Emergency rooms are jammed with people who aren't even sick.  Just afraid.

Concerns about a possible pandemic have sent people streaming into crowded emergency rooms and walk-in clinics all over america - not with swine flu, but the fear of swine flu.  While the situation varies greatly around the country, hospitals and clinics in California, New York, Alabama and other states are dealing with a surge in what New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said are "people who are worried, but not sick."  Coughs and sneezes that might have been ignored before the outbreak emerged are now a reason to see a doctor.

People spooked by the swine flu outbreak broke a record Thursday in the emergency room at one Medical Center.  And they did it even though there are no confirmed cases of the flu in that county.  Two hundred six people, a record for the hospital, sought treatment at Mercy’s ER on Thursday, according to one spokesman.  "They're so afraid this is the killer swine flu that they want someone to look at them and test them," said Dr. John Bradley, who heads the infectious disease division at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.

At one of St. John's clinics, walk-in patients waited up to four hours to see a doctor, more than twice as long as usual, according to Jim Mangia, the center's president and chief executive officer. He said six medical assistants have been hired from a temp agency to handle the crowds.  The irony of the situation is that you can make yourself sick by visiting an emergency room by exposing yourself to really sick people waiting to see a doctor.

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