Practically everyone would have been panicking yesterday when it was revealed that the country has finally been hit by swine flu.

Malta is a nation of hypochondriacs and the news will have sent a good portion of the population out to the chemists’ to stock up on anti-viral drugs.

But the truth is that it was, as PS Mario Galea put it, only a matter of when, and not if, H1N1 Swine Flu came to Malta. Having said that, despite Malta’s constant stream of tourist arrivals, the general public lulled itself into a false sense of security, thinking that it would never happen.

Of course, as confirmed yesterday, there have been four cases that tested positive for the virus, and another three showing symptoms will be tested this morning.

Rather than panic, it was decided to propose the idea of self quarantine and this was accepted. The people concerned were provided with medication and advice on how best to treat the flu.

The key here is not to panic. Panicking, with people walking about with masks and whatnot will not do anyone any good. The economic climate is not at all healthy and (excuse the pun), it cannot afford any more sneezes.

The fact is that Swine Flu has crossed borders. Malta was the only country in the EU that had not registered any cases until yesterday, but it is proof that no matter how insular a society, global matters will affect us. In a way, it is like the economic crisis. Although we were shielded for a good amount of time, it caught up with us in the end and the same must be said of the H1N1 flu strain.

One is sure that everyone will frantically be digging out the advice leaflets that were posted through letterboxes around Malta, and that is a good thing. To borrow a catchphrase from British TV, which we receive here in Malta, the thing to remember is: “Catch it, bin it, kill it.”

What this essentially means is, sneeze into a tissue, throw the said tissue into a waste bin, and most importantly, wash your hands afterwards.

What people should bear in mind is that the common strain of influenza can also kill and it spreads in exactly the same way. Body fluids and breathing are perhaps the worst spreaders of a virus and if a person sneezes or touches their nose and then a work surface, Bob’s your uncle, you have left a trail for someone else to pick up.

At the end of the day, when colds and flu break out when children go back to school, we are always more careful. We wash our hands more often and if we are ill, we stay at home. So in reality, there is not that much more that can be done. As always, if one is ill, then they should seek out a GP, preferably with a home visit. While not denying that H1N1 should be taken seriously, it should be pointed out that seasonal influenza accounts for between 250,000 and 300,000 deaths per year. Out of 77,200 cases of Swine Flu, there have been 332 deaths so far.

So yes, be careful, make sure you wash your hands regularly, seek out a GP and rest. Panicking and rushing to health centres will not help, it will probably increase the chance of actually contracting the virus.