pork.

#2.) How many people are infected with swine flu? --As of last night, 20 cases of swine flu had been detected in five U.S. states . . . California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas. Only one of those people required hospitalization. In Mexico, where the outbreak started, more than 1,600 swine flu cases have been detected . . . and 103 people have died. Swine flu infections have also been reported in Canada, Israel, Spain, France, Colombia and New Zealand . . . but not yet confirmed.

#3.) What happens when you get swine flu?--The symptoms of swine flu are similar to regular flu symptoms . . . including fever, coughing, loss of energy and lack of appetite. Some people also get a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

#4.) How likely is it that swine flu will turn into a pandemic?--According to the World Health Organization, swine flu is NOT a pandemic . . . meaning a worldwide epidemic . . . because there haven't been that many cases, relatively speaking. And the cases that have been detected have been pretty isolated. That said, viruses can be unpredictable . . . and officials still don't know all that much about this particular strain. It could become a pandemic . . . or it could go away in a matter of days. They just don't know.

#5.) How likely are you to DIE if you get swine flu?--Not that likely. But just to be safe, the federal government has released roughly 12 MILLION doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

#6.) Why is everyone so worried about swine flu? --Because people worry about EVERYTHING they don't understand. Since we don't know that much about swine flu, people are losing their ever-loving minds over it. You should know this by now. (Yahoo News / ABC News / London Times / Sky News)

-- So what can you take from this? Well, you probably don't need to lose sleep worrying about swine flu. But just in case it's something we need to worry about, the government is keeping a close eye on it. In other words, we may be overreacting about swine flu . . . and we may not be. But since we just don't know . . . we're playing it safe.

By the way, 103 swine flu deaths in Mexico might sound like a lot . . . but let's put it in perspective . . . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36,000 Americans die EVERY YEAR of flu-related causes. That's just the regular flu.