In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s an epidemic going around. It’s caused (according to Wikipedia) by a “reassortment of several strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1,” a virus also found in birds and swine, which explains why it’s called the swine flu. In addition to all the medical-related sites tracking breakouts of this disease around the globe, you’ve probably seen the mass coverage from Google, Facebook, Twitter (Twitterers are going crazy with this). Of course, the authorities on the issue, i.e., World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are also trying to post the latest news, but the “citizens” may be doing a better job of spreading the news.

WHO on Wednesday raised the pandemic alert to phase 5 (out of 6) and New Scientist magazine twittered that WHO Chief Margaret Chan “called for less hugging in response to #swineflu.” Certainly not an official statement, but it just goes to show how the news–along with the jokes and the panic–are spreading. No doubt, as great as social networking is at keeping us updated, it’s causing some people to either run out to deplete the local pharmacy’s stock of face masks, or just roll their eyes in skepticism.

This map of the United States shows the percentage of Facebook users in each region discussing ‘swine flu’ through Wall posts.