Swine flu is serious - but do not panic

Officials raised the risk level to phase five of six '“ suggesting the strain of the illness, which originated in Mexico, could spread all around the globe.

Phase six would signal a full-blown pandemic, which would be the first since the 1968 outbreak of Hong Kong flu.

More than 170 people have died in Mexico and five people in the UK have contracted the illness after visiting the country, including a 12-year-old girl from Torbay.

But are we panicking unnecessarily?

The warning from the World Health Organisation is flagging up the need for every country in the world to get emergency medical measures in place should a pandemic break out.

In this country, the NHS is checking its stocks of anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu, to which a couple of newly-weds from Falkirk, the first in the UK to fall victim to the swine flu, are said to be responding to well.

Stocks of the anti-virals are being increased from enough to cover 33 million people to enough to treat 50 million.

Surgical masks with respirators are being given to front line medical staff and there are a number of public health campaigns underway to make people aware of the disease and how to prevent it from spreading.

A helpline is being set up and people can ring 0800 151 3513 for recorded details about the virus.

So in short, Bexhill and the rest of the country should be well prepared should the bug cease to be contained as so many fear.

It is sensible to take these precautions against swine flu '“ forewarned is forearmed '“ but it is so easy to be drawn into the hype surrounding the virus.

Yes, swine flu is a particularly nasty strain of the illness which has had tragic consequences in Mexico, but that is no reason why we shouldn't all be carrying on as normal.

With luck, and the measures placed by health services both here and abroad, we should escape seeing the situation deteriorating much further.