A few years ago I was hanging out with my friend Keith. At one point in the conversation I turned to him and asked him if he was scared about whatever it was we were discussing, I can't remember what it was precisely and his response was 'I don't think it's about being scared, I think it's about being aware'. It was such a subtle comment that it has stuck with me.
Today marks the first U.S. death from swine flu. The victim was a 23-month old child from Mexico that was taken to Texas. Despite the fact that we as yet have now physical proof of how contagious this disease is in the developed world where health care is of a high standard and readily available, people are manning their panic stations. At my workplace I have seen the crop up of multiple bottles of hand sanitizers as well notices about how to properly sneeze (no, you don't just say 'ACHOOO'...you turn your head away from your friends, bring the crook of your elbow up to your face and then let 'er rip!!). I amazed at the otherwise reasonable people I have encountered who have admitted that they are frightened of getting it.
As Keith said, it's not about being scared, it's about being aware. At it's current state of infiltration, the chances of any one person in New York or California getting swine flu are pretty minimal. While I don't have any figures to back me up, I would assume that there is a greater risk you will be hit by a bus than catch swine. Even if you do catch it, there are treatments for it so that if it is treated early, you are in good shape. Given all this, it seems incredibly premature to start worrying about your 'imminent' death.
That said, as when there is any nasty virus going around, we can become more aware of our habits of hygiene. Washing hands after you go to the bathroom and before meals has always been a good idea but now becomes imperative. Being well-informed about the prospective disease and it's symptoms is probably also advisable, even knowing what to do should you come down with the symptoms might be something you could add to your to-do list...but wearing surgical masks while walking down the streets of New York seems ridiculous, where exactly do these people think they are going to catch this virus from: the sky?!
If I had a megaphone, I would go out on the streets and ask people to find some backbone...since when did panic help a situation?!
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