That is inaccurate. Learn something about a topic before you post about it. Your opinion about individual creativity is irrelevant to historical facts of JPN scientific tradition.

LOL – that’s a good one. Japan is hardly a well known bastion of scientific anything. You have to encourage individual creativity, not cadres of yes men to actually discover new things.

Actually, I was just going to say that it must have been the news that sparked fear into people’s hearts in Japan. I wouldn’t say the same thing in the US, but then again, when the first few cases (and US deaths) from the flu were first reported it was on the news stations a lot. I got sick of hearing about it. I don’t know what sources or what information the Japanese news stations had on the situation, but the stations here of course had the most leading information on the disease because of the fact that it was Mexico whom had a lot of the cases and the US had to react to a neighbor having this outbreak.

Anyway, like many of the “causionaries” that the news here announced (basics to prevent the spread of disease, like colds), people in Japan wear masks to prevent the spread of disease, but usually only if they have the disease in the first place. I guess the reverse can also be true.

But, as one person already said on here (“What’s the deal with Japan and this flu?”), because of Japan basically having a high population density, if a few cases break out, it could potentially spread fast (and like in the movie kansen rettou, it shows the absolute worst of what could happen to Japan if a case were to break out and spread).

Hyogo-ken BOE has forbidden students from scheduling trips to other countries. Yoka HS was forced to cancel its trip to Korea in June.

We are also advised NOT TO LEAVE HYOGO. Read that again. Yeah, this country is full of crazies.

Also, a lot of the Japanese exchange students at my uni have had to go home because of it.

1. The current strain is mild, yes, but is following the exact patterns of the outbreak in 1957 killing 4 million people after it spread, was mild, and returned mutated into a monster the next flu season. Humans who get it can reinfect pigs

2. The more deadly bird flu virus is present in the East. 60 to 70 % of people directly infected with this virus has died so far. China is not exactly forthcoming with their data, but their actions are getting suspiciously panicky..

3. A foremost expert in this field in China has now stated that the current swine flu virus is highly unstable. Pigs in China in one of their provinces has been found to have the bird flu in their systems. (See? I read:) As far back as 2007

4. Pigs + unstable airborne human pig flu + bird flu in pigs = PANIC!!

(Any seats left on the Shuttle?)

Seriously, the CDC, WHO and others are on top of it, so don’t PANIC! ;0

Hate to say it, but an “I told you so” is in order.