I am currently on my back, in bed, sick as a dog.

Well, more accurately, sick as a pig.

I leave the training center at four in the afternoon with a mild head-ache. When I get home, I have chills, neck-aches, a sore throat and a high fever. This is in three hours time! So it's off to the doctor the next morning.

The doctor's let me know that I probably have swine flu. In fact, most of the flu cases in South Africa today have a very big chance of being swine flu.

I can't send away blood samples for tests though.

Medical aids have gotten a bit skittish about the sudden influx of swine flu tests and are trying to deter it by only paying for tests that come back positive. The price of a lab test is about R800 at the moment. That's a lot of money to most of us.

So the doctor informed me that I probably have swine flu as I have all the symptoms. We will monitor my condition through the weekend and then decide again whether or not I need to take more extreme measures to combat this illness.

With regards to the illness itself, I would like to debunk some myths about it. Swine flu is not the new killer virus. It is not Ebola or the Marburg virus. It's a flu virus. Just like any other flu virus.

So why all the hype about the virus then? I don't know. Once again the media has taken a topic and ran with it. Maybe because it's a influenza strain that can infect pigs as well, the story became so much more sensational? There really is nothing to worry about. The reported deaths so far are normal. Probably about the same amount or even more people die from regular influenza. Also, don't forget that you never die from the virus itself. You die from complications caused by the virus. The virus tackles your immune system, making you more susceptible to other illnesses like pneumonia or bronchitis. If you are not looked after by a medical health practitioner, it is these illnesses that could lead to your death.

When should you be worried? Well, one thing that seems to be clear at the moment are that pregnant women are more susceptible to the virus than any other group of people. Of the eight reported deaths in South Africa so far, three of them have been pregnant women. I think pregnant women should be extra careful with regards to whom they mingle with, etc. Cancel those party plans, don't hold a children's party. Rather be safe.

We must also remember that we live in South Africa, a country with a high prevalence for illnesses like HIV, Tuberculosis and other diseases that already tackle your immune system. The one thing that is common about the swine flu virus, is the ease with which it is spreading. It's no wonder the WHO have declared that swine flu is in the Pandemic stage of it's infection of humans.

So what are we to do? If you have the virus, it's as easy as taking a good rest, isolating your exposure to the public as much as possible and using your anti-biotic and anti-viral medication. Obviously, seeing a doctor would be a good idea. When you think you are developing complications from the virus, see a doctor immediately. This is just common sense, people!

Whatever you do, do not panic. Those lab tests are quite expensive for a panic attack.