H1N1 flu virus, newest party animal

Microscopic 'Party Animal' H1N1

Home-schooled immunologists are throwing "Swine Flu Parties" to purposely catch the potentially deadly virus, against the advice of the U.S. Centers For Disease Control (CDC).

The hope is that those who contract the virus -- and live to tell it -- will develop an immunity against more virulent strains of H1N1.

Also in the works, potential best-sellers "Lose The Mask" or "Sock It To Me."

The ''please-infect-me" house parties are named for the H1N1 flu virus, also know as the Swine Flu.

The trend first showed up -- where else -- among the tweets, whimpers and dumbed-down, misspelled missives of time-drunk, social networkers on the Internet who will make anthropologists the hazmat digging celebrities of the 25th Century.

The youngish cult-like movement is a derivation of "chickenpox parties" of baby boomers' youth when wacky parents brought sick children to infect healthy ones with the chickenpox virus often because parents were "natural" nuts who didn't want to vaccinate their kids.

God Bless America. Outlaw water boarding, party with the Grim Reaper.

Physicians say the parties are akin to a Russian roulette rave with "getting stupid," "going dumb" hyphy in the mix.

Never mind where the bug goes after flu night out is over and the misguided lab rats curl up with loved ones or sneeze on strangers.

The average age of patients suffering the H1N1 flu virus is 17 -- putting those most at risk in the same age group as those planning parties that will make them sick, says the CDC.

Natural selection at work?

Scientists have advised people not to get over confident because the flu hasn't been as deadly or as widespread as originally expected. Medical professionals who spent half their lives in school aren't even sure how every individual will be affected by the current version. A mutated H1N1 version could start attaching itself to human flesh during flu season later this year.

Having "swine flu party" is "a big mistake," said Richard Besser, the acting head of the (CDC).

"This is a new, emerging infection, and we're learning more about it each day. How an individual person will be impacted by the infection is not something that we know. It's a big mistake putting individuals and children at risk, and the CDC does not recommend that people follow that course," he added.

The World Health Organization recently reported 2,099 cases of H1N1 infections in 23 countries with 42 deaths in Mexico and two in the United States.

If the party rocks and guests get what they want, the hangover will be a doozy -- about a 1 in 50 chance of death. That percentage could be smaller, because only those who feel worst will likely seek medical attention and be diagosed as infected.

Still, that's a nasty potential side effect -- death.