Gov. Haley Barbour says that with no confirmed cases of swine flu in Mississippi, people should not panic.

Barbour told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday that “the news coverage is a lot more dangerous than the epidemic.”

He said people should use common sense and practice good hygiene to prevent the spread of any illness.

He also discouraged people from trying get the antiviral drug Tamiflu if they don’t need it. The Food and Drug Administration originally approved Tamiflu for the prevention and treatment of influenza in adults and children age 1 and older.

Mississippi Department of Health spokeswoman Elizabeth Grey said seven of the 10 cultures submitted to the agency for testing were negative. She said the other three couldn’t be tested because they were sent in inappropriately.