SWINE FLU WARNING: Ministry Warns Heavy Metal Fans Not To Kiss or Share Beer

[FarCenter]

By Markus Becker

You can easily catch a cold in a crowd. So imagine what you might get, living cheek to jowl with 75,000 heavy metal fans for three days. Officials in one German state know this and have issued a swine flu warning to those heading for the biggest heavy metal festival in the world this week.

For 362 days a year there are around 2,000 people living in the small country town of Wacken, in deepest, rural Schleswig-Holstein, a German state at the country's northern tip. During the other three days of the year the population swells to around 75,000. This is because on those days, the biggest open-air heavy metal festival in the world -- named Wacken, after its host town -- takes place here, on around 200 hectares of paddock (that's around 270 football fields worth). Starting this Thursday, Wacken is home to tens of thousands of black-clad heavy metallers who just want to party.

But the officials of Schleswig-Holstein have expressed concern about one unwelcome guest in particular: swine flu. The state Health Ministry said on Wednesday that they had prepared "sufficient quantities of anti-viral medicine" just in case the H1N1 virus made it to Wacken and did its unholy work among festival goers.

If this happens, certain measures would need to be taken.

As ministry official's said, somewhat dryly, in a statement that they realized that "hygienic conditions were limited" at the festival. Which is why the civil servants thought they might give the heavy metallers a few useful tips.

They include: "Avoid greetings that involve close contact -- such as hugs, hand-shaking and kissing cheeks." Or: "Don't share your beer bottles." Additionally, any heavy metal fans who suddenly develop a fever or who feel sick, "should make their way to onsite medical centers as quickly as possible and follow the instructions of staff there."

No cuddling, no pushing, don't leave your beer unattended, don't exchange any fluids and do what the authorities tell you? It's enough to make a metaller want to ask: What are we actually going to do here?

<snip>http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,639351,00.html

[graywarrior]

1. "did its unholy work among festival goers"

That's so Harry Potterish.

[JohnnyLib2]

2. NOW, I'm worried.

:scared:

[Canuckistanian]

3. Do they get a lot of babies and sick, elderly people at heavy metal concerts?

Healthy young people don't usually have to worry about getting killed by a flu virus.

[The Straight Story]

4. No, but if they get it and go home and spread it to granny

or kids...

[Canuckistanian]

10. That's true

But I don't see why a heavy metal concert is any more of a risk than, say, a local festival.

[OnyxCollie]

8. Young adults were more likely to contract the 1918 flu than children and the aged. nt

[Canuckistanian]

9. The 1918 flu was very different from H1N1

If fact, they're still invstigating why so many young adults died during the 1918 epidemic. It was unusual for a flu to affect young, healthy people so much.

[MercutioATC]

12. Most influenza viruses, no....this one, yes.

This is actually good advice.

[Forkboy]

5. Oh yeah, the people at Wacken Fest will surely heed this advice.

:rofl:

[Karenina]

13. No chance.

I played there long time ago. It was... eraaa... rustic.

[BadgerKid]

6. Wait til Oktoberfest (6+ million people).

:beer: g'suffa!

[NNN0LHI]

7. Passing a doobie around the arena is probably out too

[Generic Other]

11. No kissin', wacken or headbangin'

OK.

[Echo In Light]

15. Metal fans likely won't get too worked up over the warnings

I was a drummer in heavy metal bar bands for several yrs, so, trust me on that one...ha

[CrownPrinceBandar]

14. Al's just looking out for us........