Swine flu not a sign of last days

Each year the Centers for Disease Control estimates-36,000 people die from flu-related illnesses.

Every year, more than 200,000 are hospitalized for the flu. The CDC reports that between 5 and 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu each year. That's between 15 and 60 million people.

Nobody knows how many people actually die, because states are not required to report individual cases or the deaths of people older than 18. Testing for flu is not something that happens unless there's a reason.

According to the CDC, the test for flu must be conducted within a week of infection to be effective.

Most people who have the flu don't have the infection confirmed, which is why Nevada health officials believe swine flu may have been here for some time, but no one noticed because the version was so mild.

The swine flu is getting a lot of attention this spring because it hit late in the year and it feeds a lot of folks' worst fears.

Until this week, health officials were looking at a pretty mild year for the flu.

So far there have been fewer than 110 cases of the swine flu in the United States and a single death. The case in Reno has been reported to be a mild one.

The best advice has been repeated again and again. Cover your mouth when you cough. If you're sick, stay home. If you're really sick, seek medical attention.

Here's hoping that swine flu remains a blip on the news radar screen, more a source for vicarious frights than for actual concern.