Originally Posted by
kalia960
Thousands die of regular flu every year in the US and in India, they just don't make headlines. A couple of hundred (or so) have died of H1N1 so far in India, a country of 1 billion --OK, probably more unrecorded, given the poverty, but still, so far it's not a big deal. Swine flu is not shaping up to be a lethal epidemic, just somewhat more virulent than a typical flu season.
There are all kinds of germs in India, not just what you read in the paper: diarrheal diseases (including cholera); malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, encephalitis, kala azar, bilharzia, west nile, filariasis, leprosy, cutaneous anthrax, bubonic and pneumonic plague... Also you may die in a road accident (much dangerous driving there), snakebite, rabid monkey bite, elephant stampede, etc.
OK, I admit that the mortality rate due to elephant stampedes is quite low. But the others are all things that happen.
Best not to go to India. Give up the money you paid, and count your blessings.
I know you are being sarcastic and it is amusing...not terribly helpful but amusing.
I agree that the swine flu thing here was overblown. There was one case found out here in Chennai 2 or 3 months ago and the media called it an outbreak. Tamiflu sales rocketed...even illegal outlets sold out. Everyone freaked out and hospitals were full.
I do not have a child so I can't speak for the OP but he has to do what he thinks is in his and his family's best interest. I personally do not regard Mumbai and Pune unsafe and I think his GP is a little off.