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April of 2009 was when many of us first heard about the Swine Flu.

At first, it may have been enough to raise some question, but probably not something to lose sleep over. But in the days, weeks and months following the initial outbreak, Canadians became increasingly aware and frightened of the illness.

“I think because it was new,” said Ann Corner, of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, explaining the reasoning for the fear. “The big thing was that it was a new strain. We didn’t know what might happen until it was here.”

But in the end, the flu was milder than expected. People contracted it much easier, but most recovered.

In Canada, 422 deaths occurred, while there were 8,549 hospitalizations. The total amount of Canadians who contracted the flu is still unknown, said Corner.

“Media coverage presented it in one manner, and possibly that the threat was more than it was,” she said.

During the H1N1 scare, the health unit did send out regular media briefings, and its medical experts held daily press conferences.

But as many people are aware, the media thrives on sensitization, creating news stories that people want to hear, in turn, attracting viewers. In an unscientific poll conducted online through my website, 51 per cent of respondents stated they believed the media has a negative effect on society.

And 83 per cent of respondents also believe that the media overreacted to H1N1.

"H1N1 was taken cautiously by health professionals. However, the media took the publicity of the outbreak to an entirely new level,” said an anonymous respondent, during the poll.

Look back on the many months of the swine flu; how many times can you recall hearing a story about someone surviving? Probably very few.

Better yet, what about the story of a little girl with an undiagnosed neuromuscular disease who beat the odds and survived the flu?

Jaida Cumberland isn’t an average six-year-old. Ever since she has been about sixmonths old, she’s been faced with countless medical obstacles. One of them being her reaction to catching a cold or flu. Due to her condition, she has very weak swallow and reflexes, which greatly reduces her ability to keep her airway clear. High fevers and obstructive sleep apnea are also contributing factors to Jaida’s difficulty with overcoming colds.

“I was really worried about (the flu), and it was one of the most important things in my mind when I was talking to her conflict care team,” says Helen Sykes, Jaida’s mom.

Sykes planned on getting the vaccine when it was released to Jaida and her family, to reduce the chances of contracting the illness. But instead, Jaida caught the flu.

“We just acted immediately.” Sykes says. “(We) took it very seriously.”

Despite the many difficulties, Jaida overcame the flu. While Jaida may not have gotten as sick as anticipated, Sykes gives credit to Tammyflu for this. She says the family was able to get Jaida on Tammyflu very quickly, which greatly reduced some of the expected symptoms. However, had they waited, she believes Jaida would have been in trouble, due to her condition.

Both Jaida’s mother and father caught and recovered from the flu, while her brother Wade got the vaccine and stayed healthy.

While getting the vaccine is a choice, the health unit recommended it. The vaccine offered a greater possibility of overcoming the flu as a population, says Corner.

“I believe that it is everyone's right to make-up their own opinions on things that directly affect the lives of themselves or their family members,” said another anonymous poll respondent. “The media could do a better job at putting more positivity in the media.”

That being said, local H1N1 rates are down, and there hasn’t been a reported case in over two weeks, said Corner.