The Real risk of Swine flu H1 N1 is very low. Why are we so panicked by this, we need to look a little deeper.

Death Rates From the H1N1 Flu based on Statisitic from the US.

• If we use the 43,771 figure and 302 deaths that means the death rate is 0.6 percent, an extremely low death rate for any flu.

• The percentage of hospitalised patients who died was 6 percent, again a very low incidence of death.

• Since the CDC estimates that one million have been infected, we must recalculate death rates. Using this more accurate figure, the death rate is in truth 0.03 percent, which means 99.97percent will not die from this flu. Your chances of dying are incredibly low.

Age and Death Rates

We hear a lot about the unusual age distribution with this virus, especially as regards death rates, with the young being more affected than, as with seasonal flu, the elderly (90% of deaths are usually among those greater than 65 years old). The risks of becoming infected are as follows:

• Ages 5 to 24 y/o--------26.7 per 100,000 (0.027%)

• Ages 0 to 4 y/o ---------22.9 per 100,000 (0.023%)

• Ages 25 to 49-----------6.97 per 100,000 (0.0069%)

• Ages 50 to 64 y/o------3.9 per 100,000 (0.0039)

• Over 65 y/o-------------1.3 per 1000,000 (0.00013%)

And the risk of needing to be hospitalised are:

• Ages 0 to 4 y/o---------0.0045%

• Ages 5 to 24 y/o--------0.0021%

• Ages 25 to 45 y/o------0.0011%

• Over 65 y/o-------------0.0017%