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SALT LAKE CITY -- State officials are warning Utah parents against doing something that seems to be happening in other parts of the world. The BBC says parents in England are taking their children to swine flu parties.
The logic behind a swine flu Party is to expose children to the H1N1 virus, so they have a greater immunity to it the second time it comes around. The Utah Department of Health said this was a horrible idea.
Tom Hudachko, a state health department spokesman, said "We're spending a lot of time trying to stop the transmission of this disease."
Hudachko said he hadn't heard of any cases of this happening in Utah, and he hoped he never will. Even though the virus may seem mild from a state health perspective, Hudachko said it won't feel mild if you get it.
"From an individual perspective, even if you don't have a severe case that requires hospitalization, you are really sick when you get the flu," he said.
He said a vaccine will likely be made for the fall, and that was the best way to fight swine flu.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
