Everybody needs to breath deeply. Well, not so deeply if you happen to be in a crowded place full of possibly swine flu-infected neighbors, but let’s all relax nonetheless.

Swine flu is sweeping our continent, our county and our world, but there are some key factors we all would do well to remind ourselves of as we stock up on surgical masks and bottled water.

Number one: The flu is the flu. People that would have been at-risk when encountering any strain of the flu are those that are truly at-risk here. The events of the last week have been scary for primarily one big reason, we now have the unprecedented ability to watch a naturally-mutating virus spread in real-time. World health officials keep track like never before, and media outlets dispense updates immediately and globally.

Yes, everyone is vulnerable because no one has immunity to this brand-new virus, however, it is still the flu. We have all dealt with influenza before, it can just be very hard to see it coming from 20, or 200, miles away and be powerless to step out of its path. Usually we just turn up sick, deal with it and move on. All this hype could make anyone nervous.

Number two: Continued good health is all about prevention and constant vigilance. The translation is, listen to your body, practice good hygiene for yourself and others and immediately seek medical advice if you genuinely think you have been infected. Do not go to a doctor’s office if you are not fairly certain you have been infected with the virus, after all, who do you think has been sitting in the waiting room before you? We are all understandably concerned about potential illness, but we should also be concerned about holding up doctors from serving the truly ill, or exposing ourselves to this virus unnecessarily.

Number three: Stay home if you, or someone in your household, are sick. It’s just that simple, stay home.

Number four: In preparation for the possibility of number three, you may actually want to stock up this time around. Sometimes we can get a little bit silly around here with our bread-buying, water-hoarding behavior just before a cold snap. But this time, it is possible that stores, and those that deliver to them, may be understaffed or under-stocked in the near-term. Having a lot of people fall ill with the flu at the same time, or under self-quarantine, can do that. We are not saying go crazy and clear the shelves, just have enough for a few days on standby, so you aren’t sending infectious people to the store for bread.

Newberry County, whether we like it or not, appears to be at the epicenter of South Carolina’s outbreak of swine flu. Let’s brush up on our common-sense health measures, take a deep breath, and be the epicenter of how much a community can help its members, and return to good health.