H1N1, popularly known as the swine flu, has converted everyone I know, including myself, into total germophobes. I normally wasn’t the one with hand sanitizer, but now I seem to be using it every five seconds. 

My only wish now is for everyone’s mouth to be clean. 

Since the first day swine flu hit the airwaves (literally) racist jokes against Mexicans have been flying around school like the virus itself. And I am not exempted.

Friends of mine think it’s funny to say I have the swine flu. So I must have the swine flu, my family has the swine flu, and my pigs spread the swine flu 

That’s right, because I’m Mexican I have pigs.

And the racist remarks don’t end on campus.

Israeli Health Minister Yakov Litzman said swine flu is insulting to pigs and that is should be called the “Mexican flu.”

As if that’s not insulting.

Ultra conservative columnist and famed blogger Michelle Malkin blamed loose immigration laws for the swine flu.

But radio show host Neal Boortz made the most controversy saying, “What better way to sneak a virus into this country than to give it to Mexicans ... then spread a rumor there are construction jobs here, and there they come.”

What is going on here?! What makes these people think it’s funny to say these things? From a Mexican’s point of view, I feel their comments are insensitive and hurtful. Boortz, Malkin, and even my friends are spreading racism. I find it so surprising that comments like these are now a part of everyday life.

Not only are people saying hurtful and demeaning things, they’re taking it to the next level. 

In Hong Kong, dozens of people, mostly Mexicans, were quarantined in a hotel for an entire week, for fear of the swine flu. 

Overreacting much? Maybe just a little.

I can understand why they have serious precautions. In 2003, 800 people died worldwide, and 300 of those were in Hong Kong due to the SARS outbreak. 

But this isn’t SARS, this is H1N1; from what I’ve read it’s not as serious as what it’s put out to be. Each year more than 10,000 people die of influenza in the United States. And so far, only 44 deaths have been reported that were caused by swine flu. 

A poll taken on nydailynews.com showed that 46 percent of people felt it was necessary to close hundreds of schools in order to protect the children from the evil H1N1. The rest felt it was unnecessary. As long as the schools were sanitized every so often, they, as I, found it fine. 

Recently, in the boxing world, the newly crowned Light Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao was told to seriously consider not reentering the Philippines by the World Health Organization out of fear he might bring back swine flu after beating his opponent Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas. 

A few weeks ago I received a call from the school asking to be safe, sneeze on my sleeve, wash my hands often and stay home if I was feeling a little under the weather.

Well, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do regardless? As long as people use common sense and keep clean, this so-called “epidemic” won’t be an issue.