I am scared! What will happen if I get swine flu? Will I have to go to the hospital? Will I die? Will I catch swine flu from eating pork?

Many people have questions about the swine flu, or H1N1 flu. This article will give you some information about the virus and look at how the Christian faith can provide comfort and support amid fear and uncertainty.

What Is the Threat?
Last month, Nurse Mary Pappas of St. Francis Preparatory School in New York saw the line of sick students outside her door grow longer and longer. She did not know what was ailing all the children, but she could see that whatever it was, it was spreading. After consulting with the principal and then government health officials, Pappas sent every sick student home. Sixty-nine of those students were later confirmed as having contracted H1N1 flu. Already the students at St. Francis Preparatory School are recovering. The school has reopened even though 200 were still out on May 4, its first day in session since closing due to the flu.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 25% of people in the United States and 32% of those with children were worried about getting H1N1 flu. Administrators at a school in Louisiana with 199 children absent believed that many of the parents were keeping their kids home, even when they were not sick, because the parents were afraid of H1N1 flu. In Egypt, even though there have not yet been infections reported, the government ordered the slaughter of the country’s pigs as a precaution. Egypt has fallen under much criticism because of this drastic measure. Health and other government officials have been working to respond to these fears. The World Health Organization’s switch to using the H1N1 flu scientific name instead of “swine flu” was made in part to reduce the fears of people concerned about the safety of pork.

Now, as reports are emerging that the H1N1 flu outbreak may not be as serious as first believed, it is a good time to sort through our worries. As we claim and name our fears, we can find practical ways to deal with H1N1 flu.

What Is H1N1 Flu?
H1N1 is a virus similar to the influenza viruses that strike many humans every year. The transmission of H1N1 into humans has surprised health officials and was not addressed in the regular flu vaccination process.

Due to the similarities with other kinds of flu, every instance of a person with flu-like symptoms is initially treated as a potential H1N1 flu case. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for the identification of the virus. On April 29, WHO increased its pandemic alert to Phase 5. Although a pandemic is not formally recognized until Phase 6, WHO notes, “While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent.” (The virus’s pandemic status has to do with how it spreads, not how severe it is or how many people it kills.)

“Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan when announcing alert level 5. Both Chan and President Barack Obama said that the world is now better prepared due to efforts engaged following the H5N1 bird flu outbreak of just a few years ago. However, even with those preparations, leaders are urging caution. “New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood,” Chan said. “Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour.” As of May 3, the state of the virus in Mexico was declared to be in a declining phase. Unfortunately, by that time it had spread to Europe and a total of 18 countries worldwide. Spain was the hardest hit with at least 40 confirmed cases.

What Can We Do?
Many youth have fears and concerns about H1N1 flu and how it might spread at school or among sports teams. The best way to ease these fears is to help youth better understand what H1N1 flu is and what it isn’t and what they can do to prevent the spread of the virus. Encourage youth to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough and to wash their hands thoroughly afterwards. The Center for Disease Control has additional recommendations for preventing the spread of H1N1 flu here.

In addition to taking precautions to keep the virus from spreading, the church is called to care for the sick. Youth should not let fear keep them from reaching out to friends and peers who contract the virus (even if they don’t literally “reach out”). Because of the panic surrounding the illness, H1N1 flu carries with it a stigma that similar illnesses do not. Young people who catch the virus need to hear messages of love, support, and encouragement, whether through a card, a note on their Facebook wall, or a fresh cooked meal.

How Can Christian Faith Help Us?
Scripture reminds us that whatever happens, God is in charge. God is at work in the world—uplifting, comforting, healing.

From plagues to purity laws, from leprosy to blindness, God’s people have sought ways to respond to disease and illness. Many of the laws in the Old Testament have to do with cleansing and treatment of diseases. Jesus’ ministry was deeply involved with healing. During the time of Jesus, people continued to attribute sickness to sin. In one encounter with some of the Pharisees who thought that a man born blind had either sinned or his parents had sinned, “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him’” (John 9:3). Luke 5:17-26 tells a poignant story of a paralyzed man whose friends brought him to Jesus and lowered him through the roof. The action of the friends offers a model for how we might care for those who are sick, Jesus’ willingness to heal demonstrates God’s desire for healing. Jesus never refused to heal anyone, even those who were not one of his own people. Human need always took priority over ritual practice.

As we continue to learn more about H1N1 flu, we—as Christians and as people who minister to youth—need to remember and affirm that God is in control and that we cannot allow fear to control us. Practically, we need to stay informed about this virus and educate the youth whom we serve; we need to take precautions to avoid spreading the virus and encourage the youth and families we work with to do the same; and we need to reach out in love and support to those who contract this virus.

Here are a few questions you can use to discuss H1N1 flu with your youth:

• What worries, fears, and questions do you have about H1N1 flu?


• What do you think about the ways in which your school, our church, our community, and our nation responded to this outbreak?


• How can our youth ministry show love and support to people affected by H1N1 flu and other illnesses?


• Read Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 5:25-34; and John 9:1-12. What can we learn from Jesus’ example about responding to illness?


• How is God present during outbreaks of disease?

Adapted from an article by Andrew Schleicher, Dave Barnhart, and Pamela Dilmore for Faithlink.