13,000 Americans dead from Flu since beginning of year

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How many people have fallen ill with flu during this time? Only by knowing the death rate can one possibly compare the impact of regular flu and the potential swine flu pandemic.

You are 100% correct and since none of the Americans that have the Swine Flu have died from it I'm guessing the death rate for "regular" flu is currently higher than for that of the Swine Flu.  This is true for every country in the world except Mexico. (and it may be true there as well, we'll probably never know)

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I suppose, but with so few actually dead it's kind of hard to tell.

The worst part may be this fall if it follows the same as the 1918 flu.

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I really don't give a crap if the flu is killing a couple thousand old people.

What if those old people were your parents?

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Second, I'm more worried that my mom is going to die of breast cancer, a disease that she is actually fighting. 

My best wishes are with her. My grandmother fought that horrid disease and won the battle.