This Sunday we have a guest post from Dena White.

In the past weeks, it has become increasingly difficult to avoid news reports related to swine flu, or the H1N1 virus. One of the most intriguing developments is the way individuals are taking to the web, or more specifically to social media, in order to connect with others on the swine flu issue. The size of the buzz around swine flu is ever expanding, surpassing topics such as the salmonella scare surrounding peanut butter earlier this year. There are even more people talking about swine flu than there are the Jon & Kate break-up.

One way to gauge just how far the extent of the Internet involvement in the swine flu is through Wikipedia. The page they have dedicated to the swine influenza virus has literally been updated as much as a hundred times in a single week. Wikipedia built an additional page dedicated to the swine flu outbreak of 2009 with current information on the virus. In fact, this page has been updated hundreds of times.

Swine flu is also an old Facebook friend as well. You will find more than five hundred groups on Facebook that are dedicated to the subject. The largest groups on this site have tens of thousands of members.

You have probably heard a lot about the social media site, Twitter. In recent weeks, more and more people are "tweeting" about swine flu and related topics. In the first week of May this year, more than ten thousand people were tweeting about swine flu every hour.

The concern is that the discussions on these sites are creating fear about the virus that is not necessary. The main cause for concern is misinformation that tends to get jumbled up in the helpful information related to swine flu. You will also see a lot of people making jokes that reference swine flu as well; however, the biggest discussions seem to focus on the need to connect with one another to discuss the real issues surrounding the epidemic.

Amongst all of the blogs and tweets about swine flu, another voice chimes in: the government. Leveraging a number of various channels on the Internet, the Centers for Disease Control provides a rational point of view in the swine flu discussion. In the process, the CDC is paving the way for anyone who may be wondering if social media can be used as a method of communication in a time of crisis.

There are a number of accounts for the CDC on Twitter, however, @CDC_eHealth and @CDCemergency are used to post updates related to swine flu. The @CDCemergeny account is where you can find additional information as well as tips on how to avoid swine flu. The @CDC_eHealth account is updated less frequently; however, the information is straightforward and includes links as well as an 800 number to call for more information on the virus.

More than 60,000 people follow the @CDCemergency account on Twitter. There were only a mere six or seven hundred following the updates that were related to the peanut butter salmonella crisis a few months ago.

The swine flu discussion on the Internet keeps growing at an astounding pace that far surpasses the rate of any new diagnoses. Be sure to keep logging in to see how the discussions develop in coming days.

Dena White is a freelance author and writes about healthcare career topics, such as how to obtain a nursing degree, tips for job advancement, and more.

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